Sur le plan de l’exécution instrumentale, on est ébahi par les prouesses techniques de plusieurs membres de l’orchestre, à commencer bien sûr, par Paul Merkelo, qui se surpasse à la trompette, mais il faudrait presque tous les nommer tellement ils excellent. Dans l’ensemble, la sonorité produite hier soir était colossale, tout en gardant ce raffinement qui a fait la célébrité de l’orchestre.
Kent Nagano et l’OSM à Bruxelles
On retiendra une flûte et une trompette solos des plus en verves
CRITIQUE | L'OSM à Bruxelles : un crescendo vers le sublime
Certains instrumentistes se couvrent de gloire : on n’est pas près d’oublier la trompette solo ou le tuba. Face aux incessants rappels du public, Nagano propose en bis une Valse de Ravel aérienne et féline, qui n’aura jamais été aussi proche de ses modèles viennois, avec ce qu’il faut de cauchemar a la fin. La salle est hors d’elle.
"a player of unusual lyrical gifts...fast movements are glitteringly performed...."–Gramophone
Paul Merkelo is principal trumpet of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and a player of unusual lyrical gifts. This randomly-presented programme of early 18th-century pieces demonstrates both the possibilities and pitfalls of trumpet-and-organ transcriptions. Merkelo’s imploring line in the chorale prelude Nun komm der Heiden Heiland leaves us in no doubt that this ornamented chorale benefits from the life-breath of a trumpet as, literally, a living stop on the organ. As for the chamber music interaction between players, only the Handel Sonata, Op 1 No 5 and the Bach Trio Sonata really exploit this aspect of the dialogue potential between the instruments: the fast movements, especially, are glitteringly performed and both soloist and the versatile keyboardist Luc Beauséjour (with a barely audible cello) appear enraptured by their quicksilver exchanges.
"Pure beauty...virtuosity and eloquence...mastery and sensitivity..."– Ultra High Fidelity Magazine
"certainly some of the most beautiful trumpet playing that I have ever heard...gorgeous."–The Whole Note
‘’ Paul Merkelo knows no limits ‘’–Spiegel online (Germany)
With this cocktail, soloist Paul Merkelo proves that in Canada, there are no stilistic frontiers for the orchestra. Merkelo (his favourite composer: Gustav Mahler) has been a member of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra since 1995, and is regarded as one of Canada’s and the US’s best solo trumpeters. He knows no limits between Baroque and jazz music, and has worked internationally with conductors such as Solti, Bernstein, Maazel, and Dutoit.
