At the Notre-Dame-de-Nareg church, as part of its “Arches” project, the Les Rugissants vocal ensemble, led by Xavier Brossard-Ménard, presented its new program “Armenian Presence” on Sunday, to be presented three more times by May 9th. The “Arches” project aims to bring together music and architecture, offering a unique look at musical cultures not often represented in regular programs.
Following their campaign to promote Ukrainian music and heritage, Les Rugissants and Xavier Brossard-Ménard now focus on highlighting Armenian music and heritage. The “Armenian Presence” program consists of concerts in four emblematic locations of the Armenian community in Montreal between April 26th and May 9th. Their recent concert “Voices of Armenia”, held on April 19th at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, was part of the central programming of the Bon-Pasteur Music Chapel.
The Les Rugissants ensemble consists of young professionals. The concert at Notre-Dame-de-Nareg featured 10 singers, although in theory there are 12, with 3 per voice, which was sufficient to fill the space. The “Arches” project aims to connect music and architecture, but this aspect fell short on Sunday due to the minimal reverberation required for it to work effectively. The concert lacked sufficient blending in the space to create an effective sound, especially in the liturgical works by Komitas and Sharafyan. This issue will be resolved on May 1st at the Armenian Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator.
The program is divided into three equal parts: sacred, secular, and more popular. The secular part, performed by the ensemble facing forward in a traditional configuration, was particularly notable, featuring Tigran Mansourian’s “Three Autumn Songs”, with the last song repeated at the end of the concert.
The theme of memory is a key aspect of the concert program. The recent encounter with Jeremy Dutcher raised awareness of the importance of roots and heritage. While Komitas is a central figure in Armenian music, there is a timeless aspect missing in the Rugissants’ Armenian repertoire that reflects the essence of the people.
The iconic liturgical hymn “Amen hayr surb” (Amen, Holy Father) from the 12th century could help anchor the program in a timeless space, creating a spiritual and musical experience for the audience. Harmonizing it in the Divine Liturgy by Makar Yekmalian, a student of Rimsky-Korsakov, before Komitas could have a significant impact.
Overall, the concert provided insightful explanations about the Armenian presence in Quebec and the venue, offering a platform for meaningful discoveries skillfully presented by Les Rugissants under the direction of Xavier Brossard-Ménard.
