Photo of the concert set

Concert n. 1

Tuesday
29
October 2024
7:30 pm

Salle Studio Théâtre - Grands Ballets

The NEM launches its 2024-25 season with this concert bringing together vibrant works by Cendo, Romitelli, Saariaho and Vivier.

EVENING SCHEDULE

  • 6:30 PM: Box office opens
  • 7:10 PM: Doors open
  • 7:30 PM: Concert begins (with a 20-minute intermission)
  • 9:10 PM: Concert ends
  • 9:10 PM – 10:00 PM: Reception in the foyer
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Conductor

Jean-Michaël Lavoie

Soloists
Carole-Anne Roussel
,
soprano

Program

Raphaël Cendo (
1975
,

France

), Action painting (
2004
-
2005
)
Raphaël Cendo (
1975
,

France

), Action painting (
2004
-
2005
)
Raphaël Cendo (
1975
,

France

), Action painting (
2004
-
2005
)
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Off

Action painting

Action Painting is a manifesto of the early phase of musical saturation. The radical complexity of the writing, the virtuosity, the screams from the instruments and musicians, and the excessive use of sound masses all combine to create an immense cry of almost unbearable violence. Inspired by Jackson Pollock and influenced by rock and punk, Cendo channels these energies into this work. The second part explores saturation in minute details, foreshadowing the "infra-saturated" period—a post-apocalyptic vision of musical material.

Action painting is constructed around the idea of “saturation.” The saturation of colours, pitches and events or musical gestures plays a crucial role. The allusion in the title to a technique of fine art is to be found at several levels: different instrumentation textures (always full and compact colours), a kind of musical “dripping,” and instrumental drawing or gestures of musicians are an integral part of the composition. As the first of my works to generalise the principle of instrumental “saturation,” Action Painting shows playing techniques that are developed further in my following works: the use of distorted sounds in the strings, multiphonics in the woodwind and brass, use of oboe and clarinet mouthpieces by brass instruments, and so forth. The work is dedicated to Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. 

- Raphaël Cendo

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Action painting

Action Painting is a manifesto of the early phase of musical saturation. The radical complexity of the writing, the virtuosity, the screams from the instruments and musicians, and the excessive use of sound masses all combine to create an immense cry of almost unbearable violence. Inspired by Jackson Pollock and influenced by rock and punk, Cendo channels these energies into this work. The second part explores saturation in minute details, foreshadowing the "infra-saturated" period—a post-apocalyptic vision of musical material.

Action painting is constructed around the idea of “saturation.” The saturation of colours, pitches and events or musical gestures plays a crucial role. The allusion in the title to a technique of fine art is to be found at several levels: different instrumentation textures (always full and compact colours), a kind of musical “dripping,” and instrumental drawing or gestures of musicians are an integral part of the composition. As the first of my works to generalise the principle of instrumental “saturation,” Action Painting shows playing techniques that are developed further in my following works: the use of distorted sounds in the strings, multiphonics in the woodwind and brass, use of oboe and clarinet mouthpieces by brass instruments, and so forth. The work is dedicated to Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. 

- Raphaël Cendo

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On
Fausto Romitelli (
1963
-
2004
,

Italy

), Lost (
1997
)
Fausto Romitelli (
1963
-
2004
,

Italy

), Lost (
1997
)
Fausto Romitelli (
1963
-
2004
,

Italy

), Lost (
1997
)
Off
Off

Lost

Romitelli, aware of the end of grand historical narratives, revisits the modes of expression of psychedelic rock and techno, fueling a contemporary sound universe. His writing, steeped in electric sounds, reflects the shared listening experiences of modern society.

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Lost

Romitelli, aware of the end of grand historical narratives, revisits the modes of expression of psychedelic rock and techno, fueling a contemporary sound universe. His writing, steeped in electric sounds, reflects the shared listening experiences of modern society.

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On
Kaija Saariaho (
1952
-
2023
,

Finland

), Nymphea (Jardin secret III) (
1987
)
Kaija Saariaho (
1952
-
2023
,

Finland

), Nymphea (Jardin secret III) (
1987
)
Kaija Saariaho (
1952
-
2023
,

Finland

), Nymphea (Jardin secret III) (
1987
)
Off
Off
Photo de Kaija Saariaho

Kaija Saariaho studied composition under the supervision of Paavo Heininen at the Sibelius Academy, then at the Musikhochschule in Freiburg with Brian Ferneyhough and Klaus Huber, graduating in 1983. In 1982, she took courses in computer-assisted music at IRCAM in Paris, where she settled. Subsequently, the computer has always been an important element of her compositional technique. 

