Contemporary Music

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This fall, the OSM will present a few contemporary works of interest: when it comes to music from Quebec, we should mention the revival of Michel Longtin’s Et j’ai repris la route, directed by Julian Kuerti on October 10, and the premiere of a new work by DJ Champion and Maxime McKinley on November 14 and 15. On the international repertoire front, Kent Nagano will conduct Steve Reich’s Clapping music and Ligeti’s Poème symphonique pour 100 métronomes on November 22 and 25. The program will also include works by Haydn, Bartók and Smetana. www.osm.ca

The Orchestre Métropolitain has welcomed me into their ranks s a Composer-in-Residence. My first work for them, Exil intérieur, will be performed September 23 at the Maison symphonique.             www.orchestremetropolitain.com

Quebecois music is also on the programs of other regional orchestras. This fall, we will be privy to the Canadian premiere of Anne Lauber’s Concerto pour piano on October 18 by the Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil. (www.osdl.ca) The Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, for its part, will offer a program on September 29 imbued with poetry, including Regards et jeux dans l’espace,a tribute to the poet Saint-Denys Garneau composed by Jacques Desjardins. www.ostr.ca

ECM + and the Appassionata ensemble will present Manuel de Falla’s famous ballet, Love, the Magician, followed by two premieres by composers Analia Llugdar and Andrew Staniland as well as Ana Sokolović’s Nine Proverbs. Originally slated for last May, the concert had to be postponed due to the downpour that hit Montreal. Here’s to hoping that September will be a dry month! www.ecm.qc.ca

The NEM is offering three major events this fall. A Morton Feldman tribute concert will open the season at Bourgie Hall on September 19. Then a big fall concert includes concertos by Zad Moultaka (one for cimbalom and the other for guitar), Simon Bertrand, and Martin Matalon (September 28 at the salle Claude-Champagne). Finally, in November, the 11th Forum international des jeunes compositeurs will shine a spotlight on Scandinavia. Works by Canadian composers Zosha Di Castri, Christopher Goddard, Frédéric LeBel and Duncan Schouten will be performed alongside music by their Finnish counterparts, Lauri Mäntysaari and Lauri Supponen, as well as Norwegian Martin Rane Bauck and Swede Lisa Streich. www.lenem.ca

This year will mark the centennial of John Cage’s birthday. He was as much an iconoclast as a composer, and his music deserves a similarly iconoclastic celebration! This is the aim of a not-to-be-missed show on September 5 at La Sala Rossa. Titled An Opening of Doors: célébration du centenaire de Cage, it will feature no less than 14 works by the composer. Amongst the many artists involved, we should mention the Bozzini Quartet, Brigitte Poulin, Jean Derome, Lori Freedman, Émilie Girard-Charest, Malcolm Goldstein and Michel Gonneville. www.quatuorbozzini.ca

At the Maisons de la Culture and other venues, the Accès culture de Montréal network will offer a vast array of affordable or free concerts and recitals. This fall, contemporary music will rule with Magnitude 6’s Symbiosis concert, La guitare selon Montréal, a Codes d’accès presentation, Isaiah Ceccarelli’s Bréviaire d’épuisements, Julien-Robert Legault-Salvail’s Vidéo phase, and pianist Matthieu Fortin’s recital, Noël remix. www.accesculture.com

At press time, many concert societies and contemporary music-themed chamber ensembles had not released their 2012-2013 lineup. Do not hesitate to discover their respective missions and programs by visiting the Vivier website (www.levivier.ca). Le Vivier includes more than twenty organizations devoted to contemporary music in all its forms. The contemporary musical scene is rich, extremely lively, highly diverse, and offers an abundance of concerts and memorable events. It’s yours to discover!

Translation: John Delva