In Friday’s (9/9) New York Times, Anthony Tommasini writes about the Montreal Symphony Orchestra’s opening concert Wednesday night at its new hall. “This adventurous orchestra has wanted a new home for decades. Finally it has one, an inviting place of just 2,100 seats. The auditorium’s warm interior has walls of overlapping curved panels and three tiers of balconies made from textured, light-brown Canadian beech wood. It was not until Wednesday morning that the Quebec government announced the hall’s official name: La Maison Symphonique de Montréal … The city is abuzz over this addition to Place des Arts, its cultural center. The new hall sits (on what had been an asphalt lot with underground parking) right next to its old home, the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. … Building a hall in these challenging economic times is a real achievement. … in trying to galvanize support for a new hall, [Music Director Kent Nagano] went to the Chamber of Commerce before approaching the cultural ministry, arguing that Montreal was a ‘star on the rise’ and that the orchestra already played a dynamic role in the city’s resurgence. … The major work was Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. But as Nagano said in the interview, he has tried to present the masterpieces of the repertory in a context that helps make clear how stunning they were when new and how relevant they remain. So he preceded the Beethoven with works by composers representing three generations of contemporary music in Quebec.”
Posted September 9, 2011
