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Beatles Baroque

The Beatles
Paul McCartney
John Lennon
George Harrison

Les Boréades
Eric Milnes
Francis Colpron
Hélène Plouffe
Susie Napper
Sylvain Bergeron
Femke Bergsma
Grégoire Jeay
Margaret Little
Jay Bernfeld
Éric Lagacé
Tobias Haynes

Some Musicians Remember…

Although just seven years old at the time, Eric Milnes remembers vividly the single release of Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane as a neighbor friend ran across the street waving the Capitol 45rpm disc. He also remembers his babysitter dancing to early Beatles’ hits in 1964 and the rumour of “Paul is dead” coming home on the school bus in 1969. But it wasn’t until 10 years later, as a high school student, that Eric Milnes’ exhaustive study of the complete works of the Beatles commenced, coincident with serious study of classical music at the piano, harpsichord and organ.

Francis Colpron: “It was all settled on during the recording session for our disc of Italian music. Baroque Beatles on period instruments… the idea at first didn’t rouse me much. I must admit that, being too young, I was never really well acquainted with the Beatles. Like everybody, I had heard their biggest hits, but I had never actually sought to delve into the lyrics. That’s Anglo-Saxon culture, and I’m firmly rooted in French culture. However, as the project progressed, the general enthusiasm became increasingly infectious. Surrounded by people who in their youth had known the group well, I was discovering a fascinating world.”

Susie Napper, geriatric member of Les Boréades, fondly remembers dancing to She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah the day it came out on a 45rpm vinyl disc.

Hélène Plouffe: “I caught the Beatles’ ‘second wave’ right smack in my teen years. I had to learn to strum my guitar so I could sing their songs, which for two years had swept over my best friend and mine's social lives. If I had been told at the time that I might one day play the Beatles on my baroque violin, I would surely have thought myself under the blaze of ‘Lucy’s Diamonds.’ ”

What was Margaret Little doing in the 60s? “I had already quit my violin and piano lessons. I was playing electric and acoustic guitar, and a little treble viol on the side. We had a band, called le Quatrième Temps (The Fourth Beat), with friends from the choir. I sang in a duet with my friend Claudette, accompanying ourselves on the guitar, and we had a group in school that performed at dance parties, in which I played just about everything, even the recorder! We even played hooky so we could exchange new compositions in the hallway. Every Beatles release was an excuse to throw a party that would last nearly all night!”

Femke Bergsma: “While the Beatles were soaring to the pinnacles of fame, I was whizzing around on my bicycle. From the year 1969, I also recall my first taste of television: Man’s first moon walk. It’s only during my teenage years that I experienced the music of the Fab 4. The only piece I ever played on the piano of my own volition was Yesterday. What a pleasure it is finally to play the Beatles on my recorder.”

Jay Bernfeld: “I remember the buzz of excitement that enlivened those now famous Sundays of the Beatles ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ appearances. I was a very serious kid, a big opera fan—I found the music very frivolous but like everyone else I was infected by their magic… the possibility of magic everywhere. What a shame I threw out my old Beatles wig!”