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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
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“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.
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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]
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