This is not a disc of highlights from the Tchaikovsky opera, but a balletic condensation of the Pushkin story on which the opera is based. The musical adaptation was made by Gabriel Thibaudeau for Les Grandes Ballets Canadiens de Montréal in 2001. In his accompanying notes, M. Thibaudeau states that “to make the material fit for the ballet framework, we had to cut out many sections (the opera lasts over three hours, the ballet 80 minutes) while at the same time retaining musical coherence. And, just like Tchaikovsky, I had to compose new music to maintain the dramatic tension.” Except for the ambiguous last sentence, this is a fairly accurate statement but, in the interest of the opera-oriented reader, I should elaborate further.



The balletic action unfolds in seven sections. Part 1 (18:37), the longest, sets the mood with the Countess’s aria, “Je crains de lui parler de nuit,” a melody Tchaikovsky borrowed from Grétry for period flavor. Motives associated with Gherman’s troubled character then lead to events occurring in the Private Gaming Club, with the music of Tomsky and his comrades entertaining themselves with the mysterious legend of the “Three Cards,” as the scene concludes with the return of the Grétry melody. Without having seen the ballet, the impression is clearly conveyed that the Old Countess is the drama’s principal character.


Part 2 is misleadingly called “A Park in Leningrad” (for reasons known to its creators, the ballet represents the Soviet era of 1938). This is a lyric episode embracing Pauline’s aria and her duet with Lisa, reasonably true to Tchaikovsky’s music, with a discreet accordion part added to the orchestration. The lengthy part 3 (“Soirée au ballet”) combines the opera’s Mozartian pastoral music and the love themes from the Lisa/Gherman scene. The combination may sound incongruous on paper, but it is no doubt effective choreographically, culminating with an exciting “Pas de deux.” Part 4 (“At the Countess’s Home”) is a skillfully condensed free musical elaboration of the turbulent scene involving, again, the Grétry aria, Gherman breaking the solitude of the frightened Countess, her sudden death, and Lisa’s shocked reaction.


Part 5, called “The Funeral,” opens with Gherman in the barracks, with trumpet sounds in the distance. The ghost of the Countess makes her appearance and reveals the secret of the “Three Cards.” Part 6 (“At the Bridge”) nicely condenses Lisa’s desperate third-act aria with the subsequent intense duet with Gherman and Lisa’s suicide. The concluding part 7 takes us back to the Private Gaming Club, with its busy Prokofiev-style gambling atmosphere. We hear expressions of Gherman’s despair, interwoven reflections of the love music, suggestions of the tragic end, as the “Grétry motive” provides a pianissimo underpainting to Gherman’s dying moments.


Lovers of this opera should know that Prince Yeletsky does not appear in this ballet—nor is he present in the Pushkin novel. Accordingly, there is no reference here of the Prince’s gorgeous aria, which, however justified, is a pity. Still, the ballet is put together with great skill and is undeniably pleasing to the eye and ear. The musical presentation is fine, but the recorded sound, with its lack of depth and immediacy, is somewhat colorless.

FANFARE: George Jellinek

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BEETHOVEN: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6

Pianist Mathieu Gaudet presents the final instalment of his Complete Schubert Sonatas and Major Piano Works recording series. This final volume, The Testament, showcases the very last Sonata by Schubert in B flat major D. 960, a work with a unique sound environment, at once lush but modest, passionate but patient, opening a door to a world of extreme sensitivity. Also on this album is the Sonata in E minor D. 566, written by a romantic 20 year-old man, full of fun ideas and strokes of genius.

Andrew Wan, Concertmaster of the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, and Charles Richard-Hamelin, internationally acclaimed pianist and silver medalist at the Chopin Competition, unite their artistic chemistry in a pinnacle of the Romantic repertoire. Through Brahms' three violin sonatas, they unfold a sweeping expressive arc: the intimate lyricism of Op. 78, the radiant warmth of Op. 100, and the dramatic intensity of Op. 108. Their interpretation combines depth, architectural balance, and controlled intensity, supported by a rich and resonant recorded sound. A landmark recording, at once noble, incandescent, and profoundly compelling.

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CANTUS ANGELICUS: Gregorian Chants

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Includes work(s) for organ by Johann Sebastian Bach. Soloist: Bernard Lagacé.

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The musicians on this album are some of the best in Canada. Pianist Alain Lefèvre, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, and its conductor Alexander Shelley and composer Walter Boudreau have come together for the world premiere recording of Boudreau’s masterful Concerto de l’asile, a tribute to the playwright and poet Claude Gauvreau (1925-1971). A musical summit that will mark the history of contemporary music! In addition to this concerto, you will hear the classic Shéhérazade, Op. 35 by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov. The orchestra and its conductor unfold an epic tableau from One Thousand and One Nights as they conjure to life the brilliant and cunning Scheherazade who emerges victorious in her resistance against the evil Shahriar. Splendid!

