At the Notre-Dame-de-Nareg church, as part of its “Arches” project, the vocal ensemble Les Rugissants, led by Xavier Brossard-Ménard, presented their new program “Armenian Presence” last Sunday, to be performed three more times before May 9. “Arches,” aiming to blend music and architecture, offers a unique experience with musical cultures not often featured in regular programs.
Following their campaign in Ukraine, Les Rugissants and Xavier Brossard-Ménard are focusing on revitalizing Armenian music and heritage. “Armenian Presence” consists of concerts at four significant locations within the Armenian community in Montreal from April 26 to May 9. The concert “Voices of Armenia” was a preview on April 19 at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, part of the centralized programming of the Chapelle Musicale du Bon-Pasteur.
The Rugissants are a group of young professionals. The concert at Notre-Dame-de-Nareg, on Côte-Vertu Boulevard, featured 10 singers (although there are theoretically 12, with 3 per voice), enough to fill the space comfortably.
One aspect of the “Arches” project is to connect music and architecture. However, this aspect fell short on Sunday due to the minimal reverberation required, which was limited by the low ceiling at Notre-Dame-de-Nareg. This resulted in too much direct voice perception and lacking space blending, affecting the effective sound contrast between sopranos/basses (on the left) and mezzos/tenors (on the right) in the “Patarag” liturgy by Komitas or the song “Lord, who made the stream flow from the stones” by Sharafyan. This issue will be resolved on May 1 at the Armenian Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator.
The clever program is divided into three equal parts: sacred, secular, and more popular. The secular part, presented by the choir in a traditional “front-facing” formation, was the most revealing, featuring Tigran Mansourian’s “Three Autumn Songs,” the last of which was encored at the end of the concert.
Mansourian, 87, is to Armenia what Silvestrov is to Ukraine: a prominent living composer, a patriarchal figure. Xavier Brossard-Ménard has sought donations to program Mansourian’s “Requiem” in a future season, composed in memory of the Armenian genocide victims, with the commemorative day being April 24.
The theme of memory is intriguingly addressed in this concert’s program. The power of discovery, including the more popular final part highlighted by the solo voice of mezzo Anna Kasyan and the effectiveness of composer Edgar Hovhannisyan (“Hop Narin-Narin”), deserves acknowledgment. A recent encounter with Jeremy Dutcher has sensitized us to the significance of roots.
Although Komitas is an undeniable patriarch for those considering Armenian music, the Rugissants’ Armenian “musical menu” lacks a timeless piece that seems to date back to ancient times and could embody the foundation of this people.
In our view, “Amen Hayr Surb” (“Amen, Holy Father”) is the emblematic liturgical hymn (dating back to the 12th century) that would anchor the program in a timeless space and immerse the audience in a different spiritual and musical receptivity. We suggest its harmonization within the “Patarag” (“Divine Liturgy”) by Makar Yekmalian (1856-1905), a student of Rimsky-Korsakov. Looking back before the influential figure of Komitas (1869-1935) had notable significance.
Overall, the concert, interspersed with relevant explanations about the Armenian presence in Quebec and the hosting venue, was a source of insightful discoveries, eloquently presented by Les Rugissants, conducted with great fervor and precision by Xavier Brossard-Ménard.
