Not all of them are named Yannick. One, Alain Trudel, formerly famous as a trombone virtuoso, is now much appreciated for his ear and attitude on the podium. Already music director of the Orchestre symphonique de Laval, the National Broadcast Orchestra (which arose from the disbanded CBC Radio Orchestra in Vancouver) and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, Trudel has been named music director of Orchestra London in Ontario.
Trudel's other made-in-Canada position is principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, where he led a program of contemporary music Friday night. (Trivia question: Which conductor from Quebec held this position from 2003 to 2008? Hint: His first name is Yannick.)
Jean-Marie Zeitouni is another Montrealer on the move. In October he was named music director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, an appointment that required moving to the Ohio city.
Not that he has broken ties with Quebec. We heard him conduct the Opéra de Montréal production of Massenet's Werther in January. Zeitouni remains principal guest conductor of Les Violons du Roy. A bigger development: He has been asked to take the reins of I Musici de Montréal from its retiring founder, Yuli Turovsky. An announcement is imminent.
(Another trivia question: Which conductor from Quebec did Zeitouni replace in Toronto Symphony Orchestra performances of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony last June? Hint: He has a hyphenated last name.)
Nor should we forget Jacques Lacombe, principal guest conductor of the MSO following the Dutoit meltdown of 2002, and the conductor who opened the current MSO subscription season in September with Carl Orff 's Carmina Burana. This native of Cap de la Madeleine is music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, which he will lead through Mahler's Third Symphony in three different cities, May 20 to 23.
If you cannot make it to the Garden State, just drive two hours due east next Saturday and hear Lacombe conduct the same weighty score - the longest symphony in the standard repertoire - with his other ensemble, the Orchestre symphonique de Trois Rivières. (Go to www.ostr.ca for details.)
If you cannot even manage that, check out a local television news feature on the conductor, preserved on YouTube. This is not a high-level treatment - "The maestro is an enigmatic figure with a cinematic, 007 kind of life," opens the voice-over - but there are some interesting comments from musicians and Lacombe's American wife, Janet Lacombe.
The clip lets slip some news that does not appear on Lacombe's website: The conductor has moved from Montreal to Newark.
This is significant. Where Yannick NézetSéguin is often called "Gallic" by American writers who find the distinction between French and French-Canadian hard to fathom - and consequently presume YNS to be especially skilled at Berlioz, Debussy and Ravel - Lacombe has built a reputation as a hard-working regular guy in New Jersey, where he has even pursued a policy of reviving interest in composers from the state.
Trudel's other made-in-Canada position is principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, where he led a program of contemporary music Friday night. (Trivia question: Which conductor from Quebec held this position from 2003 to 2008? Hint: His first name is Yannick.)
Jean-Marie Zeitouni is another Montrealer on the move. In October he was named music director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, an appointment that required moving to the Ohio city.
Not that he has broken ties with Quebec. We heard him conduct the Opéra de Montréal production of Massenet's Werther in January. Zeitouni remains principal guest conductor of Les Violons du Roy. A bigger development: He has been asked to take the reins of I Musici de Montréal from its retiring founder, Yuli Turovsky. An announcement is imminent.
(Another trivia question: Which conductor from Quebec did Zeitouni replace in Toronto Symphony Orchestra performances of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony last June? Hint: He has a hyphenated last name.)
Nor should we forget Jacques Lacombe, principal guest conductor of the MSO following the Dutoit meltdown of 2002, and the conductor who opened the current MSO subscription season in September with Carl Orff 's Carmina Burana. This native of Cap de la Madeleine is music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, which he will lead through Mahler's Third Symphony in three different cities, May 20 to 23.
If you cannot make it to the Garden State, just drive two hours due east next Saturday and hear Lacombe conduct the same weighty score - the longest symphony in the standard repertoire - with his other ensemble, the Orchestre symphonique de Trois Rivières. (Go to www.ostr.ca for details.)
