L'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

DEAR FRIENDS OF THE OSM

The orchestra is one of the most ingenious inventions in the history of our culture. Over the past 400 years, to an ever-greater extent, instrumental music was played by increasingly larger and larger ensembles. The tension between the compact, collective form of the instrumental ensemble and the diversity of possibilities for contrast and combination between soloists and the larger musical group provided extremely wide-reaching prospects for this development.

The orchestra is in reality the core of our modern musical life. That it was able to become so, of course, depended on certain conditions. In the latter part of the 19th century the “orchestra” had won the status of an institution in its own right. It then became essential that musical creations should follow a definite “orchestral” structure as the norm. In this context, the conceptions of the Viennese classical works of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven are of the greatest importance. In their symphonies they established an instrumental layout that remained unchallenged until the early 20th century. At the same time, the symphony became a vehicle for ideas: that is, music was being composed and performed not only for its own sake but also to mediate ideas, stories and destinies, images and feelings. And it is precisely this aspect that gave music, especially its performance, a new public character, in which people found a model of social identity.

In this context, and with orchestral works newly gaining in importance, concert halls were built. In the centres of urban communities, specially designed public spaces arose, where citizens could feel at home and where the orchestra, in the form of public concerts, appeared as a musical and cultural institution and the social and community-building power was made manifest. Various crises have
repeatedly attempted to call this development into question. The will to preserve this form of cultural life in the interest of social identity fortunately prevailed.

Today we can see a new wave of orchestra start-ups and initiatives to build new concert halls. And it seems fairly certain that these are signs of a revitalisation and stimulation of social developments, through stronger efforts in the area of cultural community building. Montreal recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of its Orchestra. The huge audience participation, as well as the public enthusiasm and
interest in our concert events, not to mention the major success of our European concert tour, have clearly shown that the OSM is a vital and inspiring force in the musical life of our city and province.

For many years, the musical home of the OSM has been Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. Montreal music lovers and connoisseurs have shared countless grand and memorable musical events in this concert hall. Distinguished and internationally renowned artists and musicians have given Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier meaning, and have many times created a brilliant and moving atmosphere. At many of these moments, people felt right “at home” as music lovers and citizens of Montreal. Without this concert venue, Montreal and its orchestra could not have generated such great affection and passion for classical music and built this wealth of tradition. And now, in the next season, the OSM will host its concerts there for the last time. The year after, our Orchestra will be playing in a new concert hall and will have a new home.

The 2010 / 2011 season, then, is also a time to say farewell. It should certainly be a brilliant farewell, however, with so many prominent artists already booked as our guests: conductors Herbert Blomstedt, Sir Roger Norrington, Jacques Lacombe, Mikhail Pletnev, Sir Andrew Davis, James Conlon, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Marc Piollet; soloists Anne-Sophie Mutter, Midori, Viviane Hagner, Yefim Bronfman, André Laplante, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Anton Kuerti, Angela Hewitt, Nikolai Lugansky, Emanuel Ax, Alain Lefèvre, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Michael Schade, Daniel Taylor...and many more. A wonderful variety of concert programs we can all look forward to.

In keeping with tradition, large-scale symphonic compositions will define the program: a Gustav Mahler cycle with First, Fifth and Sixth symphonies, Anton Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony, symphonies by Schubert, Brahms Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. The concert on May 10 and May 11, 2011 is dedicated to the theme and background idea of “The Symphony” or “Sinfonia,” a program our orchestra has also been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York. Whether it’s Liszt, Dutilleux or Bach you hope to hear, or Handel’s Messiah – one of the longest traditions of our Orchestra – our program has many attractions waiting for you. One of the highlights of the season will be the Beethoven concert on April 27 and April 28, with a talk by ecologist David Suzuki on Beethoven’s already very critical attitude
toward the glaring degradation of nature in the context of progress in his time.

We should also mention the unique Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Dvorák concertos. The finale of this very rich season will consist of a concert performance of Richard Wagner’s Rheingold, the prologue of Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).

Dear music lovers, dear friends of the Orchestra, we invite you to share with us the joy of the magnificent musical creations that we owe to this superb phenomenon of human creativity and our need for a world of beauty. The musicians of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and I are well aware of what we owe to our audiences and to the open-minded and interested public of our city. Our music making is meant for you, and we hope to bring you many insightful, beautiful and entertaining experiences.