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Novantica -

Les Méandres en vedette

Qui êtes vous? Parlez-nous de votre activité/métier.
Who are you? Tell us about your work and activities.

Jérémie de Pierre : Je suis originaire du village de Mont-Saint-Michel dans les Laurentides, mais j’ai grandi à Ferme-Neuve. Après quelques balbutiements au violon, je me suis consacré à la flûte à bec. J’ai interrompu mon parcours musical pour 3 ans d’études en théâtre avant de me dédier à la musique ancienne.

J’ignore toujours si on dit “Flûtiste à bec” ou “Flûtabequiste”…

Justin Luchinski: I’m Justin Luchinski, harpsichordist of Les Méandres, student of Hank Knox at McGill University.  Though born in Saskatoon, I spent the majority of my life in Calgary, Alberta, where I learned to play piano, the drums, guitar, and bass in a very musical family.  I’ve been told the path that’s led me to my current position is an unusual one, as I spent most of my performing career behind a drum kit or with a bass guitar over my shoulder, playing a wide variety of genres from rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, gospel, funk, to rockabilly, punk rock, metal.  Since discovering early music relatively late in my life, there hasn’t been a sliver of doubt in my mind that I’ve found exactly what I’ve been looking for. 

These days, aside from the fantastic repertoire I’ve had the pleasure of performing in Les Méandres concerts, I’ve been immersed in the early operatic world, performing in Handel’s “Rodelinda,” “Alcina,” and “Ariodante” all within the last year and a half with Opera McGill, and very recently directing the music for Thomas Arne’s 1760 dramatic pastoral opera “Thomas & Sally.”

Why are you a musician?
Pourquoi êtes-vous musicien(ne)?

Jérémie de Pierre : J’ai toujours eu l’impression que j’avais commencé le violon avec ma grande sœur parce que c’était son idée. Mais il semblerait que ce soit moi qui ait demandé à mes parents de suivre des cours de musique. En tout cas, je n’en ai aucun souvenir !

Je pense que j’aime la musique parce qu’elle est une discipline à la fois physique et intellectuelle. Nos capacités d’analyse et de réflexion sont sollicitées.  C’est un discours où il faut avoir de l’éloquence mais aussi savoir écouter et laisser la place à ses collègues. On doit en connaitre la grammaire, se référer à la Littérature et à l’Histoire. D’un autre côté, il faut ressentir les cadences, les hémioles, le rythme, avoir du souffle, une bonne posture. C’est un travail d’équipe et un merveilleux mariage entre deux mondes.

Justin Luchinski : For nearly as long as I can remember, music is the one thing I’ve consistently known would be a great part of my life.  It’s never been a question of whether I would be a musician but rather a question of how to satisfy the unyielding curiosity and necessity to understand and improve.

Racontez-nous deux souvenirs, un heureux et un désagréable/embarrassant?
Tell us two memories, one happy and one unhappy or embarrassing about your musical life.

Jérémie de Pierre : Je suis content de voir que j’aurais 1000 souvenirs heureux à partager, mais que j’ai de la difficulté à trouver un souvenir désagréable. C’est bon signe je crois !

Dans mon village, le chef de la chorale était un homme audatieux. Une année, je devais avoir 11 ans, il a décidé de mettre sur pied un programme de musique ancienne. La chorale était quelque chose de sérieux pour moi parce que ma mère était chef de pupitre des soprani. J’avais été très impressionné par les musiciens de “la Grand ville” qui étaient venus accompagner la chorale. Je me suis mis à espérer que j’aurais un jour la chance de jouer avec eux. Pendant mes pratiques dans ma chambre à la maison, je m’imaginais qu’ils étaient autour de moi et qu’on faisait de la musique ensemble. L’année suivante, le chef de la chorale me demandait au téléphone si je pouvais jouer dans la Messe de Minuit de Charpentier avec mes idoles. Je pleurais de joie.

Un souvenir désagréable? Mon premier Masterclass avec Piers Adams. Mon anglais a longtemps été très limité et je me retrouvais en première année de Cégep en flûte à bec, à la Maison des Jeunesses Musicales du Canada, devant plein d’inconnus, à recevoir un cours dans une langue que je ne comprenais pas. J’ai freezé comme on dit. J’ai une haine profonde pour le compositeur Veracini depuis!

