≈ 1h45 · With intermission
Last updated: November 9, 2022
Program
MOZART Symphony No. 39, K. 543
MOZART Requiem, K. 626
Program Notes
Tonight’s NACO program pairs two distinguished works by Mozart—Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, which became his third-last in that genre, and his Requiem, which he was working on but had left incomplete at his death in 1791. In presenting them together in this concert, these powerful pieces clearly show the composer’s inventiveness and deft skill in writing for the orchestral medium, and why he was considered, during his lifetime and afterwards, to be the late 18th century’s preeminent master of orchestration. They also raise tantalizing questions about what Mozart might have created if he had lived longer than his 35 years.
Repertoire
Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543
I. Adagio – Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Menuetto: Allegretto – Trio – Menuetto
IV. Finale: Allegro
Mozart composed his Symphony No. 39 in the summer of 1788, during which he also completed the “great” G minor Symphony (No. 40), and the “Jupiter” Symphony (No. 41). There is little to no record of their first performances, but it’s likely that they appeared in concerts in Vienna in the autumn of that year. (Mozart was a pragmatic composer and was unlikely to have written symphonies, which was then a genre of increasing prestige, without the prospect of earning money or recognition.) Perhaps the lack of performance information was connected to the circumstances of the time, that is, of Austria being at war with Turkey; with many aristocratic families having left Vienna as a result, there were limited resources and opportunities to put on large orchestral concerts.
Symphony No. 39 has elegant grandeur, lively dialogue, and dramatic brilliance—qualities that late 18th and early 19th century music critics and theorists revered in Mozart’s orchestral writing. Its “sound world” is characterized by a certain warmth and mellowness, owing to the presence of clarinets. (Mozart had long loved the sound and expressive qualities of the instrument, and perhaps to further focus attention on their tone colour, he does not include oboes in this symphony.) A slow introduction opens the first movement in a majestic manner; for a moment, it takes a darker turn and later, ends mysteriously, but then the main theme of the movement proper appears, all sunny and relaxed grace in the violins. A vigorous orchestral episode follows, transitioning into a gentle second theme, led by the clarinets. As the movement progresses, it’s the energetic element that is developed and prevails in the end.
The Andante second movement features an elegant theme of dotted rhythms, initially presented by the strings. Its presentation, varied upon subsequent returns, alternates with two contrasting episodes of stormy, turbulent character—the second of these more intense than the first, starting at a higher register in the violins and extended through a stirring progression of harmonies. Throughout, there are striking timbral juxtapositions of strings and woodwinds as well as conversational exchanges between them.
The ensuing Minuet is a robust and stately dance, while in the Trio, one clarinet takes centre stage with a charming melody, while the other burbles underneath. Built on a single lively theme, the final Allegro is full of drive and wit. Strings and woodwinds engage in a dramatic dialogue of equals that shapes the structure of the movement. There are plenty of surprises as well—abrupt stops, sudden changes in key and dynamics, even a mysterious chorale featuring clarinets and bassoon—that wrap up this exquisite symphony with flair and excitement.
Requiem in D minor, K. 626 (completion by Robert D. Levin)
Few works in the Western classical music repertory captivate and fascinate as much as Mozart’s Requiem. It was left unfinished upon the composer's death on December 5, 1791, and since then, music scholars, performers, composers, and audiences have been drawn to the surrounding mystique of its creation, to consider “what would Mozart have done” if he had survived it, and of course, to the power of the music itself, which has undergone various completions, at least six in the past 50 years. Tonight, you’re hearing a widely performed modern completion from 1994 by American composer, musicologist, and pianist Robert D. Levin.
Music scholars, such as Simon O’Keefe in his incisive study of Mozart’s Requiem in context, have pointed out the difficulty, even impossibility, nowadays to separate the facts from the layers of fiction and quasi-fiction that have accrued over time concerning the Requiem “legend”. What we do know for a fact is that it was commissioned anonymously by Franz, Count von Walsegg (1763–1827), likely in the summer of 1791, in memory of his wife who had died earlier that year on February 14, at age 20. Either Walsegg’s lawyer, Dr. Johann Sortschan, or his business manager, Franz Anton Leitgeb, had facilitated the transaction. Mozart likely worked on the Requiem between September and November, though sporadically, for he was busy with the premieres and performances of La clemenza di Tito and Die Zauberflöte, other compositional projects, and visits to his family in Baden. It’s unclear whether he continued to work on it after November 20, when he became bedridden with his final illness.
