Series : Mignardises
Mozart’s Youthful Sonatas
February 4, 2027 – 7:30 p.m. | Auditorium des archives nationales
Composed during the young Mozart’s travels in Europe, his early chamber sonatas already reveal a striking melodic freshness, a keen sensitivity, and a remarkable inventiveness. Between the harpsichord and the pianoforte, the flute and violin engage in an elegant and harmonious dialogue in these early works, which are full of charm and spontaneity.
$20–$49 (taxes and fees included)
Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart’s reputation as a child prodigy is well established. But how often do we actually hear his earliest works? His first chamber compositions? These consist of keyboard sonatas accompanied by violin or flute, following the model established by the French during the 18th century. In 1763, a very young Mozart—he was six—stayed in Paris with his family before traveling to London. It was in these two capitals that these sonatas were published with dedications to prominent figures. While one does not yet detect in them the qualities of the master’s full maturity, one is still enchanted by their cheerful freshness, their keen sensitivity, and their ingenious and abundant melodic sense—qualities that promise the very best… This concert presents the finest of these works on the harpsichord or pianoforte, in a partnership of perfect harmony with the flute and violin.
Artists
Francis Colpron
Olivier Brault
Mélisande McNabney
Program
Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Date
Thursday, February 4, 2027 – 7:30 p.m.
Venue
Auditorium des archives nationales
535, avenue Viger Est, Montréal
Soloist
Mélisande McNabney
Pianoforte
Mélisande McNabney performs keyboard music of all periods, on harpsichord, piano, fortepiano, and organ. In August 2015, she received the third prize at the International Competition Musica Antiqua in Bruges, Belgium.
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Very active on the concert scene, Mélisande has performed solo recitals across Canada and Europe, notably at Early Music Vancouver, the Festival International de Lanaudière, as well as in the Clavecin en Concert and Jacques Dansereau concert series at Bourgie hall in Montreal. She was invited as a soloist with leading ensembles such as the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Arion Orchestre Baroque, Les Violons du Roy, Ensemble Caprice and the Toledo Symphony. As a chamber and orchestra musician, she has toured extensively throughout North America and is regularly invited to play with Accademia de’Dissonanti, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy and Arion Orchestre Baroque. In 2019, Mélisande released her debut solo album on ATMA Classique, Inspirations: D’Anglebert, Forqueray, Rameau, which received 5 Diapasons from Diapason magazine. Her second album, Fantasias: C. P. E. Bach / MOZART, released in 2022, received the mention ★★★★½ from La Presse.
Mélisande leads the baroque ensemble and teaches harpsichord at the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec, and at the Domaine Forget International Academy. She is also an active researcher in the field of performance practices, and presented papers at the HKSNA conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Biennial International Conference on Baroque Music in Birmingham, UK.
Mélisande is a graduate of the Amsterdam Conservatory where she studied harpsichord, continuo and fortepiano in the classes of Bob van Asperen and Richard Egarr. She was granted her Doctorate degree at McGill University in May 2017, under the guidance of Hank Knox and Tom Beghin, thanks to the support of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program. Mélisande is grateful for the support of Musicaction, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Banff Centre, the SSHRC, the FQRSC, the CALQ, Festival Classica and M. Jacques Marchand.
