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News release For immediate release THE ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE MONTRÉAL TRIUMPHS IN THE UNITED STATES! Montréal, Tuesday, March 29, 2016 – The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, under the direction of Kent Nagano, is back home following a triumphant tour to the United States, the first of this scale on American soil in 25 years. This OSM tour to the United States was clearly highly anticipated, by both the American public and media alike. From one concert to another, and one city to another, the consistently high critical acclaim that greeted the Orchestra bore witness to the lasting impression made by the OSM and its conductor in the hearts of our neighbours south of the border. Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Chicago Symphony Center, March 18, 2016 / Photo: OSM Acclamation for the OSM Whether at New York’s storied Carnegie Hall, Boston’s magnificent Symphony Hall, or the Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, Kent Nagano’s birthplace, the Orchestra, its musicians and two invited soloists were warmly welcomed, as evidenced by the long and enthusiastic applause and many encores they received. Both fascinated by the remarkable talent of Kent Nagano and thrilled to have the opportunity to enjoy the Orchestra’s distinctive sound, here is what some critics had to say: “Where has he been? I could not help wondering this on Tuesday evening, when Kent Nagano conducted the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in an impressive program at Carnegie Hall. (…) His absence is certainly a loss for audiences in New York. Mr. Nagano had an enthusiastic Carnegie crowd with him on Tuesday from the first bars of “La Valse.” His interpretation of the murky, halting opening section made it sound as if the music were emerging from a primordial stew. Slowly, fragments coalesced into a glittering, surreal, even dangerous exploration of the Viennese waltz.” Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, March 16, 2016 1 “What Montreal did bring to town was elegantly and zestfully delivered. Flutist Timothy Hutchins’s solos in the Debussy were languid and atmospheric. Pianist Daniil Trifonov gave a dazzling account of Prokofiev’s Third Concerto, alert to its motoric impulse and generous in its pyrotechnic displays, but also responsive to splashes of color and sharp-edged, mordant wit. And Nagano impressed in the Stravinsky, drawing richly layered, eloquently articulated playing from the orchestra, and reminding you that this music’s savage Russian primitivism was born in Paris’s Eighth Arrondissement. Montreal’s strings and brass shone with particular brightness in the Stravinsky, and in the pair of encores that followed.” Jeremy Eichler, The Boston Globe, March 18, 2016 “However greatly Nagano may have extended the OSM's repertory, Quebec's cultural ambassador remains the best Gallic orchestra in the world, and Friday's concert found the Montreal musicians at the world-class top of their game. (…) Nagano's conducting was a model of taut rhythmic definition, athleticism and atmosphere, and he drew urgent playing from every department of the orchestra, including the well-defined woodwinds and blended brasses.” John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, March 20, 2016 “In the MSO’s fantastic performance, presented by the La Jolla Music Society, instrumental colors melted into each other and melodies seamlessly transformed. The musicians worked together like a finely calibrated car engine and transmission, a smooth trip from start to finish.” Christian Hertzog, The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 24, 2016 “Instrumental glow, sustaining emotional warmth and, when wanted, scorching fire — a rare and marvellous combination and something that can be produced only by an orchestra in glowing health.” Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, March 26, 2016 Renowned guest soloists Accompanied by Daniil Trifonov (Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 3) and Maria João Pires (Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3), the OSM travelled from the East coast to the West coast, giving performances in Washington, New York, Boston, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Palm Desert, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Sonoma and Berkeley along the way. This tour, the OSM’s 44th, ran from March 14 to 26, and included 10 concerts, including a spectacular 27th appearance at Carnegie Hall, which had been sold out for months, in programs that presented Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and the Firebird, Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Ravel’s La valse. Kent Nagano, proud ambassador of Montréal and Quebec “Once again the musicians of the OSM can be proud to have represented the rich and unique musical culture of Montréal and Québec on the international stage. In this, our first major tour of the United States in 25 years, we presented programmes at once true to our artistic traditions, while also offering a window into our current times. That our performances resonated so