| February 18, 2008 - Coming up this summer |
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Montreal, February 18, 2008 SPECTACULAR OPENING WITH CARMINA BURANA The exciting launch of the 31st season of the Festival de Lanaudière: On Saturday, July 5, the Festival opens its season with a magnificent program that concludes with Carl Orff’s stirring Carmina burana. On stage will be the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal, three choirs and soloists Erin Wall (soprano), Frédéric Antoun (tenor) and James Westman (baritone), all conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Also on the program will be Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor with pianist Valentina Lisitsa and Olivier Messiaen’s Offrandes oubliées in honor of the centenary of the birth of the composer. This all adds up to an exceptionally exciting opening night, in the tradition of the Festival. The 31st season of the Festival, full of surprises, discoveries and musical delights, will run from Saturday, July 5 to Sunday, August 3, 2008. ALAIN LEFÈVRE, THE FESTIVAL’S AMBASSADOR OF MUSIC This year, the Festival has appointed Alain Lefèvre its Ambassador of Music. As such, this loyal and devoted colleague will continue to champion the Festival both nationally and internationally as he has done since 2005. In addition, he will be provided with all necessary means to achieve one of the Festival’s objectives, namely encouragement of the younger generation, an activity that will continue throughout the year. It is worth remembering that the Festival de Lanaudière has played a major role in bringing to North American audiences artists like Leif Ove Andsnes, Cecilia Bartoli, Maxim Vengerov and Yundi Li at the outset of their careers on this continent. Known for his support of young musicians and for the exposure he gives them, Alain Lefèvre will combine his own efforts with those of the Festival, whose mission likewise is to support young Quebec artists. To this end, throughout the day of July 19, the public will have the opportunity to learn about some of the new piano virtuosos being nurtured by Alain Lefèvre. JULY 19 – AT THE PIANO WITH ALAIN LEFÈVRE On Saturday, July 19, the Festival de Lanaudière gives Alain Lefèvre carte blanche as master of ceremonies for a sensational day of music-making. In the morning, he will give a master class at the Joliette Art Museum. This will be followed in the afternoon with “Pianistic Pyrotechnics,” consisting of a concert by pianists Matthieu Fortin, Ang Li, Daniel Moran, Mathilde-Ariane Pagé-Bouchard, Justine Pelletier, Maneli Pirzadeh, Marie-Hélène Trempe and Darrett Zusko. Alain Lefèvre will serve as host, introducing the works and the artists. Music for two, three and four pianos will test their virtuosity. Included on the program will be arrangements of Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Chopin’s “Revolutionary” Etude and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. The day will end with a concert at 8 p.m., when Alain Lefèvre shares the stage with pianists Jimmy Brière and Marie-Hélène Trempe for Mozart’s Concerto for Three Pianos, joined by the Festival Orchestra and conductor Daniel Myssyk. Pianists Catherine Chi, Darrett Zusko, Ang Li, Maneli Pirzadeh, Daniel Moran and Richard Raymond will also take part in the concert. JULY 12: A DAY FOR THE BIRDS Olivier Messiaen catalogued and transcribed into music hundreds of bird calls that he incorporated into his compositions. In honor of the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of the composer, the Festival is presenting “A Day for the Birds,” based on the theme of birds in music. A wide variety of musical and ornithological activities will be available to festival-goers. During the afternoon there will be an open rehearsal during which musicians will talk about the bird calls in the music they are playing. They will also take part in an open-air meal with discussion hosted by La Presse journalist Pierre Gingras. The day’s activities conclude with a magnificent concert at 8 p.m. with soprano Aline Kutan and pianist Stewart Goodyear joined by the Festival Orchestra and conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni. On the program will be a world premiere, La Joie des grives by Quebec composer Antoine Ouellette. There will also be three arias for coloratura soprano: “First and chief, on golden wing . . . Sweet bird” from Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, “Le ciel rayaonne . . . O légère hirondelle” from Gounod’s opera Mireille, and “Le rossignol et la rose” from Saint-Saëns’ opera Parysatis. Stewart Goodyear will be the pianist in Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques. The program concludes with the second suite (1919) from Stravinsky’s Firebird and Legend No. 2: St. Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds by Liszt, orchestrated by Mottl. Accompanied by one of Europe’s greatest orchestras, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, German baritone Christian Gerhaher, who has been unanimously praised in the international press, will sing arias from Mozart operas. Also on the program will be the same composer’s Symphonies Nos. 34 and 36, the Clarinet Concerto played on a basset horn, and the Horn Concerto No. 1. This is only a sampling of what awaits you at the 31st season of the Festival de Lanaudière. Announcement of the complete programming will take place in early May. In the meantime, we are working on the details for another season of delights for all those who love good music. TICKETS AND ADDITIONAL INFO The ticket offfice will open as of May 13 at noon. Phone : 800-561-4343 For additional informational, call the Festival at 450-759-7636 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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