Mahler's 5th Symphony, JEANNE D'ARC AU BUCHER and More Set for OSM's 79th Season

Back from its seven-concert tour in South America, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal will be playing Mahler's Fifth Symphony in May under the direction of conductor David Zinman. For the Mahler concert, the OSM will also be hosting pianist Stephen Kovacevich in Mozart's Concerto No. 18, K. 456, "Paradis." The Orchestra will wind up its 79th season with a performance of Honegger's grand-scale oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher (Joan of Arc at the Stake)with Carole Bouquet and Guy Nadon under Kent Nagano.

In addition, the OSM will be taking part in the finals and gala concert of the 2013 edition of the Montreal International Musical Competition, dedicated this year to the violin. The finals will be held at Maison symphonique de Montréal on May 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m., while the gala concert, featuring the prize-winners, will take place on May 17, also at 7:30 p.m. The official award presentation will also take place at this concert.

Renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, who on his last visit to Montreal conducted and was soloist with the OSM, will this time offer a rare recital of classical and romantic scores with his associate the pianist Rohan De Silva.

The first performance of the month will spotlight the new OSM Chamber Choir, under the direction of Andrew Megill, which is presenting a concert consisting of the magnificent requiems by Fauré and Duruflé. The ensemble will be accompanied by organ.

As part of the Children's Corner series, Magic Circle Mime is inviting the young and not so young to discover the wild adventures of Sahara Bob, along with compositions by Broughton, Grieg and Saint-Saëns.

Featuring six musicians from the OSM along with baritone Isaiah Bell and pianist Jean Marchand, the program Music Between the Lines, meanwhile, will offer a foray into surrealism on both the literary and musical planes.

FAURÉ AND DURUFLÉ: TWO REQUIEMS:

Special Concerts

May 5 at 2:30 p.m.

Maison symphonique de Montréal

OSM Chamber Choir

Andrew Megill, OSM chorus director

François Zeitouni, organ

Stéphanie Pothier, mezzo-soprano (Duruflé)

Marc-Antoine d'Aragon, baritone (Duruflé)

JAna Miller, soprano (Fauré)

Clayton Kennedy, baritone (Fauré)

DURUFLÉ, Requiem

FAURÉ, Requiem

This concert is the OSM Chamber Choir's first concert. Presented without orchestra, the ensemble will be accompanied by organist François Zeitouni. The program brings together two of the best-loved choral works from 20th-century French music, the Requiems of Duruflé and Fauré.

Composed in nine movements to the memory of his father, the Duruflé Requiem incorporates themes derived from the Gregorian Mass for the Dead. Looking at death in a calmer rather than an agitated way (he excluded, for example, the "Dies Irae"), Duruflé set to music the more meditative texts of the requiem.

Premiering in 1888 under Fauré's direction, and eventually performed at the composer's own funeral service, the Fauré Requiem is the work of a sincere man for whom death had a very special significance: "It has been said that my Requiem does not express the fear of death and someone has called it a lullaby of death. But it is thus that I see death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration towards happiness above, rather than as a painful experience."

At the pre-concert discussion, at 1:30 p.m., Kelly Rice, McGill University Schulich School of Music, will chat with Andrew Megill, OSM chorus director as well as organist François Zeitouni, soprano JAna Miller and baritone Marc-Antoine d'Aragon. This discussion is open to the public and will be held in the Salon urbain at Place des Arts.

Itzhak Perlman IN RECITAL

The Recitals

May 7 at 8 p.m.

Maison symphonique de Montréal

Itzhak Perlman, violin

Rohan De Silva, piano

BEETHOVEN, Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 12, No. 1

FRANCK, Violin Sonata in A major

TARTINI, Sonata in G minor, "Devil's trill" (arr. Fritz Kreisler)

Other works will be announced at the time

Incontestably one of the great violin virtuosos of the last several decades, winner of 15 Grammys, admired as much for his charisma and his humanity as for his talent, Itzhak Perlman has been acclaimed by audiences the world over. Mr. Perlman will perform three of the most appreciated works of the classical repertoire, including the famous Franck Sonata and the dazzling Tartini "Devil's Trill". For the end of the recital, the violinist will announce more great works to the delight of the audience.