If you cannot even manage that, check out a local television news feature on the conductor, preserved on YouTube. This is not a high-level treatment - "The maestro is an enigmatic figure with a cinematic, 007 kind of life," opens the voice-over - but there are some interesting comments from musicians and Lacombe's American wife, Janet Lacombe.
The clip lets slip some news that does not appear on Lacombe's website: The conductor has moved from Montreal to Newark.
This is significant. Where Yannick NézetSéguin is often called "Gallic" by American writers who find the distinction between French and French-Canadian hard to fathom - and consequently presume YNS to be especially skilled at Berlioz, Debussy and Ravel - Lacombe has built a reputation as a hard-working regular guy in New Jersey, where he has even pursued a policy of reviving interest in composers from the state.
"The goal for me is to become a Jersey boy, and the orchestra becomes a bit of who I am," was Lacombe's memorable comment on this subject when he was appointed in October 2009.
One ex-Montrealer who has almost slipped into the memory hole is Marco Parisotto, who made some well-received appearances with the MSO and OdM in 2002 and then found himself sequestered in Oshawa, Ont.
He is still there, although the OshawaDurham Symphony Orchestra has wisely changed its name to the Ontario Philharmonic. I heard Parisotto lead this ensemble, made mostly of Toronto professionals, last Saturday at Koerner Hall, the excellent concert facility of the Royal Conservatory of Music. To say I was surprised is putting it mildly.
Right from the opening of Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1, there was a surge of power from the strings (and a rhythmic impetus from everybody) that suggested an uncommon level of commitment. Anton Kuerti (whose Mooredale organization brought the band downtown) was beautifully poised against the orchestra, making his points with clear tone rather than raw force.
The spirit remained intense after intermission in Brahms's First Symphony. The opening was ferocious. This timpani player meant business. Yet there was always a feeling of respiration, even at the speedy tempo Parisotto selected for the Andante. Clarinet and horn exchanged colours warmly in the scherzo, and the brass made impressive entries in the finale. The hymn tune had big-orchestra warmth.
Everything about Parisotto's exacting and fluid style on the podium suggested a major international talent. A Toronto Symphony Orchestra player tells me that he seeks extra work in Oshawa (a manufacturing city to the east of Toronto) not for the money, but for the sheer pleasure of making music with this maestro.
Think about it: There is great music in Trois Rivières, Oshawa, Victoria and Newark, N.J., because there are conductors from Quebec.
akaptainis@sympatico.ca
Source http://www.montrealgazette.com/
One ex-Montrealer who has almost slipped into the memory hole is Marco Parisotto, who made some well-received appearances with the MSO and OdM in 2002 and then found himself sequestered in Oshawa, Ont.
He is still there, although the OshawaDurham Symphony Orchestra has wisely changed its name to the Ontario Philharmonic. I heard Parisotto lead this ensemble, made mostly of Toronto professionals, last Saturday at Koerner Hall, the excellent concert facility of the Royal Conservatory of Music. To say I was surprised is putting it mildly.
Right from the opening of Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1, there was a surge of power from the strings (and a rhythmic impetus from everybody) that suggested an uncommon level of commitment. Anton Kuerti (whose Mooredale organization brought the band downtown) was beautifully poised against the orchestra, making his points with clear tone rather than raw force.
The spirit remained intense after intermission in Brahms's First Symphony. The opening was ferocious. This timpani player meant business. Yet there was always a feeling of respiration, even at the speedy tempo Parisotto selected for the Andante. Clarinet and horn exchanged colours warmly in the scherzo, and the brass made impressive entries in the finale. The hymn tune had big-orchestra warmth.
Everything about Parisotto's exacting and fluid style on the podium suggested a major international talent. A Toronto Symphony Orchestra player tells me that he seeks extra work in Oshawa (a manufacturing city to the east of Toronto) not for the money, but for the sheer pleasure of making music with this maestro.
Think about it: There is great music in Trois Rivières, Oshawa, Victoria and Newark, N.J., because there are conductors from Quebec.
akaptainis@sympatico.ca
Source http://www.montrealgazette.com/
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