… and tomorrow a 12-year old boy seated at the harpsichord will conduct his own opera!
Leopold Mozart
After the success of the disc Maestrino Mozart, Marie-Eve Munger and the ensemble Les Boréades present Maestro Mozart. This concert comprises extracts, deftly orchestrated for chamber ensemble, from both precociously youthful and mature operas by Mozart: from Mitridate to Don Giovanni, from Giunia to the Queen of the Night!
When we think of Mozart, the image of the child prodigy comes to mind and, still today, excites fascination and admiration. Already, in his youthful tunes, we have the sense of drama and the personification of the text that characterizes such great masterpieces as The Marriage of Figaro or The Magic Flute. The creative fever by which he was possessed until death is evident from the beginning, in the very first works for the stage, which he began writing and directing when he was ten. The repertoire for this concert captures the original essence of the work of an indisputed master of opera. Marie-Ève Munger, the world-renowned soprano from Sageunay, and Les Boréades, the spirited early-music ensemble playing period instruments, return to the real roots of Mozart’s genius.
Olivier Brault, first violin Peter Lekx, violin Jacques-André Houle, viola Amanda Keesmaat, cello Pierre Cartier, double bass Francis Colpron, traverso Matthew Jennejohn, oboe
Francis Colpron, artistic director
Program note
In the 18th century, there were two main types of Italian-language opera. The opera seria, or serious opera, the great genre par excellence, features complex plots drawn from mythology or ancient history. Based on librettos contrasting love, duty, fidelity and betrayal, in a rather static sequence of “dry” recitatives, which carry the action, and arias expressing the various passions and moods of the characters, it is, outside Italy, associated with the aristocracy and reigning dynasties. In contrast, opera buffa features a lively, “natural” cast of naïve villagers, clever or rascally servants and pretentious bourgeois, entangled in a variety of amorous chases, burlesque stratagems, false pretenses and improbable misunderstandings.
A native of Saguenay, Canadian soprano Marie-Eve Munger enjoys a flourishing career in both North America and Europe. She has earned a solid reputation for her strong stage presence—”she stole the show” (The Washington Post)—and for her “warm, lyrical” voice (The Associated Press) with a “glassy-clear coloratura” (The New York Times). Recent successes include her debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Massenet’s Cendrillon, at the Teatro alla Scala, Barcelona’s Liceu, and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in Richard Strauss’ Elektra, at La Monnaie with the world premiere of Boesman’s Pinocchio, and at the Opéra de Montréal in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Equally at ease in contemporary music, she sang the role La Colorature in Frédéric Verrières’ The Second Woman at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris and performed in the premiere of Gérard Pesson’s Pastorale at the Théâtre de Châtelet. Marie-Eve Munger earned her master’s degree from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University. She won first prize at the Marmande International Voice Competition in 2007 and won the Choquette-Symcox award from the Jeunesses Musicales du Canada in 2012.
Les Boréades de Montréal
7 musicians
Biography
Founded by Francis Colpron in 1991, Les Boréades focuses on early music. The ensemble has chosen an interpretative approach in keeping with the spirit of the Baroque era, by adhering to the rules of performance practice of the past and playing on period instruments. Critics and audiences alike in Canada and abroad have been unanimous in hailing the group’s energy and spontaneity as well as its theatrical, expressive and elegant playing, indicative of a unique flair for Baroque aesthetics.
Program
Maestrino Mozart
Aria du Faune “Dal tuo gentil sembiante”, from the opera Ascanio in Alba, K. 111 (Milan, 1771)
Rosine’s aria “Colla bocca”, from the opera La finta semplice, K. 51 (Salzburg, 1768)
Aspasie’s recitative and cavatina “Ah ben ne fui presaga – Pallid’ombre”, from the opera Mitridate, re di Ponto, K. 87 (Milan, 1770)
Aria d’Aspasie ” Nel grave tormento “, from the opera Mitridate, re di Ponto, K. 87 (Milan, 1770)
String quartet no. 3 in G major, K. 156 (Milan, 1772) Presto – Adagio – Tempo di minuetto
Giunia’s recitative and aria “In un istante – Parto, m’affretto”, from the opera Lucio Silla, K. 135 (Milan, 1772)
Intermission
Maestro Mozart
Aria d’Ilia ” Padre, germani, addio “, de l’opéra Idomeneo, K. 366 (Munich, 1781)
Aria de Despina ” Una donna a quindici anni “, de l’opéra Cosi fan tutte, K. 588 (Vienne, 1790)
Quatuor pour flûte et cordes nº 2 en sol majeur, K. 285a (Mannheim?, 1778) Andante – Tempo di minuetto
Récitatif et aria de Suzanne “Giunse al fin il momento – Deh vieni, non tardar “, de l’opéra Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492 (Vienne, 1786)
Récitatif et aria de Donna Elvira ” In quali eccessi – Mi tradi quell’alma ingrata “, de l’opéra Don Giovanni, K. 527 (Prague, 1787)
To immerse yourself in the music
Discover the Maestrino Mozart recording of Les Boréades, released on the ATMA label in 2021.
