Christ Church Cathedral
Artists: Myriam Leblanc, soprano, Grégoire Jeay, flute, Chloe Meyers, violin; Mélisande Corriveau, bass viol, Antoine Malette-Chénier, baroque harp and Alexander Weimann, keyboard
Chaconnes and passacaglias have their roots in popular tradition and have inspired hundreds of compositions since the 16th century. One of the peculiarities of this genre is its decidedly sensual aspect, with the repeated bass causing a certain trance. The improvised character of these pieces are conducive to expressing all kinds of affects, moods and colours, and provide the perfect canvas for the magnificent voice, strong stage presence and incredible charisma of soprano Myriam Leblanc. Of the many composers presented, you’ll delight in the works of Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Legrenzi, Merula and Rossi and a newly composed chaconne by Grégoire Jeay for flute, violin and basso continuo.
This concert is generously sponsored by Delma Hemming
There will be a pre-concert talk with Myriam Leblanc & Grégoire Jeay hosted by Sylvia L’Ecuyer at 7 p.m.
PROGRAMME
Luigi Rossi (c.1597–1653)
Mio ben, teco il tormento più
Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
Quel sgardo sdegnosetto , ciaccona
Giovanni Legrenzi (1626–1690)
Lumi potete piangere (La divisione del mondo)
Benedetto Marcello (1686–1739)
Che Inviolabile
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Piango, Gemo
Antonio Caldara (1670–1736)
Chiacona Bb Major
Anonyme
Tarentelle La Carpinese.
Antonio Cesti (1623–1669)
Addio Corindo
Tarquinio Merula (1595–1665)
Su la cetra amorosa, aria a voce sola in ciacona
Barbara Strozzi (1619–1677)
Hor che appolo, excerpt, extrait.
Grégoire Jeay (b. 1962)
Chaconne. (fl, vl, b.c.)
Giovanni Felice Sances (c.1600–1679)
Misera hor si ch’il pianto
Léo Ferré (1916–1993)
Col tempo, (Avec le temps)
Benedetto Ferrari (c.1603–1681)
Voglio di vita uscir
Ensemble Mirabilia
Founded by soprano Myriam Leblanc and flautist Grégoire Jeay, the Mirabilia Ensemble performs mainly baroque music played on period instruments, and also sometimes explores music from other eras. Mirabilia’s mandate is sufficiently broad, allowing it to choose and perform repertoire that, while remaining classical, appeals to an audience of diverse backgrounds and ages. Soprano Myriam Leblanc is renowned for possessing an exceptional talent that gives voice to the great composers of the past. The Ensemble maintains a core of artists ensuring that each voice and instrument speaks directly to the ear of the music lover.
Myriam Leblanc, soprano
A graduate of McGill University, Myriam Leblanc obtained a master’s degree in choral conducting direction from the University of Sherbrooke. She was a First Prize winner and People’s choice Award winner at the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières Competition, a Jeune Ambassadrice Lyrique in 2014 (Prix Québec-Bavière), Audience Choice Award winner at the Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage Competition, Third Prize winner at the Ottawa Choral Society New Discoveries contest, holder of the Excellence grant given annually by l’Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, First Prize winner in the Mathieu-Duguay Early Music Competition at the 2017 Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival. She has been working in the world of music for few years. Leblanc is recognized for the purity of her tone, a flexible and warm voice and her mastery of both technique and musical expressiveness.
In 2016, she made her debut with the Opéra de Montréal in the role of the High Priestess in Verdi’s Aida. La Presse music critic Caroline Rodgers described her voice as one of “rare beauty”. Her more recent performances (2017-2018) include Milica in Sokolovic’s Svadba with Opéra de Montréal, Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen with Opéra de Québec and concerts with conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Kent Nagano, Matthias Maute and Jonathan Cohen. In 2018-2019, she sang a Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, the soprano solos on Handel’s Messiah with Ensemble Caprice, the Mendelssohn’s Symphony No.2 “Lobgesang” with l’Orchestre Metropolitain under Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s direction. Recently, she was a soloist with Les Violons du Roy under Jonathan Cohen’s direction.