Justin Luchinski:  I’m not sure why this comes to mind as a happy memory—I guess it was more funny than stressful at the time.  During one of the nights of Opera McGill’s production of Alcina, there was a scene that involved leaves falling off living, breathing trees.  It looked amazing! But half way through an aria, I was playing the bass line with one hand and half-standing, reaching into the strings and pulling a good number of fallen leaves out that were dampening some of my notes.  We had a good chuckle about it afterwards. 

The first embarrassing memory that comes to mind involves a twelve-year-old me playing a Roland TD-10 drum kit at a school assembly with a little three-piece cover band.  There was an audience of about 350 people.  The kick drum on those small electric Roland drum kits is no more than a pedal with a pad the size of a hockey puck, and there are two small spikes at the bottom that are meant to press into a carpet to keep the pedal from moving while kicking it.  We were on a very small, wooden, two-foot high stage with no carpet.  We were right in the middle of playing “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts when my “kick drum” slid right off the stage and fell crashing to the floor.  I played the remainder of the song by stomping my foot as loudly as I could on the stage, and I guess it kind of worked, though the effect was a little different.

Tell us about your first concert as an ensemble?

Jérémie de Pierre : Le concert s’intitulait Le Ballet de Tircis. À l’origine, c’était le nom de l’ensemble. J’ai finalement trouvé Les Méandres pendant ma douche.

Pour le premier concert, nous avions une sélection assez éclectique de pièces. Ça allait de la chanson du 16e siècle au quatuor de Telemann. C’était un peu décousu, mais plein de ferveur. Un peu comme une grande lettre d’amour à la musique ancienne que j’aurais pris 20 ans à écrire.

Mais je me souviens surtout du stress!

Votre relation personnelle à la musique? Quelle(s) musique(s) écoutez-vous?
Your personal relationship to music? What music(s) do you listen to?

Jérémie de Pierre : J’écoute beaucoup de musique. En cuisinant, en me rendant au travail… n’importe quand en fait. Adolescent, je choisissais un disque pour l’associer à un roman. Par exemple, Carmina Burana de L’OSM avec Dutoit, c’est le Capitaine Nemo et le Nautilus pour moi. Le concerto RV 108 c’est le Comte de Monte-Cristo. Je regrette par contre de ne plus trouver le temps de m’assoir et d’écouter un disque comme avant. Je suis également critique des plateformes d’écoute. C’est bien gentil, mais j’ai besoin du livret! Donnez-moi le livret!

Pour ce que j’écoute, c’est 99.5% du temps de la musique ancienne. Quelque rares fois je vais écouter Tom Waits, Iron Maiden, Gentle Giant, Rush, The Chieftains ou Mingus pour en citer quelques-uns.

Racontez-nous la chose la plus ridicule qu’il vous est arrivé pendant un concert/une tournée?
What was the weirdest thing to happen to you during a concert or on tour?

Jérémie de Pierre : Un classique. On jouait une de mes compositions dans un concert au Cégep. J’étais tellement nerveux, je n’arrêtais pas de rappeler à tout le monde d’avoir leurs partitions avec eux. Évidemment c’est quand j’arrive à mon lutrin que je me rends compte que je n’ai pas les miennes.

Votre premier contact avec la musique ancienne?
Your first encounter with early music?

Jérémie de Pierre : Je ne sais pas. Je me souviens que j’écoutais beaucoup de classique quand j’étais enfant. Je ne sais pas trop si je me suis mis à aimer la musique ancienne parce que je jouais de la flûte à bec ou l’inverse. Mais je me souviens que je commençais à me rendre compte que Vivaldi et Bach n’étaient pas la même chose que Mozart ou Beethoven. Mon premier achat d’un disque de musique ancienne, c’était soit un disque de Folia de Jordi Savall ou un disque d’œuvres pour viole de Gambe de Telemann par Lorenz Duftschmid.

Justin Luchinski: I remember walking out of an HMV in 2012 with a J.S. Bach “greatest hits” type of album, knowing next to nothing about music pre-19th century.  Expecting to hear piano concertos or something of the sort, I was instead pleasantly surprised to find recordings of such artists as Gustav Leondardt and Sigiswald Kuijken, and was then first introduced to the sound of the harpsichord (outside of an Addams Family or Simpsons Halloween Special context).  Several weeks later, I discovered Hank Knox’s Frescobaldi albums Affetti cantabile and Oeuvres pour clavier that feature a stunning 1677 harpsichord set to quarter-comma meantone.  I’ve been hopelessly hooked ever since.

A motto for NovAntica?
Une devise pour NovAntica?

Jérémie de Pierre : Défricheur de terrains connus.

What can NovAntica contribute to Montreal musical life?

