Dear friends of the St. Lawrence Choir,
I'm delighted to invite you to our fifty-third season, already my eleventh as Artistic Director of the ensemble. The five productions we are offering you will be an opportunity to explore different facets of the sacred through a rich, profound, edifying and varied repertoire. As is my tradition, I like to present our Montreal audiences with rarely performed musical gems, at times for double choir, a cappella, and with orchestra. We'll be opening the season with Christmas arias with a South American flavour. Also on the program is the extraordinary fate of a biblical king in William Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, a powerful work which, set to jazzy rhythms, recounts the tragic fall of the famous monarch. You'll also hear the celestial voices of Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal in antiphonal harmonies whose echoes will resonate with you for a long time. So it's with great anticipation that I invite you to join us in discovering a contrasting repertoire that's sure to please.
Sincerely yours,
Philippe Bourque, Artistic Director
Walton's searing oratorio Belshazzar's Feast, composed for baritone, chorus and orchestra, takes as its story the scene from the Bible in which, at a feast for King Belshazzar, a hand appears and prophetically writes a divine message on the wall. Often compared to Orff's Carmina Burana for its driving pulse and barbaric splendor, Belshazzar's Feast is now considered the best large-scale British choral work since Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius.
Coupled with William Walton's grandiose work is the intimate, nostalgic cantata by Edward Elgar, another of Britain's leading composers, in which we hear several quotations from his own works. Originally written for soprano or tenor, orchestra and chorus, but which you will hear with contralto, The Music Makers is inspired by the idea that artists are the true creators and artisans of history and society.
Destinées
March 22nd, 2025 - 7:30 P.M.
Maison symphonique de Montréal
Tickets: Place-des-arts
St. Lawrence Choir
Université de Montréal Choir
Orchestra of the St. Lawrence Choir
Philippe Bourque, orchestra and choir conductor
Rose Naggar-Tremblay, contralto
Jorell William, baritone
The St. Lawrence Choir is delighted to renew its relationship with the Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal, marking a revival after more than 25 years. In the majestic setting of Outremont's Saint-Viateur church, whose neo-Gothic architecture, paintings, stained-glass windows and sculptures by Montreal artists create a spellbinding atmosphere, the two choirs will offer an antiphonal performance, harmoniously responding to each other. You'll hear sacred works by Palestrina, Gabrieli, Mendelssohn, Bruckner, Brahms and Wilan, for a unique musical experience that promises to make the walls of the church vibrate in the shadow of Mount Royal.
Échos Sacrés
May 17th, 2025 - 7:30 P.M.
Tickets: Zeffy.ca
St. Lawrence Choir
Philippe Bourque, Artistic Director
Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal
Andrew Gray, Artistic Director