MD Rafael Payare & OSM Anchor 10th “Virée classique” Festival (Aug 16–20) & Perform Mahler’s “Titan” Symphony (Sep 21–23), Following Success of Mahler

(July 2023) — It is less than a year since Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare first inaugurated his tenure as Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Montreal Symphony Orchestra/OSM). In that short time, however, he and the orchestra have already demonstrated the strength and promise of their partnership, not least in the music of Mahler. Their live account of the composer’s Fifth Symphony testifies to their “tangible chemistry” (Classical Review), while their recording of the work was named an editor’s choice by both Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine, whose five-starreview declared: “Hand on heart, it’s a long while since I’ve enjoyed a new Mahler Five as much as this.” Next season, which marks the orchestra’s landmark 90th anniversary, Payare and OSM continue their immersion in Mahler’s music with performances of his First Symphony, “Titan” (Sep 21–23), on a fall lineup that also includes major works by Stravinsky, Janácek and Messiaen. Meanwhile, to complete the current season, Payare and the orchestra anchor the tenth annual “Virée classique” festival, where their highlights include a festive Opening Night collaboration with Isabel Leonard and Bomsori (Aug 16), an evening of Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky(Aug 18) and performances of Orff’s Carmina Burana (Aug 19 & 20).

“La Virée classique” (Aug 16–20)

Founded to strengthen community ties, promote musical discovery and encourage emerging artists, “La Virée classique” (“Classical Spree”) celebrates its tenth anniversary with 26 indoor concerts and almost 100 free, family-friendly events, exploring music ranging from the classical canon to jazz, film and the sounds of Bali, the Balkans and the Middle East (Aug 16–20).
 
Under Payare’s leadership, the festival’s Opening Night concert is an open-air program presenting Grammy-winning mezzo Isabel Leonard in a selection of operatic favorites; South Korean violinist Bomsori – “one of today’s most dynamic and exciting violinists” (NDR, Germany) – in Waxman’s virtuosic Carmen Fantasie; and Mussorgsky’s beloved Pictures at an Exhibition in the orchestral arrangement by Ravel (Aug 16). The Music Director’s subsequent festival highlights include a pairing of Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, featuring Gramophone Award-winning cellist Nicolas Altstaedt, with Mendelssohn’s sparkling “Italian” Symphony (Aug 18). “La Virée classique” concludes with two performances of Orff’s dramatic cantata Carmina Burana, for which Payare and OSM will be joined by 2022 Concours Musical International de Montréal-winning soprano Sarah Dufresne, countertenor Nicholas Burns, baritone Elliot Madore, the OSM Chorus and Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal (Aug 19 & 20).

Fall highlights: Mahler, Marsalis, Messiaen and more

To kick off the orchestra’s 90th anniversary season, and his second as its Music Director, Payare leads Opening Night concerts coupling two 20th-century masterpieces: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Janácek’s Glagolitic Mass. The mass will feature vocal soloists Camilla Tilling, Rose Naggar-Tremblay, Ladislav Elgr and Matthew Rose, with OSM organist-in-residence Jean-Willy Kunz performing on OSM’s organ, the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique, now celebrating its own tenth anniversary (Sep 12–14). Later in the fall, the Music Director and orchestra offer their interpretation of Messiaen’s monumental Turangalîla-Symphonie. French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, whose honors include a Victoire d’Honneur and induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, undertakes the virtuosic piano role (Dec 5 & 6).
 
These programs bookend the continuation of Payare and OSM’s ongoing, multi-season immersion in Mahler’s music. On a late September program that also includes Lera Auerbach’s Icarus and Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto, featuring pianist Alexander Malofeev, they perform the Bohemian composer’s First Symphony, the “Titan” (Sep 21–23). Initially presented by Mahler as a symphonic poem, the work has been called “one of the most game-changing (and mind-blowing) first symphonies by any composer” (NPR). 
 
Payare comments:

Praise for Mahler 5 album and tour

Payare and OSM have already won widespread international acclaim for their Mahler. Released this past March by Pentatone, their recording of the composer’s Fifth Symphony drew a fanfare of applause. Hailing the album as “a real marker in their ongoing partnership,” Gramophone concluded: “This is a Fifth that sparkles.” Classic Reviewaffirmed:

Under Payare’s baton, OSM’s Mahler has drawn similar praise in live performance. After inaugurating their partnership with a season-opening account of the “Resurrection” Symphony that “will be remembered as a major milestone in the history of the OSM” (Le Devoir, Canada), they showcased their interpretation of the Fifth on high-profile tours of Europe and North America. Austria’s Wiener Zeitung likened them to “an organism whose voice groups interact as smoothly as the muscles in the body of a top athlete,” and their Carnegie Hall concert prompted the New York Classical Review to marvel:

About the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM)

Founded in 1934 by Wilfrid Pelletier, Antonia Nantel and Athanase David, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is a distinguished leader of Canadian musical life and an essential cultural ambassador. Under the leadership of Venezuelan Music Director Rafael Payare, the orchestra continues its commitment to far-reaching projects and international tours, as well as to its superb discography and long history of community engagement. Firmly anchored in today’s world, OSM’s innovative approach to artistic programming brings modern-day relevance to the symphonic repertoire, both live and on disc, while strengthening the orchestra’s place at the heart of its Quebec metropolis home. Over the years, OSM has toured throughout Canada as well as to the United States, South America, Europe and Asia. Totaling more than a hundred recordings on the Decca, Analekta, CBC Records, ECM, EMI, Philips and Sony labels, OSM’s discography has been recognized with 110 national and international awards.

High-resolution photos are available here.