Mr. Perlman will be accompanied by Rohan De Silva, hailed as best accompanist in 1990 at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and who has partnered with the violinist in the most prestigious halls.

The recital on May 7 is presented by Pianos Prestige

THE MAGIC HORN

Children's Corner

May 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Maison symphonique de Montréal

Marc David, conductor

Magic Circle Mime

Broughton's The Magic Horn and excerpts from Grieg's Peer Gynt suite and Saint-Saëns' Bacchanale.

Sahara Bob, an adventure of questionable character, receives an invitation from a conductor to present his collection of exotic instruments. He has no idea that he's about to step into a trap, and that he's soon to cross paths with the genie of the magic horn!

This bilingual show will make it possible to discover the legendary powers of musical instruments, thanks to the performance of The Magic Horn by American composer Bruce Broughton, to whom we owe among other works the soundtracks to the films Silverado and Young Sherlock Holmes, together with excerpts from certain classical works.

The OSM will be under the direction of conductor Marc David, artistic director of the Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil (OSDL) and principal conductor of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.

The Children's Corner series is presented by Industrielle Alliance.

WALTON, MILHAUD, COCTEAU: SURREALISM BEFORE ITS TIME

Chamber music with OSM musicians / Music Between the Lines

May 21 at 6:30 p.m.

Maison symphonique de Montréal

Nathan Brock, conductor

Isaiah Bell, baritone

Alain Desgagné, clarinet

André Moisan, alto saxophone

Paul Merkelo, trumpet

Gary Russel, cello

Andrew Dunsmore, percussion

Marie-André Chevrette, violin

Jean Marchand, piano

MILHAUD, Cinéma-fantaisie
SATIE, Valse-ballet
WALTON, Façade (excerpts)

At the mythical evenings of the Group of Six, not just musicians and painters turned up but writers as well, including Jean Cocteau. They would wind up at Darius Milhaud's place or at the bar Gaya. Cocteau would read his latest poems. This program in the Music Between the Lines series will try to bring back to life that very special excitement by way of words and music, with Milhaud's Cinéma-fantaisie (originally intended to accompany a silent film of Charlie Chaplin's, but eventually transformed into a ballet, Le bœuf sur le toit), Satie's charming Valse-ballet and Walton's iconoclastic Façade, which kindled a real scandal at its premiere, with "the enfant terrible of English music" drawing inspiration from poems by Edith Sitwell.

Music and Literature series

As a prelude to the OSM's chamber music concerts, which brings together music and literature, BAnQ proposes interviews discussing the concert's theme, with a music lover and a literature aficionado.

With Guy Marchand, musicologist and Guylaine Massoutre, professor, author and literary critic for Le Devoir.
Animation and research by Stéphane Lépine
Thursday May 16, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the Auditorium of the Grande Bibliothèque

DAVID ZINMAN CONDUCTS MAHLER'S FIFTH

Wednesday Grand Concerts 2 Fillion Électronique and Air Canada Thursday Grand Concerts 1

May 22 and 23 at 8 p.m.

Maison symphonique de Montréal

David Zinman, conductor

Stephen Kovacevich, piano

MOZART, Piano Concerto No. 18, K.456, "Paradis"
MAHLER, Symphony No. 5

Written in 1901, when Mahler came face to face with his own death following an intestinal hemorrhage, the Fifth Symphony is a progression from darkness to triumph over pain, with a wind of renewal blowing. Meeting Alma Schindler must have played a part, and many believe that the sublime Adagietto, used by among others Luchino Visconti in his film Death in Venise, is a love song to the woman who would become his wife. The OSM will be under the direction of American conductorDavid Zinman here; Maestro Zinman heads the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, and his imposing discography includes five Grammys and two Grand prix du disque.