Franz Schubert can be considered the first true composer as we understand the concept today: a musician who creates primarily in response to an inner calling, exclusively serving the beauty of the music, which is sufficient in itself. Pianist Mathieu Gaudet, for the third volume of his Complete Sonatas and Major Works for Piano series, chose to record Schubert’s wonderful Sonata No. 7 in E-flat Major, D. 568 (1817) and Sonata No. 15 in A Minor, D. 845 (1825). About the Volume II, WholeNote magazine wrote “Our world will need more Schubert like this.” Indeed.

In this excellent second volume of the complete sonatas for violin and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven, Andrew Wan and Charles Richard-Hamelin present the three sonatas of opus 12 and Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24, often referred to as the “Spring Sonata” (Frühlingssonate), was composed in 1800 and 1801 during an especially productive period for Beethoven and is undoubtedly one of Beethoven’s most famous chamber works. The first volume of this collection was considered to be one of the best classical albums of 2018 by Radio-Canada. Andrew Wan is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician and concertmaster. In August 2008, he was named concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO), making him one of the youngest leaders of a major symphony. His relationship with the orchestra began with performances of Elgar's Violin Concerto, which were hailed as one of the top two musical moments of 2007 by La Presse. As a soloist, he has appeared in the United States, China, New Zealand, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Switzerland and Canada.

Beethoven, L. van: Piano Trios Nos. 2 and 7, "Archduke"

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To celebrate his long and fruitful partnership with the Analekta recording label, the great harpsichordist and organist Luc Beausejour delves into his recordings from the past 25 years and proposes three excellent programs. 1 – THE HARPSICHORD Works by Couperin, Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Rameau, and Bach organ music on pedal harpsichord. 2 – THE VOICE Featuring Julie Boulianne, Karina Gauvin, Philippe Sly, Shannon Mercer, and Marie-Nicole Lemieux in excerpts from operas, cantatas, and sacred works with Clavecin en concert. 3 – CHAMBER AND ORGAN MUSIC Bach with James Ehnes, Couperin and Rameau with Clavecin en concert, and organ works.

For this new album, Philippe Sly and the Chimera Project revisit Schubert's ultimate masterpiece, Winterreise, and offer a captivating version of the story of a wanderer who embarks on a journey through a winter landscape. From Schubert's score, only the vocal part remains intact and bass-baritone Philippe Sly's reading of it is touching and impressive. The piano part is replaced by the Chimera Project, an ensemble that comprises of trombone, violin, accordion, clarinet and a hurdy-gurdy. This delightful instrumentation brings this great work into musical territories that are both familiar and foreign. The result is an exceptional album. French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly is already gaining international notoriety for his "beautiful, blooming tone and magnetic stage presence" (San Francisco Chronicle). Mr. Sly is the first prize winner of the prestigious Concours Musical International de Montr�al and a grand prize winner Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions singing the varied repertoire of Mozart, Bach, Handel, Stravinsky and Wagner. Recently, he was awarded Concert of the Year in Romantic, Post-Romantic and Impressionist Music at the 16th annual ceremony of the Prix Opus in Qu�bec.

Constantinople & Francoise Atlan: Premiers Songes

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Under the artistic direction of Matthias Maute, Ensemble Caprice is renowned for its innovative interpretations of baroque music. Centered around Bach’s aria Ich habe genug, this recording of adagios presents choral and orchestral pieces, mostly well-known to the general public, all having one element in common: they are all meditations on the fundamental questions of life and death. Throughout history composers have attempted to express the seemingly endless pain of human suffering through music. All performed on baroque instruments, the examples contained on this recording are among some of the most powerful explorations of this emotional space.

Into the Wonder features the world premiere recordings of two works by Canadian Jordan Pal, one of the most promising composers of his generation, performed by the Gryphon Trio and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Arthur Post. Strongly inspired by nature's beauty and the mysteries of the universe, Jordan Pal offers two fascinating pieces, imbued with a vivifying lyricism and great finesse. Described as "One of Canada's most interesting young composers" (Ludwig-Van Toronto), "the country's current it-boy composer" (Musical Toronto), and "one to watch" (LaPresse), Pal (b. Toronto, Canada) is a leading voice of his generation in the Canadian concert music scene. An award winning composer, he has had the privilege of being commissioned and performed by many of Canada's finest orchestras and ensembles, including the Gryphon Trio, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

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