Grégoire Jeay, flute
Baroque flute specialist Grégoire Jeay performs regularly throughout Canada,the US, Europe and as far afield as Turkey. He is recognized for his musicality and expressiveness, and for his sense of ornamentation and improvisation. Mr. Jeay also brings his virtuosity on the transverse flute to the recorder and to flutes from various other cultures. He performs and records regularly with internationally renowned musicians and conductors, including Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Clavecin en concert, La Nef, Theatre of Early Music, L’Harmonie des saisons, Les Voix humaines, Emma Kirkby, Daniel Taylor, Luc Beauséjour, Sylvain Bergeron, and many others. In addition to his regular activities as a flutist, Grégoire Jeay composes and arranges for various ensembles such as Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; he also produces music for European and Chinese circuses.
Chloe Meyers, violin
Violinist Chloe Meyers is a regular guest leader and orchestra member of baroque ensembles all over North America. She has worked with ensembles including Les Violons du Roy, Tafelmusik, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Les Boréades, the Theatre of Early Music, Les Idées Heureuses and Les Voix Baroques. She recently joined the Pacific Baroque Orchestra as concertmaster and will continue to play principal second with Arion Baroque Orchestra in Montreal. Most recently she played first violin on a Juno Award winning recording of Handel arias featuring Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin on the Atma Classique label.
Mélisande Corriveau, bass viol
A specialist in early-music performance, multi-instrumentalist Mélisande Corriveau has been praised for her exceptional musical mastery. She is frequently a guest at major festivals in both North America and Europe, and is an active concert, touring, and recording artist. She regularly performs with a number of celebrated ensembles, and is a member of the ensembles Masques (France), Les Voix humaines, Sonate 1704, and Les Boréades de Montréal. As a soloist, she has been featured with Les Violons du Roy, National Art Center Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra,Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and has toured with Jordi Savall and Ensemble Hespèrion XXI. Her discography comprises some 50 titles on various labels. Her discs with harpsichordist Eric Milnes - Pardessus de viole and Marin Marais : Badinages - have won numerous accolades including Opus Prizes for early-music CD of the year and classical disc of the year by ICI Radio- Canada (2016). Mélisande Corriveau and her partner Eric Milnes co-direct the two time Juno award-winning vocal and instrumental ensemble L’Harmonie des saisons, which they founded in 2010. In 2014, Ms. Corriveau completed, with honors, a doctorate in pardessus de viole performance at the Université de Montréal. She is recognized as one of the world’s few specialists on this instrument.
Antoine Malette-Chénier, baroque harp
An innovative and creative harpist, Antoine Malette-Chénier plays a repertoire ranging from the Renaissance and the Baroque (on period instruments), to contemporary creations. Principal harp of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Antoine has played with numerous ensembles in Canada, France and the United States, including the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy, and the Studio de Musique ancienne de Montréal, both as a soloist, chamber, orchestral and continuo player. Antoine has won many awards, including the 2014 Michael Measures prize from the Canada Council for the Arts, a first prize at the 2013 Montréal Symphony Orchestra Competition, and two scholarships from the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He holds degrees in modern and historical harps interpretation from the Yale School of Music, McGill University, the University of Montréal and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon.
Alexander Weimann, keyboards
Alexander Weimann is one of the most sought-after ensemble directors, soloists, and chamber music partners of his generation. After travelling the world with ensembles such as Tragicomedia, Cantus Cölln, the Freiburger Barockorchester, Gesualdo Consort and Tafelmusik, he now focuses on his activities as Music Director of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Vancouver, Music Director of the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, and regular guest conductor of ensembles including the Victoria Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, Arion Baroque Orchestra in Montreal and the Portland Baroque Orchestra.
Alex was born in Munich, where he studied the organ, church music, musicology (with a summa con laude thesis on Bach’s secco recitatives), theatre, mediæval Latin, and jazz piano, supported by a variety of federal scholarships. From 1990 to 1995, he taught music theory, improvisation, and Jazz at the Munich Musikhochschule. Since 1998, he has been giving master classes in harpsichord and historical performance practice at institutions such as Lunds University in Malmö, the Bremen Musikhochschule, the University of California (Berkeley), Dartmouth College (New Hampshire), McGill University, Université de Montréal, and Mount Allison (New Brunswick). He now teaches at the University of British Columbia and directs the Baroque Orchestra Mentorship Programme there. He has received several JUNO and GRAMMY Award nominations – most recently, for the album Nuit Blanches with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra and Karina Gauvin.
