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Baroque ensemble on period instruments Francis Colpron, artistic director |
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Media > Critics’ PraiseLes Boréades quartet simply ravishing. No matter how astonished you were at how
beautifully and excitingly they played when you last heard Les Boréades de Montréal,
they are guaranteed to astonish you afresh the next time you hear them. The splendid
improvisatory virtuosity of Francis Colpron on recorders, his rapid-fire staccato
notes, his roulades and embellisments as free ans as fascinating as the flames in a
fireplace, made the heart leap in unbuttoned endorsement. Teintée par un clavecin et d’authentiques instruments d’époque, la sonorité
particulièrement riche de ce concert a littéralement bercé l’auditoire, alors que la
prestation se faisait fluide, coulante et particulièrement douce pour l’oreille et
l’esprit. … l’intimité d’une musique aussi raffinée que ludique, où l’affirmation de
l’instrument et la qualité du timbre l’emportent… Les Boréades ont réussi à faire revivre ces petites pièces de manière magistrale.
Quelle variété, quel dynamisme dans leur succession, une succession fort judicieusement
élaborée… It was a program which transported the audience some 250 years back in time and
provided an appreciation for not only the sound quality of the instruments but also the
spirit of the entertainment, available at the time and the skillfull artistry of the
performers. A wonderful concert by the baroque music group Les Boréades de Montréal. The concert
was a musical high from the beginning to end. Le concert qui avait commencé sur le son des cloches de la Chapelle s’est terminé
par une ovation debout des quelques 250 personnes venues entendre les chants des
couventines, trop peu programmés en concert. The eight instrumentalists of Les Boréades de Montréal, enthusiastically directed
from the harpsichord and organ by Eric Milnes, were well prepared and turned in a
solid, stylish performance, with lovely featured work by winds Francis Colpron,
recorders, and Mathew Jennejohn, baroque oboe. Colpron’s agility, clarity and control of tone, as well as the musical forcefulness
of his projection of what lies behind the notes, are remarkable. But his fine
understanding and extraordinary ability to elucidate complex musical design for the
mind and encourage the often astonished ear, stupefied by double stops, muted tones,
trimmed pitches and vocal duets with himself, is no less for contemporary music. Les Boreades de Montreal played a quartet for flute, violin, gamba and harpsichord
by Telemann. It was strikingly affected in style, full of brow-striking poses and
sudden rushes of enthusiasm, with a slow movement wich featured Susie Napper on viola
da gamba in a call and response game played with great sensitivity. They would be irresistible even if they were not top-notch intrumental virtuosi. But
they are. And more. The ensemble itself is virtuosic. Together they play with the kind
of freedom with the style you would expect from a soloist. They are effortless, relaxed
and cultivated to such a degree of perfection each is a flowering branch on the same
tree. La lumière d’Arleen Augér, les facilités de Lynne Dawson et l’opulence de Renée
Fleming s’accordent en un savant dosage dans le chant époustouflant de Karina Gauvin,
soprano québécoise encore trop rare de ce côté de l’Atlantique. En compagnie des
Boréades de Montréal, elle s’orne des plus beaux joyaux du bel canto londonien. Somptueux et voluptueux!… Karina Gauvin est en adéquation parfaite avec l’orchestre
et la voix se fond dans les sonorités de l’orchestre… Le jeu des Boréades est vraiment
remarquable. Les Boréades played on Baroque instruments that gave a rich sound, often seeming
like an extension of the human voice. |