Musicanada

Musicanada. 'A presentation of Canadian contemporary music/Présence de la musique canadienne contemporaine.' The first large-scale festival of Canadian music in Europe, held 4-17 Nov 1977 under the aegis of the Dept of External Affairs and the Canada Council. A total of 41 works by 32 composers were presented in five Paris concerts (Salle Gaveau) and five London concerts (St John's Church, Smith Square) by Canadian ensembles, and in one concert at St John's Church by the BBC SO and one in the Grand Auditorium of the Maison Radio-France by the Nouvel Orchestre philharmonique of Paris. The BBC SO, conducted by Mario Bernardi, performed Aitken's Spiral, Beecroft's Improvvisazioni Concertanti No. 2, Freedman's Tapestry, Jacques Hétu's Concerto, Opus 15, for piano and orchestra with Robert Silverman as soloist, and Schafer's Son of Heldenleben. The Nouvel Orchestre philharmonique was conducted by Pierre Hétu in Jacques Hétu's Symphony No. 3, Matton's Concerto for two pianos and orchestra with the duo-pianists Bouchard and Morisset, and Prévost's Fantasmes, and by Gilles Tremblay in his own Jeux de solstices.

Under Serge Garant's direction the SMCQ Ensemble presented Cherney's Chamber Concerto for viola and 10 performers, Garant's Rivages, Mather's Madrigal IV, Steven's Images, and Tremblay's Solstices. The Quebec Woodwind Quintet made its European debut in Coulombe Saint-Marcoux's Genesis, Hétu's Quintet, Opus 13, Jones' Quintet, Mather's Eine kleine Bläsermusik, and Papineau-Couture's Fantaisie. Elmer Iseler conducted the Festival Singers in works by Anhalt (Cento), Ford (Mass), Mather (La Lune mince...), Papineau-Couture (Viole d'amour), Prévost (Soleils couchants), Somers (Five Songs of the Newfoundland Outports), and Vivier (Jesus erbarme dich). The Orford String Quartet performed Freedman's Graphic II and Glick's Suite Hebraïque No. 3 as well as quartets by Pépin, Schafer, and Wilson. Canadian Brass played works by Beckwith (Taking a Stand), Calvert (Suite from the Monteregian Hills), Crosley (The Days before Yesterday), Malcolm D. Forsyth (The Golyardes' Grounde), Hodkinson (another... man's Poison), McCauley (Miniature Overture), McPeek (Ragtime for Brass), Morel (Quintet), Rathburn (The Nomadic Five), and Weinzweig (Pieces of Five).

'An extensive operation... original... and effective' (Le Nouvel Observateur, 21-7 Nov 1977), Musicanada contributed significantly to making Canadian music better known in France and England. Audiences that were generally small in number but steadfastly attentive received the many works presented with interest and were particularly appreciative of the high level of performance. It would appear that contemporary Canadian music was perceived mainly as reflecting a creative and liberal artistic milieu, emphasizing individual composers' personalities more markedly than any style or manner of thought which might typify a national school. That, at least, was the reaction of critics such as Maurice Fleuret, who declared (ibid), 'Canada has no sophisticated musical heritage, but it is this very lack which offers its creative artists greater freedom,' and Gérard Condé, who wrote in Le Monde (19 Nov 1977), 'Though in reality suggestive neither of the avant garde nor of its uninspired imitators, the music of these quartets [and] symphonies... affirmed the vitality of a contemporary music activity without always leaving the impression that Canada has a clearly defined school or language.' This opinion was shared by Joan Chissell, who wrote in The Times (10 Nov 1977): 'Nationalism in music is out of date... no specifically Canadian characteristic emerged.'

Author Annick Poussart

Bibliography

McLean, Eric. 'Exporting Canadian music,' Montreal Star, 19 Nov 1977

Fleuret, Maurice. 'Des Canadiens à Paris,' Nouvel Observateur, 680, 21-7 Nov 1977

Shepherd, John. 'Musicanada,' Music and Musicians, Nov 1977

Musicanada: A Presentation of Canadian Contemporary Music program (Ottawa 1977)