Jérémie de Pierre : C’est important de rassembler nos efforts afin d’assurer la pérennité de nos liens avec le public. On est tellement chanceux à Montréal! Il y a quoi … 1000 ensembles de musique ancienne, chacun avec une personnalité, une approche unique, une proposition digne d’intérêt. En plus, il y a un public fidèle qui ne sait plus où donner de la tête, tellement il y a de concerts à voir! Je voudrais voir NovAntica devenir LA référence pour tout ce qui touche à la musique ancienne au Québec. Mettre sur pied un calendrier des évènements, avoir une billetterie pour prendre les réservations, permettre la publicité entre les ensembles etc.

Un lieu, une bonne adresse, un bon livre, un film à voir ou votre disque du moment?
A place, a good spot, a good book, a film to see, or your CD of the moment?

Jérémie de Pierre : Un bord de lac, L’Art de la Guerre de Machiavel. Pour les disques, Cœur du Poème Harmonique et Amadis par Les Talens Lyriques.

Quel est votre resto préféré pour les repas après-concert?
What is your favorite place to go to eat or drink after a concert?

Jérémie de Pierre : Le Barbare était l’endroit par excellence. Je suis encore à la recherche la perle rare depuis sa fermeture. L’Amer à boire c’est dans les bonnes places.

En vedette: Cénacle

Cénacle Photo

 

Qui êtes vous?

Francis Palma-Pelletier : Je suis un musicien contrebassiste. J’aime jouer dans de petits ensembles. Je suis spécialisé en musique ancienne sur le violone (ancienne terminologie). Je joue en trio avec Cénacle, mais également en duo, dans un ensemble de tango et de plus grands ensembles de musique ancienne.

 

Racontez-nous deux souvenirs, un heureux et un désagréable/embarrassant?

Francis Palma-Pelletier : La plupart des voyages en avions avec ma contrebasse furent désagréables. J’ai vécu de nombreux stress dus aux bris et problèmes de transport. J’ai eu le manche arraché une fois et une autre fois, ma contrebasse s’est retrouvée à Hambourg alors que j’étais en répétition à Zürich. Bref, j’adore voyager, mais pas avec mon instrument. Ironiquement, mes plus beaux souvenirs sont en tournée. J’essaie de m’imprégner de chaque instant lorsque je joue dans des endroits inspirants comme si c’était la dernière fois.

Votre relation personnelle à la musique? Quelle(s) musique(s) écoutez-vous?

Francis Palma-Pelletier :  Je jouais de la clarinette au secondaire, mais à l’été de mes 15 ans j’ai vu un concert de jazz avec Michel Donato. J’ai tout de suite voulu jouer cet instrument. Depuis cet intérêt ne m’a jamais quitté. J’écoute bien des styles de musique différents, mais plus particulièrement la chanson et la musique de répertoire depuis 1600.

Votre premier contact avec la musique ancienne?

Francis Palma-Pelletier : Quand Hank Knox m’a demandé de remplacer leur bassiste qui avait une tendinite pour l’orchestre baroque de McGill à une semaine d’avis pour faire Giulio Cesare de Händel.

Qu’est-ce que NovAntica peut contribuer à la vie musicale montréalaise?

Francis Palma-Pelletier :  Contribuer à une bonne coordination et diffusion des artistes d’ici.

Un lieu, une bonne adresse, un bon livre, un film à voir ou votre disque du moment?

Francis Palma-Pelletier : Seul au fond des bois ou au bord d’un lac.

En vedette : Kimberly Reine de DISCANTVS

square flutes

 

Who are you? Tell us a bit about yourself and your ensemble.

I am a baroque and renaissance flutist and member of DISCANTVS. I started playing renaissance flute in a consort when I was studying in Holland and, as luck would have it, I was the tallest one in the group and had the longest arms. No one else could even hold the bass flute let alone cover the holes, so I became the bass flute player. I quite like it, I suppose that every flutist has a bit of “bass envy” and this is a great way to fulfill it. I think that I can state with some certainty that I am one of the only bass renaissance flutists in town, the other being my partner, Boaz Berney, who also plays in DISCANTVS – although only one of us plays bass at any given time.

