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La Scena Musicale - Vol. 20, No. 4

Gift Ideas

December 1, 2014

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La Scena Team
Event: This year, CAMMAC Music Centre is offering a week of daytime musical activities aimed at grandparents and their grandchildren during the school break, March 1-6, at the Music Centre on Lake MacDonald. This unique opportunity for young people to discover music might just change their lives. In our opinion, it’s a gift they will never forget. cammac.ca

Caroline Rodgers, Associate Editor
Book: Parsifal et l’Enchanteur – Louis II et Wagner by Nicola Montenz. Éditions JC Lattès.
“This stirring tale of the tumultuous relationship between the composer and his patron reads like a novel. You’ll find everything from court intrigues, scandalous love affairs to Wagner’s extravagant life style, all with the backdrop of the degradation of the monarch, subjugated by the composer, and who lets himself sink more and more into an irrational mindspace.”

Renée Banville, Contributor
Book: La Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur by Georges Nicholson. Éditions Druide.
“A souvenir album retracing the history of the Chapelle, an institution that has been part of Montreal’s landscape for 25 years.”
Concert: “L’Ensemble Caprice will mark its 25 anniversary with a concert which promises to be memorable, in which Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 meets up with Dave St-Pierre’s choreography.” January 17, salle Pierre-Mercure. ensemblecaprice.com
Album: Mozart and Haydn, “Jeunehomme” by Alexandre Tharaud. Les Violons du Roy. Erato

Réjean Beaucage, Contributor
Book: ECM+, Génération, 20 ans (1994-2014) 2014, 154 p.
“Over the last 20 years L’Ensemble contemporain de Montréal (EMC+) and its Artistic Director, Véronique Lacroix, have created 53 works by 53 young Canadian composers through the concert series Génération (formerly Ateliers et concert). These pieces were presented during eight Canadian tours, an exceptional achievement that deserves to be highlighted. We’re offered a look into current musical creation through portraits of the individual participants of this adventure. A necessary book for a glimpse of the future. www.ecm.qc.ca

Rebecca Anne Clark, Production Manager
What do you get someone who already has more stuff than they can use? Try a different style of giving and make a charitable donation in their name. An increasingly popular holiday tradition, a charitable gift not only makes both the giver and the recipient feel good, it makes the world a better place by helping out a cause that’s important to your friend or loved one. See our section on page 36 to learn more about philanthropy, visit www.canadahelps.org to discover some Canadian charities dedicated to music and the arts (or other important causes) … or donate or subscribe to La Scena Musicale!

Artists’ suggestions

Frédéric Lambert, Quatuor Molinari member
Album: Stile Antico, From the Imperial Court. Music for the House of Hapsburg. Harmonia Mundi.
“This ensemble is captivating, for its rigour as well as for its love of singing this repertoire. It is said that there is no such thing as perfection, but this recording puts that maxim to the test.”
Album: Quatuor Alcan, Beethoven, Intégrale des quatuors à cordes, vol I. Atma Classique 
“These string quartets are very important, and this ambitious plan of producing them in 3 volumes deserves our attention. The Quatuor Alcan has worked hard at developing its version. The whole thing is beautifully presented.”

Jean-Philippe Tremblay, Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orchestre de la Francophonie
Give to a good cause. “A donation to the Garage à Musique to help a youth develop musically. It’s an important charitable gift helping the Garage to pursue its commendable mission.” www.garageamusique.org/aidez-nous
Book: Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter. Basic Books.
“Not an easy book to read, but really gripping and enchanting.”

Charles Richard-Hamelin, pianist and Trio Hochelaga member
Album: Artur Rubinstein, The Chopin Collection. RCA.
“Rubenstein’s passionate but always noble playing is perfect for Frederic Chopin’s music. His sense of phrasing is incredibly natural and each note he plays is meaningful.”

Jean-Willy Kunz, organist
Concert: “The Cirque du Soleil is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a concert series offering the best-known musical pieces from its 35 shows, performed by chorus, orchestra and … organ. As an organist, harpsichordist or pianist, I have been involved in some very original projects in the last few years, and I’m eager to participate in this one!” December 13 – 28, Saint-Jean-Baptiste church. Information: http://cirk.me/11txN9t

Stéphane Tétreault, cellist
CD set: Cecilia Bartoli – St Petersburg. Decca
“Showcasing forgotten compositions unearthed by Bartoli in Russia, this recording is the perfect gift for any music lover. Skilfully accompanied by the ensemble I Barocchisti and its director Diego Fasolis, here is an opportunity to hear the extraordinary singer in Italian, of course, but also in Russian.”

Translation: Karine Poznanski


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