The Orchestre Métropolitain's Brilliant Five-City, Four-Country Tour
Magnificently welcomed in Europe by the Brussels audience at the Bozar, the Quebec musicians and their conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, along with the brilliant pianist Alexandre Kantorow, continued their tour in Paris, majestically celebrating Quebec's National Day at the Philharmonie, alongside their French cousins; the fleur-de-lis flag even served as a baton for the conductor to lead the crowd during an improvised encore of "Gens du Pays" from the famous composer Gilles Vigneault, also well-known in France.
Continuing their tour to the Vienna Konzerthaus, the musicians and their conductor delivered a remarkable concert filled with the unique emotion of playing in such a prestigious hall steeped in history, a jewel of the Music Capital.
Travelling then to Hamburg, they performed at the Elbphilharmonie, a truly unique and impressive venue, they played with great enthusiasm. Two more concerts in Baden-Baden, Germany, concluded this incredibly successful tour, preceded by a ceremony at the Rosengarten during which a red rose was named Maestro Yannick, in recognition of the conductor's loyalty to La Capitale d’Été concerts in Baden Baden. Both concerts took place at the Festspielhaus, the second one offering an opera gala featuring the renowned virtuoso soprano of the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Lisette Oropesa.
From June 23 to 29:
Ravel: La valse Barbara Assiginaak: Eko-Bmijwang (As long in time as the river flows) Saint-Saëns: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2, Op. 22 Sibelius: Symphony No. 2, Op. 43 (June 23 and 28) Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique" (June 24, 25, 26)
Alexandre Kantorow played a different Encore after each performance.
Airs from Mozart, Massenet, Gounod, Verdi, Puccini, etc. (June 29)