In the news
I usually write these posts on Sunday nights, but this time opted to wait for a special event on Monday. Last night my sweetheart and I attended Montréal's preeminent annual holiday concert, for the first time, and I wanted to share this with you!
I'd been dealing with a pesky cold for the past two weeks - likely picked up at an overcrowded artisans' and artists' fair at which I had a table in November - but by Sunday the virus seemed to have run its course. I'd stopped coughing by the end of last week, and since then have mostly been dealing with residual fatigue from my rare autoimmune and neuro-inflammatory disease.
We thought it would be safe - for others - for me to attend the concert, but both wore masks throughout the almost three-hour event just in case either of us might be contagious. My bioethics and healthcare background means that I still think of others when it comes to preventing the spread of viruses, in particular for our elders who often live with cardiovascular or respiratory diseases which can make even simple colds dangerous for them.
What was this wonderful annual holiday concert? It was Handel's Messiah, with vocal soloists and professional choir singers, presented by the Orchestre Métropolitain symphony orchestra.
Not only were the musicians and vocalists superb, but so was the setting; Montréal's historic Notre-Dame Basilica is a spectacular setting for Christmas events. No photography was permitted during the concert, so we arrived a bit early to get a few shots of the Basilica itself.
To provide some background, this was Canada’s first church in the Gothic Revival style conceived as "a testament to... the intimate relationship between religion and art" here in Montréal. "Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1982, its religious, historic and artistic significance makes it a jewel of Quebec’s heritage."
In terms of local colonial history, European settlers claimed the island of Montréal in 1642 and by 1672 the French Sulpicians (a society of diocesan priests founded in Paris in 1641) had begun building a stone church near the site of the current Basilica. By 1823 plans had been approved for a much larger building, as the congregation had rapidly outgrown the original building.
In typical Montréal irony, this French Catholic church was designed and built under the direction of a Protestant architect (James O’Donnell) from 1824 through 1829, with the towers added later.
The western tower was finished in 1842, with the eastern tower completed the following year. Each tower houses bells cast in England; an almost 11,000 kg bell (11 tonnes) in the western tower, and a ten-bell carillon set in the eastern tower (unfortunately, the latter is currently covered for renovations).
It’s the interior of the Basilica, though, that’s the true work of art in my view – as much for its architecture as for the multiple artworks incorporated into its design. The organ alone is a masterpiece handmade by a local firm in 1891, then upgraded to 7,000 pipes for its 100th anniversary.
Our seats were in the same row as one of the most unique carvings in the Basilica, the original pulpit and stairs (from which the priests used to deliver sermons) which were installed during renovations in the 1870s. The sculptures at the base feature the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah, while the guardrail incorporates statuettes representing other figures from religious history.
Although the acoustics weren’t nearly as good as at Montréal’s Maison Symphonique (symphonic hall), it was a truly lovely – and appropriate – setting for Handel’s Messiah.
For those of you more interested in the music than the setting, the Conductor was our favourite one; Montréal’s somewhat flamboyant Yannick Nézet-Séguin. There were four vocal soloists; Soprano Anna-Sophie Neher, and Mezzo-Soprano Emily D'Angelo, with Frédéric Antoun as Tenor and Geoffroy Salvas as Baritone. There were also a grouping of professional choral singers for this concert (all of whose names are listed on the website link below, for tickets and concert information).
For my husband and me, this event marked the official start of our holiday season. If you’re in the area and interested in this almost three-hour musical celebration, there will be a second performance this evening (10 December 2024 at 1930); if any tickets are still available, they would be here.
Whatever you do over the holiday season, I wish you beauty and joy – whatever that means to you.
