Tempête

I discovered Rachmaninov’s ‘Vespers’ singing in a choir, and the work made a genuine emotional impact on me! This music gives off an impression of naturalness and ‘simplicity’, yet in fact its architecture is complex and innovative for its time in the quasi-orchestral treatment of the voices. I wanted to place the work in a liturgical context that I conceived by drawing my inspiration from the Orthodox ceremonies I have been lucky enough to attend in Russia and Romania. The special characteristic and the beauty of this Vigil service (which in the Orthodox churches includes both Vespers and Matins) is that it accompanies the prayers of the faithful from dusk until sunrise.

Commemorating the 25th anniversary of one of the worst natural disasters in Quebec's history while celebrating the courage and collective humanity that emanated from it, Ice Storm Symphony (Symphonie de la tempete de verglas) takes the listener into a whirlwind of music by Quebecois composer Maxime Goulet. The program features Orchestre classique de Montreal under the direction of Jacques Lacombe performing three of Goulet's compositions: Fishing Story, What a Day, and the title work.

Olivia Ruiz est de retour ! Ce nouveau disque, son quatrième, est son disque. Celui qu'elle a pensé, celui qu'elle a rêvé, celui sur lequel elle a travaillé, seule dans l'écriture et la composition, tout au long de ces derniers mois alternant les hauts et les bas, le jour et la nuit, le noir, le blanc et les couleurs, l'alternatif comme le continu. Entre le calme et les tempêtes. « Le calme et la tempête », une évidence donc. Entre profondeur des mots et profondeur des sons, jamais elle n'avait donné cette impression de puiser si loin en elle pour trouver la source de ses chansons.