{"id":103213,"date":"2024-04-11T10:49:18","date_gmt":"2024-04-11T14:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=103213"},"modified":"2024-04-11T14:00:01","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T18:00:01","slug":"interview-tmc-artistic-director-jean-sebastien-vallee-verdis-requiem-last-three-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/04\/11\/interview-tmc-artistic-director-jean-sebastien-vallee-verdis-requiem-last-three-years\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | TMC Artistic Director Jean-S\u00e9bastien Vall\u00e9e On Verdi\u2019s Requiem & The Last Three Years"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Toronto
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Conductor & Artistic Director Jean-S\u00e9bastien Vall\u00e9e (Photo: Dahlia Katz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe past three years have been really busy with the choir,\u201d says Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Artistic Director Jean-S\u00e9bastien Vall\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit of an understatement.<\/p>\n

LvT last caught up with Jean-S\u00e9bastien when he first came to Toronto to conduct and lead TMC in a Q&A<\/a>. It was 2021, with the city\u2019s music scene just beginning to emerge from the lockdowns. He\u2019d described his goals for the choir as pursuing \u201cmusical excellence […] rooted in accessible, inclusive and diverse artistic initiatives\u201d.<\/p>\n

Building TMC\/TMS After The Pandemic<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe all came with big dreams and big goals, and most of them came to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The COVID pandemic and its lockdowns posed challenges both for the organization and its audiences, who were slow to come back to live performances. Still, this year, there\u2019s a renewed spirit of optimism after such a long period of doubt.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I really feel that this past season, this one \u2014 we\u2019re reaching the goals that I started with.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of his major initiatives was the establishment of the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, a smaller group of 24 professional singers who are part of the larger Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, but also perform separately, as in the recent performance of Schubert\u2019s Winterreise<\/a>. It allows him more creative room to program artistically challenging and innovative works.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had […] a good first year,\u201d he says of the success of TMS. He believes that audiences and critics now see what the professional ensemble brings to the table. \u201cTo establish \u2014 it takes some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (Photo: Brian Summers)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Verdi\u2019s Requiem<\/h3>\n

The last time TMC performed Verdi\u2019s Requiem was during the 2014\/15 season. On April 27, it will be performed with the full 160-voice Choir, along with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and soloists tenor Andrew Haji,<\/strong> soprano Teiya Kasahara<\/strong> \u7b20\u539f \u8c9e\u91ce, mezzo-soprano Rose Naggar-Tremblay<\/strong>, and baritone Geoffrey Sirett<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

There are several Requiems in the classical music canon, but there is a distinctive quality about Verdi\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe quality of that piece comes from the fact that Verdi is reflecting on death […] but he\u2019s doing that reflection through life,\u201d says Vall\u00e9e. The pieces is full of fear and anguish, emotions that are very human.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s full of life, and what makes life,\u201d he says. \u201cIt comes after life, but is part of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a work that has wormed its way into pop culture via use in movies and television scenes. \u201cThe main movement, the one that most people know even without knowing is the Dies irae.\u201d The Dies irae is the Day of Wrath, when souls receive their judgment. \u201cIt\u2019s great to rehearse,\u201d he says. \u201cIt happens three times in the Requiem. For most composers, they have one movement of this,\u201d he explains of the theme\u2019s three iterations, \u201cit\u2019s quite dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next Season…<\/h3>\n

TMC will be announcing their lineup for the 2024\/25 season just before the Verdi Requiem concert on April 27. He\u2019s looking forward to building more momentum now that audiences have come back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my third season,\u201d he notes. \u201cWe can establish it as the new normal.\u201d The choir will continue to present a combination of masterworks mixed with new pieces, and audiences can expect more of the partnerships that create innovative performances, such as last fall’s show with Compagnie de la Citadelle dance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He can\u2019t reveal much about the season in advance, other than hinting at the season\u2019s significance. \u201cI am looking forward to some things,\u201d he says, \u201cit\u2019s our 130th season. It\u2019s a special milestone. We really look forward to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the events that will mark next season will be the release of a double CD on the ATMA label that is anticipated for November. It will be called Remember \u2014 130 years of Canadian Choral Music, and will include some commissions dating back to the very beginnings of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir in 1895.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first TMC recording in several years, and the first that will spotlight only Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, without orchestral accompaniment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really our album and our project.\u201d<\/p>\n