Music filled the foot of Mount Royal on Wednesday as the Orchestre Métropolitain (OM) brought Montrealers together for its annual free outdoor concert, held this year as part of celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of Mount Royal Park.
The evening began with the first edition of the Symphonic Picnic, inviting audiences to gather from 5 p.m. for a series of musical performances, community activities and a presentation on the history of the park before the main concert later in the evening.
Organizers estimated this year’s event drew between 50,000 to 60,000 people to the park to listen to the orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin to lead evening concert
The concert featured Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World as well as the premiere of Montréal Cirque, a new commission by Ana Sokolović rooted in the present moment and the territory, along with Quebec composer Guillaume Couture’s Rêveries.
For Nézet-Séguin, the event is more than just a performance, it a way to bring people together even amidst hard times.
“We’re Montrealer’s orchestra. We want to be there for the people, we want to give them hope, we want to give them moments where they can forget about their daily lives, they can just enjoy the music and be moved, be inspired.
Host and OM ambassador Fabiola Nyrva Aladin echoed the sentiment, underlining her excitement to host theevent for the first time.
“It’s like being part of a solution. It’s being part of something bigger than ourselves, it’s bringing Montrealers together around culture in an accessible, free, outdoor setting, right in the middle of the week. I think that’s the best way to make culture as casual as going out for ice cream.”
To close off the evening, the concert concluded with a special performance by Elisapie and Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal.
Celebrating 150-years of Mount Royal Park
While the evening is always a special night for the Grammy Award-winning conductor, Nézet-Séguin believes its especially noteworthy for him to perform for such an important anniversary.
“I think that one of the big challenges on earth now is really climate change and to celebrate that 150 years ago, some people were visionary enough to actually protect this mountain is really important and it speaks volumes about Montreal too.”
With the stage set up just steps away from the monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier, the outdoors environment can be challenging for musicians used to playing in concert hall, but Nézet-Séguin says he welcomes the challenge.
“We have to play a little bit differently, a little bit louder I would say because in the Maison Symphonique everything is so pristine and crystal clear, but in a way that doesn’t matter to have to adapt to this because the purpose of being here with so many people and sharing the beauty of the music is what counts.”
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