Kent Nagano and Bruce Liu for the 1st season of the OSM signed by Rafael Payare

The OSM’s 89th season will open on September 14 with the Symphony No. 2 by the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler, a monumental work nicknamed Resurrection which will conclude with the OSM Chorus. The symphony will be preceded by a world premiere by Thomas Larcher, considered one of the greatest composers of contemporary music in Austria.

The Symphony No. 2, which will be presented until September 17, is moreover the first part of a cycle which will extend over several seasons and will include the main works of Mahler, including the Symphony No. 5 played in the spring and the Symphony No. 3 at the end of the season.

Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

Photo: Erich Auerbach

On September 21 and 22, Rafael Payare will conduct A Midsummer Night’s dreamone of the most famous works of German composer, conductor and pianist Felix Mendelssohn, composed for Shakespeare’s comedy of the same name.

Directed by Catherine Vidal, the concert will combine music and excerpts from Shakespeare’s play, and will also feature the OSM Chorus. It will be completed by Nights by Claude Debussy.

Kent Nagano and Bruce Liu at the Maison symphonique

Maestro Kent Nagano, who conducted the OSM from 2006 to 2020, will return to the Maison symphonique to the delight of music lovers to present two series of concerts, starting with an evening dedicated to Mozart and Schubert, from 22 to November 24.

Then, in February, he will conduct for the first time at the OSM the young French pianist Alexandre Kantorow, gold medalist of the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019. The latter will perform the second concerto by Tchaikovsky, preceded by swansong of Arvo Pärt and the Seventh Symphony by Sibelius.

Another up-and-coming pianist, Montrealer Bruce Liu, will also be at the Maison symphonique on April 19 and 20 to play the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Chopin, under the baton of Finnish-Ukrainian conductor Dalia Stasevska.

Pianist Bruce Xiaoyu Liu was born in Paris in 1997 and grew up in Montreal, where he notably studied at the Conservatory of Music.

Photo: Facebook @XiaoyuLiuPiano

Four world premiere creations

In addition to Thomas Larcher’s creation, which will open its 89th season, the OSM will present three other world premieres, all commissioned from Canadian composers.

The public will be able to discover for the first time Thus sang Simorgh by Quebecer Katia Makdissi-Warren (April 16), Melita by artist-in-residence Ana Sokolović (April 26 and 27) as well as the Violin Concerto No. 2 by Montrealer Tim Brady (February 8 and 9).

Les Cowboys Fringants with the OSM in 2021

Photo: Antoine Saito/Montreal Symphony Orchestra

Les Cowboys Fringants back with the OSM for a third time

Buoyed by the reception of their first two experiences with the OSM, the Cowboys Fringants are doing it again for a third time by presenting their repertoire in symphonic format, again under the direction of Simon Leclerc, on November 28 and 29 at the Maison symphonique.

In the same spirit, Dominique Fils-Aimé will join the OSM for the first time in an unprecedented concert with Elisapie, as guest artist, and Dina Gilbert, as conductor. His songs will be orchestrated by Blair Thomson and the voice of Dominique Fils-Aimé will be enhanced by those of the show’s 10 singers. There are people at mass. To see on May 16 and 17.

The complete program for the 2022-2023 season is available on the OSM website.