The Orchester symphonique de Montréal unveiled its first season on Tuesday signed by its new musical director Rafael Payare, which gives an idea of the direction it wants to take for the next few years. The maestro is launching a Mahler cycle deployed over several years, emphasizing choral works, will offer 4 world premieres and 17 concerts intended for a young audience.
Posted at 2:00 p.m.
Rafael Payare will of course be at the helm to launch the 2022-2023 season with the premiere of a work by Austrian composer Thomas Larcher, followed by the Symphony no. 2 “Resurrection” by Gustav Mahler, which will begin the Mahler cycle and has a special resonance as we emerge from the pandemic. Maestro Payare will also be at the helm for the Symphony no. 5 scheduled for spring 2023, but which will be recorded from August, and the Symphony no. 3at the end of the season.
“Mahler is a fantastic composer, as we know. He liked to say that each symphony is an entire universe. Not a planet: an entire universe. This orchestra has the talent and the skill it takes to get the essence out of it,” says Rafael Payare.
The OSM music director will also be at the helm for A Midsummer Night’s dream of Mendelssohn, interpretation in which will be integrated extracts of the tragedy of Shakespeare. Catherine Vidal will conduct the seven actors and actresses who will play ten characters and Andrew Megill will lead the OSM Chorus during this concert event presented on September 21 and 22.
“We will try to have something each season that will integrate this kind of dramaturgical effect”, announces Rafael Payare. During this show, the actors will generally say their lines between movements. However, at certain times, music and theater will go hand in hand, even if, as the maestro points out, “it will not be opera”.
Firsts and old friends
The OSM’s music director and Andrew Wan (concert violin), also present at the unveiling press conference, are delighted to be working with pianist Vikingur Olafsson, whom they both know. The Icelandic soloist will be in Montreal on October 12 in a program devoted to Shostakovich, Ravel, Liszt and on the 13th to Shostakovich and Mozart.
Rafael Payare made a point of highlighting the presence of the sopranos Barbara Hannigan (LonelyChild by Claude Vivier and the fantastic symphony de Berlioz) and Sonya Yoncheva (for an evening devoted to Richard Strauss), but also long-time friends of the OSM such as conductor Bernard Labadie or Maxim Venguerov among the guests who, like Bruce Liu or Augustin Hadelich, will perform for the first time with the orchestra.
Openness to the community
The new maestro wishes to continue in the spirit of openness, education and rapprochement with the community established by Kent Nagano. This is reflected in the attention paid to choral works (the choir being the symbol of the community), but also in 17 concerts for young people.
“I know it’s by being exposed to music, by giving everyone the opportunity to be exposed to it, you never know what can happen. I wouldn’t be here dedicating my life to music without El Sistema, he says, referring to a publicly funded music education program in Venezuela. It’s very important to me to expose people to music. Afterwards, they will do what they want with it, but I think it’s our duty to make the miracle of music accessible to as many people as possible. »
Finally, the OSM continues its “pop” series. A novelty, first: a concert featuring Dominique Fils Aimé under the direction of Dina Gilbert, with Elisapie as special guest and the choristers of the show There are people at mass (March 16 and 17, 2023). Fans of the Dashing Cowboys will be happy to learn that the group is returning to the Maison symphonique for a third time with their accomplice Simon Leclerc (November 28 and 29, 2022). Another more general public event: on April 11 and 12, 2023, Ben Palmer will conduct Witchcraft and the Jedi: An Evening with John Williamsa concert where his music for Star Wars, Harry Potter and E.T. the extraterrestrial.
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OSM 2022-2023 season | A Mahler cycle and a spirit of community
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