Festival Bach Montréal and Orchestre Métropolitain present

Bach and Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn was still a boy when he composed his first symphony to honour his sister Fanny, a sign of brotherly love that has propelled the piece’s success from 19th century London to 21st century Montréal. The symphony’s vigour, grace and imagination make it a cornerstone of the repertoire, with a palpable influence of the classical legacy of Mozart and Beethoven.

Two solo violins perform a musical dialogue as they challenge, imitate, and chase one another throughout the Bach’s double concerto, which was one of the composer’s most popular pieces in Leipzig. Listen for the ritornello, a refrain commonly used in Baroque style, featured in the first and third movements. The overture and suite from J. C. Bach’s Parisian opera Amadis de Gaule open the program, recounting the tumultuous story of a pair of jealous lovers that takes the form of a patently classical Sinfonia.

Artists
Nicolas Ellis, conductor

Nicolas Ellis is the Artistic Director, Conductor and Founder of the Orchestre de l’Agora and currently serves as Artistic Partner to the Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Mr. Ellis appeared as guest conductor with Les Violons du Roy, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Orchestre de chambre I Musici de Montréal, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Symphony Nova Scotia, the Orchestre classique de Montréal, the Ottawa Symphony, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.  He also regularly collaborates with the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique.

Nancy Ricard, violin

A native of the Outaouais region, Nancy Ricard began learning the violin when she was five years old. She continued her studies at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Hull, from which she obtained a post-graduate degree in 2001 in Joan Milkson’s class. She continued her studies at McGill University in the violin class of Denise Lupien, where she was awarded high honours. Her musical experiences have led her to Europe, Asia and South America under such renowned conductors as James Levine, Valery Gergiev, Christoph von Dohnanyi and Gustavo Dudamel.

Since 2010, Nancy has held a position in the violin section of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières under Jacques Lacombe. In 2011, she became leader of the Orchestre Métropolitain’s second violin section, under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She also performs frequently with a number of Quebec ensembles, including I Musici de Montréal, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Sinfonia de Lanaudière.

Lyne Allard, violin

Lyne Allard has held the position of second solo violin assistant in the Metropolitan Orchestra since 2011. She has also been a member of the first violin section of the Trois-Rivières Symphony Orchestra since 2010 and plays, on occasion, with Ensemble Angèle Dubeau and pietà since 2009 with which she has participated in numerous tours in North America, South America and Asia, and has participated in record projects including Arvö Pärt, Noël, John Adams , A time for us and video games. Graduated with great distinction from the Montreal Conservatory of Music in 2006, Lyne continued her training at McGill University. During these years of training, she had the opportunity to play for the great violinists Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, Leonidas Kavakos and James Ehnes. She then lived in Vancouver for two years, performing with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, touring Asia, and acting solo violin with the Vancouver Island Orchestra.

Lyne finds it essential to devote herself also to teaching. For the last ten years, she has multiplied her experiences at all levels: primary, secondary, college and is part of a jury of exams and competitions. She uses the Suzuki method with variations following the advice of renowned teacher Mimi Zweig, with whom she studied violin pedagogy in the summer of 2010. Lyne favours a relaxed approach to the instrument and a mastery of the main technical elements  for all instrumentalists, whether beginners or advanced.

Program
J.C. Bach, Overture and suite from Amadis de Gaule
J.S. Bach, Concerto for Two Violins in D minor
Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 1

Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 4:00pm
To purchase your tickets visit: www.placedesarts.com