successfully with American audiences in some of the world’s most prestigious performing venues is a testament to the talent, virtuosity, dedication of our musicians, and the special quality of the OSM tone, aesthetics and culture. On a personal note, I feel both humble and proud to have returned to my home country and my native California as an ambassador for Montréal and Quebec. Enormous thanks are due to the endless dedication of our musicians, our touring staff, our administrative team, and the generosity and enthusiasm of the American audiences we encountered on our travels. We return to Montréal, our faithful public and our Maison symphonique with fresh perspectives and new inspiration to make our sound known to an international audience. Bravo to all who made this project possible!”said Kent Nagano, the Orchestra’s Music Director. A dazzling presence in the United States The OSM and Montréal made a stellar impression during pre- and post-concert get-togethers in Washington, New York, Boston and Chicago. Key figures were in attendance at one or the other of these occasions, including the Canadian ambassador to the United States, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, the delegate general of Québec in New York, the head of the Québec Government Office in Washington, the deputy premier of Québec, the mayor of Montréal, the chairman of the board of the OSM along with many other distinguished guests. These events provided opportunities for the OSM to acknowledge the essential collaboration of its partners in realizing this major tour. 2 This ninth tour by the OSM to the United States also gave the Orchestra a chance to promote its recent recordings, including the latest release of L’Aiglon under the Decca label, which Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed hailed in a glowing article: “It should be common knowledge that Kent Nagano (…) is one of the world’s most imaginative and important conductors. (…) Nagano can be heard on a series of outstanding recordings with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal over the last decade. (…) Decca’s engineers expect the expected in their attempt to revive on record the crystalline OSM sparkle of old. That’s not entirely inappropriate, given the quantity of sparkle that “L'Aiglon” supplies and the careful attention Nagano pays to telling details. But this orchestra no longer needs Dutoit’s brilliance. Nagano has taken it to less obvious, more ethereal realms.” Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, March 23, 2016 The tour blog The OSM’s tour blog is still online and the public is invited to consult it to revisit the most memorable moments of the tour from the perspective of the Orchestra’s musicians, members of the administrative team and Kent Nagano: www.osm.ca/blogue/. Photos of the tour are available by request. Touring: an OSM tradition of excellence Over the years, the OSM has performed on more than 40 tours and some 30 national and international excursions. The Orchestra has undertaken ten tours in Asia, eleven in Europe and three in South America. Under the direction of Kent Nagano, the Orchestra presented a concert at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (2006), appeared twice in New York’s Carnegie Hall (2008 and 2011), where the OSM played almost every year between 1982 and 2004 to soldout halls, and went on its first cross-Canada tour (2007) as well as a tour of Nunavik, in northern Québec (2008). Kent Nagano and the OSM have toured South America (2013), gone on two European tours (2009 and 2014) and two Asian tours (2008 and 2014), and also performed the OSM’s first concerts in China in 2014. April at the OSM: Mariss Jansons for the first time in Montréal! April will see the triumphant return of the Orchestra to the Maison symphonique de Montréal. The OSM will welcome a hailstorm of international guests, including violinist Gil Shaham, cellist Yan Vogler, conductor Mariss Janson and the celebrated Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, who will be visiting Montréal for the first time, contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, OSM organist emeritus Olivier Latry, and, in a special “movie soundtracks” concert conducted by Dina Gilbert, actor Rémy Girard. And last but not least, the Presto, Mambo! concert, with Platypus Theatre, under the direction of Julien Proulx, will offer our young audiences the chance to dive into the pulsating, thrilling world of Latin American music. Follow the OSM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram This tour was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ville de Montréal. The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal wishes to thank its tour partners: BMO Financial Group, title sponsor of the USA tour, Power Corporation of Canada, presenter of the concerts in New York and Boston, Fiera Capital, presenter of the concerts on the West coast, Air Canada, official airline, the OSM Foundation, Tourisme Montréal and Stingray Brava. The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is presented by Hydro-Québec. Information: Geneviève Dion, Director, Marketing and Communications C.: 514 840-7417 | [email protected] 3