DISCANTVS was founded in Israel when we were living there from 2004-2009. It was originally a three part consort with myself, Boaz Berney and Geneviève Blanchard (who is originally from Quebec City). We have always played in a variety of combinations: just flutes, flutes and lute, with singers. When Boaz and I moved to Montreal we started working with Mika Putterman and it was a really good fit. We really missed playing with Geneviève, but fortunately she visits often and was able to come for a project that we were putting together with 4-part consort music. We were a bit nervous the first time that Mika and Genevieve met. We had played with Geneviève for so many years that we didn’t want her to feel like she had been “replaced” by Mika, and also did not want Mika to feel like she was an intruder in a long-standing ensemble. Fortunately for all of us, Mika and Geneviève got along like a house on fire! We are always happy when we have a chance to put together a 4-part programme because it means that we spend several intense weeks together…

 

What was your first concert as an ensemble? Do you have an anecdote to share?

I think our first paying concert was at a guitar festival, strangely enough. We had a programme for flute consort and lute and the artistic director of the festival was quite taken with the idea of the lute.

 

Tell us about the most ridiculous thing that had ever happened to you during a concert or a tour.

We had a mini-tour once that was a complete comedy of errors. Fortunately it was short! About five years ago, in the pre-smartphone days, we had a concert in Ottawa, a city which none of us were familiar with. We rented a car to get there and when we went to pick the car up the only one available was a huge, boxy white Chrysler. Despite looking huge, it was really cramped inside and had a very small trunk, so the five of us were all piled in with all of our instruments and clothes feeling a bit like sardines. We had printed out the directions to get to the church where the concert took place (the type of directions that tell you every little detail and take 4 pages to print out for even the most simple trip). On the way there we got stuck in traffic and so were running a bit late. Finally, with much relief we pulled up our destination, only to realize that it was a papered-up, abandoned storefront in a fairly shady part of town. Somehow in the rush to print out the instructions, I had entered the wrong address. We tried calling the church but no one was answering. We tried asking passers-by, but none of them had heard of any churches in the area. We drove around in circles for a while, becoming increasingly desperate, and finally somebody at the church answered and gave us directions.

The concert went really well, and we drove home in a much better mood…until the gas light went on. Our gas-guzzling Chrysler had used up an entire tank just on the trip to Ottawa! Somewhere in the middle of rural Ontario at around midnight is not the ideal time to be looking for a gas station. We found one with a snoozing attendant who said that they were actually closed….unless we really needed gas and could pay in cash. We all pooled our cash and managed to make it home!

 

What is your personal relationship with music? What sort of music do you like to listen to?

I like to listen to a variety of different styles of music, most of which would be considered either “classical” or “traditional” . In addition to Renaissance and Baroque music, which I love to both play and listen to (as one would expect), I also love Indian Karnatic music, traditional Turkish “halk” music, and old fashioned jazz and blues, to name just a few. In terms of my “personal relationship” with music, I sometimes wish I had more time to simply sit down and listen to music. I rarely have music playing unless I can listen to it with undivided attention, if I have to concentrate on other things at the same time I would prefer to just have quiet. A constant background of top 40 radio is my personal definition of hell.

 

Can you suggest a motto for NovAntica?

Think big and dream bigger!

 

What can NovAntica contribute to Montreal musical life?

NovAntica is in a position to become a driving and uniting force on the Montreal concert scene. Having so many member ensembles of such great variety means that there is a lot of potential not only to realize larger and more daring projects but also to experiment with more intimate concert concepts and venues.

 

My favourite place: Musée des beaux arts. Specifically the one in Montreal, but actually I love museums in general. I could spend hours wandering around museums.

My favourite book: The Thousand Autums of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell.

A film to recommend: Bombay Talkies

What is your favourite après-concert restaurant/bar?

Going out after a concert used to be one of my favourite activities. By the time the concert is finished you have worked up a good appetite by playing all sorts of wonderful music and there is nothing as satisfying as that first bite of food (or sip of drink) and a full re-hash of the concert with your colleagues. Now that I have two small kids, post-concert meals are usually at home, especially if my partner plays in the concert too. There used to be an Uzbecki restaurant that I went to years ago that epitomized post concert dining for me. They were open late, close to home and had a selection of hearty dumplings, grilled meats/offal and salads, all of which were cheap and ready in minutes. They also sold vodka by the bottle. The grill man was rather surly and wouldn’t let you order the offal unless you were quite insistent.

 

Come see our concert, Qui Regna Amore with Suzie LeBlanc, on Thursday, the 11th of February at 19:30!