Written for Maria Theresia Paradis, a celebrated pianist in her time, Mozart's Concerto No. 18, K. 456 will enable Stephen Kovacevich to demonstrate virtuosity, profundity of interpretation and partnership with the OSM, notably in the first movement, with its many instances of dialogue between piano and woodwinds. "Stephen Kovacevich is a master to be admired; faithful to the spirit of the music yet always individual," commented International Piano.

The May 22 concert is presented by COGECO.

JEANNE D'ARC AU BÛCHER

Homeocan Tuesday Grands Concerts, Power Corporation of Canada Thursday Grand Concerts 2 and OSM Saturday Evenings

May 28 and 30 and June 1 at 8 p.m.

Maison symphonique de Montréal

Kent Nagano, conductor

Carole Bouquet, actor (Jeanne)

Guy Nadon, actor (Frère Dominique)

Marianne Fiset, soprano (The Virgin)

Hélène Guilmette, soprano (Marguerite)

Allison McHardy, mezzo-soprano (Catherine)

Pascal Charbonneau, tenor

Alexandre Sylvestre, bass-baritone

Andrew Megill, OSM chorus director

OSM Chorus

Andrew Gray, director, Chœur des enfants de Montréal

Chœur des enfants de Montréal

Daniel Roussel, stage director

Baillat Cardell & Fils, projections

HONEGGER, Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher (Joan of Arc at the Stake)

A "dramatic oratorio" in 11 scenes to a text by French poet and dramatist Paul Claudel, Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher had its premiere on May 12, 1938, in Basel, Switzerland, under the direction of Paul Sacher, with actress Ida Rubinstein - the instigator of the project - in the role of Jeanne.

Arthur Honegger devoted long years to the writing of this masterwork, conceived for voices both spoken and sung, mixed chorus, children's chorus and large orchestra. Saxophones replace horns, and ondes Martenot are incorporated into the orchestral fabric.

An immense panorama that has enjoyed success since its premiere and was adapted for the cinema by Roberto Rossellini in 1954 with Ingrid Bergman in the title role, the oratorio was inspired by the mysteries staged in the Middle Ages. French actress Carole Bouquet will play Jeanne here, and Guy Nadon, Frère Dominique. An entirely Canadian vocal cast has been selected to perform under the direction ofKent Nagano, in an outstanding conclusion to the season. The stage direction will be ensured by Daniel Roussel and the projections byBaillat Cardell & Fils. An exceptional end to the season.

At the pre-concert discussion, at 6:45 p.m. at Maison symphonique de Montréal, Kelly Rice will interview Daniel Roussel, director of the production.

CATCH THE OSM AGAIN ON MEDICI.TV: Broadcast live on medici.tv, an international Web platform offering a huge catalogue of classical music online, the Till Fellner and Beethoven's Third Concerto concert, presented at Maison symphonique de Montréal on April 16, is available free of charge continuously for a three-month period. Interested viewers can get moreinformation at osm.ca. This transmission is made possible thanks to the support of Air Canada.

FOLLOW THE OSM ON TOUR WITH OUR BLOG: The OSM is finishing its major tour in South America (April 23 to May 3 2013), consisting of 7 concerts in 5 cities and 4 different countries. The OSM is presently in Argentina and on their way to Colombia to present a concert in Bogotà (Teatro Mayor). The concert in Colombia will be a first for the OSM. Pianist Serhiy Salov and OSM concertmaster Andrew Wan act as soloists.

Follow the OSM tour blog enabling the public to see behind the scenes of this adventure and follow the progress of the musicians and workers taking part:www.osm.ca/blogue. The OSM wishes to thank Tourisme Montréal for its financial support of the OSM blog.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal wishes to thank the Canada Council for the Arts and the City of Montréal, Montréal, Cultural Metropolis, as well as Saputo, Barrick Gold Corporation, Scotiabank, Brookfield and Air Canada for their support in regards to the South American tour.

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