Another Concert Another Church

This is probably the oldest church in Montreal - there are others that may have been built earlier, but they suffered fires and were rebuilt. I wrote about it once before. Concerts bring me to many churches. The concert this time featured Suzie LeBlanc, Eleanor Frey and Esteban La Rotta who played and sang music from a manuscript Eleanor found in Como, Italy.



The concert was truly beautiful - interesting music, some heard nowhere else. There will be a recording made.



This church organ, installed in 1990s was made by Helmutt Wolff. It replaced the original organ which dated from the 1800s, but retains many of the characteristics of the previous organ.



Being in a church in the daytime lets one appreciate the stained glass windows and the play of the light on the walls.



All in all, it was a beautiful afternoon - full sunshine outdoors, beautiful music and a lovely venue to hear it in.

St-Léon

St-Léon, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I often pass this church on the way to and from various errands. It's one of many in this city that I have been in because of concerts held there. The art inside is quite astounding. It was done by Guido Nincheri. It includes frescos, carvings, stained glass windows.. I featured it once before here. If you want to learn more about the artist, check out the link from that blog post. To see more of the interior of the church go to Wikipedia.

Église-de-la-Visitation

Église-de-la-Visitation, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Photos: February 23, 2013.

We went to a concert of Clavecin en Concert on Sunday at Église-de-la-Visitation. It is one of the oldest churches in the Province of Quebec - the last church from the French Régime (before 1759) that is still standing on Montreal Island. According to this site (in French only), the church was built between 1749 - 1751. The interior took many years to complete.



Here's a detail of the ceiling. Most of the architectural details were done by Philippe Liébert while the interior details were by David Fleury-David. I've been to concerts at this church before - somehow visiting with my camera made me really look around. I'm always amazed at how much I used to miss.

Red Roof Church

Red Roof Church, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

St. John the Evangelist Church in Montreal is known, for obvious reasons, as the Red Roof Church. We went to a concert there by Flûte Alors! a recorder quintet. They were joined by harpsichord player, Mark Edwards.

The church sits beside what is now the Quartier de Spectacles, an area around Place des Arts. The Jazz Festival and other summer festivals hold outdoor concerts at various stages in the area.

I remember going to a recorder workshop in this church many years back. Nearby is a park filled with crabapple trees and they were in full bloom. Not last night, with temperatures just below freezing. Even the church had a slight chill. No one thinks of heating when designing churches. The high ceilings make for massive amounts of air to be warmed, so many of us sat with our scarves wrapped around us, or jackets perched on shoulders. No complaints as the music was warm and full of colour.

Arches

Arches, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.
Photos: August 7 and 8, 2011

We visited two churches - each interesting in its own way. St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, dates from the twelfth century. At the time, the Orkneys were occupied by Vikings who settled there. The old grave markers from the 1600s leaning against the walls were fascinating, with ghoulish images of skulls and crossbones.

We also visited the Italian Chapel, created inside a Nissan hut by Italian POWs during World War II. It is amazing what they created using little more than paint and some plasterboard.



For more photos, click here.

Sept 3/10: Church in Gesgapegiag

Church in Gesgapegiag, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A lot of time to kill before a train home, I meandered through the coast, stopping for photographs, to stroll, to explore. I stopped in Gespapegiag, the Mi'kmaq reservation. Most of Canada's aboriginal people are Christian, It is nice to see that they have made way in this to celebrate their own way, to bring their culture to their spiritual home.

June 5/10: Casselman Church

June 5/10: Casselman Church, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A strip of yellow emergency tape flutters over the stairs to Casselman's church. The church is closed. During a funeral service, with about 100 people there, the balcony sank several centimeters. It was discovered that a crack in the foundation opened causing one of the columns that supported the "jubé" to settle. Ironically, the woman whose funeral was being held had been lobbying to have the church look into the state of the building. It seems the church is too heavy for its foundation.

Daily Shoot: Using contrast in your photography can give you very artistic shots. Make a color photo with high contrast today.

Day 106: The Sailors' Church

Day 106: The Sailors' Church, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Another concert - this time in one of my favourite churches, Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours. It was known as the sailors' church as the back of the church faces what used to be the port. Sailors would come to pray before going off to sea. Many left carvings of ships which can be seen hanging inside the church. This is one of the oldest churches in Montreal. The original church was built not long after the founding of Montreal. After a fire, this chapel was built (1771). You can learn more about it here.

I have renamed the church Notre-Dame-de Musique-Ancienne (Our Lady of Early Music) as I attend many concerts here. Church attendance is down and the demographics of the area have changed. While the church still functions as a church it is maintained by revenue from tourists (it doubles as a museum) and rentals. Several early music groups hold concert series here. I'll be there again tomorrow for another concert.

Tonight's concert - Les Boréades and Ensemble Caprice - some wonderful Renaissance music played on a matched consort of instruments. There were also modern compositions - interesting, but they don't touch me the same way.

Tomorrow's concert Clavecin en concert (information in French). Life is very rich.

Day 96: Making Music

Day 96: Making Music, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Music is the universal language of mankind. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Music transcends age and language. The recorder orchestra I play in, Flutissimo, played a joint concert with a group of young musicians from Lyon in France. The age of the Lyon group ranged from 8 - 22 (plus one older graduate from the program). The oldest member of our group is 81. Their group functions in French; ours in English and French. But music binds us together. The lithe figure in black, directing the Lyon group is 86! She had travelled with the group (plus other chaperones), was dealing with jet lag, had spent a busy day and yet had more energy than many of us.

It is wonderful to see that love of music passed on with such conviction to the youngest of the group. Not only did they play beautifully, but their concentration, and discipline were evident on the stage.

The church filled with sounds from many eras and sang of love, mutual respect and awe.

Day 95: Raise in Song

Day 95: Raise in Song, originally uploaded by susanvg.

This is the steeple of Église Immaculée-Conception. I was at a concert in the church this evening - a joint effort by Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal and the Tallis Scholars. Both groups are celebrating 35 years of existence. What a wonderful concert! The church reverberated with the polyphonic music of the Renaissance with voices weaving in and out. It is always wonderful to hear music in the setting for which it was written and the pieces on the programme were meant to be sung in churches.

Choral music seems to make my head buzz with the sound. While I love the music, I also love the moment when it ends and the reverberation slowly dissipates. Like church bells, the sound of the voices lingers a moment before disappearing. It is so important for the audience to respect that moment of not quite silence before beginning to applaud, to make a space between the end of the music and getting back to the present.