Susie Napper en vedette

image Susie Napper

Who are you?
I’ve been a musician as long as I can remember!
When I was three years old I remember being in a cathedral in France (Poitiers, I believe) riveted by the sound of the organ. Was it Bach? Then having a vinyl of Bach violin concerti with the father and son Oistrakh that I listened to ad nauseam! Hearing the opening to Monteverdi’s Orfeo clinched my attachment to baroque music at eight years old. Recorder, piano and cello lessons, a childhood filled with music and musicians in London in the 1950’s and 1960’s, being involved with premiere London performances of Ligeti and Boulez, studying in New York and Paris, I discovered a new universe of fresh ideas amongst renegade, classical musicians creating a new kind of style and performance of baroque music….music as rhetoric….speaking music.

Why are you a musician?
Because of the rhetorical power of music! Music is my favourite language! Through music I hope to speak directly to you! I’m a musician in order to tell stories that make you laugh, think, cry…. Yes, music is as much a language as anything spoken! The miracle of the language of music is that the « words » exist to touch our emotions without the encumbrance of specific meanings. This leaves us the freedom to interpret the music we perform, or hear, in a much more personal way. The eloquent performer can tell a story as if speaking to us. There are no notes without meaning in a musical phrase just as there are no words that are meaningless in a sentence. Every note counts but no note should sound as if it’s being counted!

What can NovAntica contribute to Montreal musical life?
The idea of creating NovAntica came to me six years ago. So many talented young musicians interested in early music, creating ensembles, experimenting with period instruments, were graduating from Montreal Universities. Thirty years earlier, they would have had the advantage of a booming economy and a province committed to creating its own cultural scene. There was financial support from Quebec, a recording industry eager to produce local talent, and a receptive audience.
Now, in an environment stripped of cash, governments are forced to be short on generosity. How can new groups thrive without the old forms of support? How can they survive the demise of an ageing and fast diminishing audience? How can they catch the attention of their own generation?

I am convinced that the brilliant minds within NovAntica can collectively come up with new kinds of performing platforms. The old system of concert series in concert venues can be complemented by, or replaced by other forms of performance. The classic recording on disc is clearly being replaced by on-line diffusion. Surely on-line performance can be developed in a way that the music predominates rather than drowning below unrelated visuals or videos with ever-boring drone shots! Live performance can take place in other kinds of venues. 19th century costume that remains the dress of choice for classical musicians, should be closeted….

NovAntica could be used as a think-tank for the members. If we can come up with new ideas, the organization can then take the ideas to the governments and the private sector and argue collectively for support in making the new ideas come to life….NovAntica could be a platform for those willing to take risks and live or die for their art! Let’s experiment and see if we can find new universes! Let’s use NovAntica as a means of survival!

My fave book of the hour: The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal
My fave dish of the hour: Aubergine, yogurt and pomegranate
My fave music of the hour: Whatever I’m playing now
My fave film of the past year: Mr Turner
My fave after-concert resto: Chez-Moi
The worst concert event: Paris Nov 13th, 2015.
(Concert cancelled Nov 14th)

Bienvenue NovAntica! ENFIN!!!!

En février 2007, je rencontrais Susie Napper pour la première fois (lors de mon entrevue d’embauche pour travailler au Festival Montréal Baroque). Un des sujets abordés fut un projet qu’elle chérissait depuis des années : créer un réseau des ensembles de musique baroque de Montréal.

Les visées du réseau comprenaient l’entraide, le partage des services, le soutien aux jeunes ensembles avec, comme but ultime, de faire de Montréal un centre mondialement reconnu pour la qualité de ses artistes baroques. Et avec raison car ils sont vraiment talentueux!

Je suis donc heureuse, huit ans plus tard, de voir ce projet se concrétiser avec NovAntica qui, tout en gardant le cap sur certains projets d’origine (site web partagé, calendrier de programmation, lancements collectifs, etc), apporte aussi un souffle de fraîcheur à cette ambition de réseau musical.

Je suis émerveillée de voir l’énergie que les jeunes artistes investissent dans ce projet collectif, dont celui de bien définir qui ce regroupement représente : les artistes professionnels jouant sur instruments anciens. Bravo pour cette précision et pour le choix du nom tellement juste et représentatif!

Je suis fascinée par l’originalité des idées qui fusent de toutes parts lors des rencontres de travail et du sérieux investi pour que les projets se concrétisent.

Je suis émue de constater le ralliement progressif entre les générations d’artistes.

Enfin, je souhaite simplement que tous saisissent cette opportunité de se regrouper pour renforcer la visibilité, la crédibilité et l’envergure d’un milieu musical de grand talent. Car, NovAntica ça peut marcher car vous êtes tous des artistes talentueux.

Bravo et longue vie!

Jacqueline Ascah
qui fut DG de Montréal Baroque de 2007 à 2013.