She gained an international reputation with her works Verblendungen (1982-84) and Nymphea (1987) for string quartet and electronic devices, commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet. Saariaho also engaged in a number of multimedia productions, such as the complete ballet Maa (1991) and a pan-European collaborative project to produce a CD-ROM, Prisma, about her life and work. In 1999, Saariaho completed a major work for choir and orchestra titled Oltra mar, which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic and Kurt Masur on November 11, 1999, as part of their millennium commission series.

These last three projects led Kaija Saariaho to her next major work, her first opera, L’amour de loin, which was jointly commissioned by the Salzburg Festival and the Théâtre du Châtelet, and premiered on August 15, 2000, at the Salzburg Festival. The libretto was written by Franco-Lebanese author Amin Maalouf, the opera was staged by Peter Sellars, and the SWR Baden-Baden Orchestra was conducted by Kent Nagano.

Nymphea (Jardin secret III)

Nymphea, a string quartet with electronics, processes sounds in real time and incorporates recited fragments of Tarkovsky’s poem toward the end. This piece is part of a series exploring computer technologies developed by Saariaho.

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Photo de Kaija Saariaho

Kaija Saariaho studied composition under the supervision of Paavo Heininen at the Sibelius Academy, then at the Musikhochschule in Freiburg with Brian Ferneyhough and Klaus Huber, graduating in 1983. In 1982, she took courses in computer-assisted music at IRCAM in Paris, where she settled. Subsequently, the computer has always been an important element of her compositional technique. 

She gained an international reputation with her works Verblendungen (1982-84) and Nymphea (1987) for string quartet and electronic devices, commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet. Saariaho also engaged in a number of multimedia productions, such as the complete ballet Maa (1991) and a pan-European collaborative project to produce a CD-ROM, Prisma, about her life and work. In 1999, Saariaho completed a major work for choir and orchestra titled Oltra mar, which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic and Kurt Masur on November 11, 1999, as part of their millennium commission series.

These last three projects led Kaija Saariaho to her next major work, her first opera, L’amour de loin, which was jointly commissioned by the Salzburg Festival and the Théâtre du Châtelet, and premiered on August 15, 2000, at the Salzburg Festival. The libretto was written by Franco-Lebanese author Amin Maalouf, the opera was staged by Peter Sellars, and the SWR Baden-Baden Orchestra was conducted by Kent Nagano.

Nymphea (Jardin secret III)

Nymphea, a string quartet with electronics, processes sounds in real time and incorporates recited fragments of Tarkovsky’s poem toward the end. This piece is part of a series exploring computer technologies developed by Saariaho.

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Claude Vivier (
1948
-
1983
,

QC
Canada

), Trois airs pour un opéra imaginaire (
1982
),
for soprano solo and 13 instruments
Claude Vivier (
1948
-
1983
,

QC
Canada

), Trois airs pour un opéra imaginaire (
1982
),
for soprano solo and 13 instruments
Claude Vivier (
1948
-
1983
,

QC
Canada

), Trois airs pour un opéra imaginaire (
1982
),
for soprano solo and 13 instruments
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Off

Trois airs pour un opéra imaginaire

This work explores a pulsed spectrum moving towards an irregular rhythm, transforming into counterpoint before returning to minimal orchestration. Vivier's spectral writing concludes with a sudden rupture followed by a pure interval.

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Trois airs pour un opéra imaginaire

This work explores a pulsed spectrum moving towards an irregular rhythm, transforming into counterpoint before returning to minimal orchestration. Vivier's spectral writing concludes with a sudden rupture followed by a pure interval.

Afficher la note de programme
On

Date and place

Tuesday
29
October 2024
7:30 pm

Salle Studio Théâtre - Grands Ballets

1435 rue de Bleury
Montreal QC H3A 2H7
Canada

Prices

Admission
10$ - 45$

Tickets

Online:
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