Mozart’s Requiem follows the standard liturgical format of Introit, Kyrie, a Sequence with six sections, the Offertorium, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, and Communio. At his death, Mozart had finished the full score for the Introit, and had written the vocal parts, continuo, and several orchestral passages for the Kyrie, the Sequence (up to the first eight bars of the Lacrimosa), and the Offertorium. Keen to see the commission fulfilled, Mozart’s widow Constanze enlisted the services of, first, Joseph Eybler (1765–1846), then Franz Xaver Süssmayr (1766–1803), both Austrian composers and associates of her husband. When the completed score was given to Walsegg, the manuscript included the Introit and Kyrie by Mozart, instrumental additions to the Kyrie in an unknown hand, the Sequence and Offertorium in Süssmayr’s hand but integrating Mozart’s work and part of Eybler’s orchestration, and the Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei by Süssmayr, with part of Mozart’s Introit and Kyrie reprised for the Communio. It received several early performances, including one as a benefit for Constanze and her children, before it was published in 1800.
In his modern version, Levin sought to maintain as much as possible the autograph score with Mozart’s work and Süssmayr’s completion, while improving on the latter; as he’s noted, “The goal was to revise not as much, but as little as possible, attempting in the revision to observe character, texture, voice leading, continuity and structure of Mozart’s music. The traditional version has been retained insofar as it agrees with idiomatic Mozartean practice.” Among Levin’s own contributions is an elaborate fugue on the final “Amen” of the Lacrimosa, thus providing a climatic end to the Sequence. (It’s not certain whether Mozart would have written a fugue there but perhaps Levin took a chance based on the 1962 discovery of a sketch by Mozart for an “Amen” fugue.) He also lengthened Süssmayr’s fugue on “Osanna” to give the Benedictus a grand, triumphant ending.
An effective completion of Mozart’s Requiem should uphold what is already evidently compelling about it—that is, the composer’s sensitive and judicious use of the orchestra’s instruments and their distinct timbres to create sounds for dramatic effect. Throughout the work, the orchestra serves not only to support the choir and vocal soloists but is an active contributor to the content and meaning of the text being sung. At times, the orchestra enhances through text painting, but on other occasions, it destabilizes meaning through unexpected contrasts in dynamic levels, harmonic modulations, melodic character, and rhythmic energy. Although drawing inspiration from earlier requiem settings, Mozart’s Requiem thus seems to have a special intensity owing to the dialectical relationship between the voices and the orchestra, resulting, as O’Keefe has observed, in its somewhat unsettling quality overall. It perhaps raises more questions than offers answers, about life, death, and the afterlife. And in contemplating the state of this Requiem’s (in)completeness, we are forced to face this ambiguity head on—therein lies the remarkable power of the piece and its “legend”.
Program notes by Hannah Chan-Hartley, PhD
Artists
Bernard Labadie has established himself worldwide as one of the preeminent conductors of the Baroque and Classical repertoire, a reputation closely tied to his work with Les Violons du Roy (for which he served as Music Director from its inception until 2014) and La Chapelle de Québec. With these two ensembles, he has regularly toured Canada, the U.S., and Europe in major venues and festivals such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, the Barbican, the Concertgebouw, and the Salzburg Festival, among others. He began a four-year term as Principal Conductor of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in the 2018–19 season.
Labadie has become a regular presence on the podiums of the major North American orchestras, including the Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Boston, Colorado, Houston, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco symphony orchestras, the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, the Los Angeles and New York philharmonics, the Handel & Haydn Society, and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. International audiences in past seasons have seen and heard him conduct the Bayerischen Rundfunks Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the BBC Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Collegium Vocale Ghent, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester (Cologne), and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
His extensive discography includes many critically acclaimed recordings on the Dorian, ATMA, and Virgin Classics labels, including Handel’s Apollo e Dafne and a collaborative recording of Mozart’s Requiem with Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec, both of which received a Canadian Juno Award. Other recordings include C.P.E. Bach’s complete cello concertos with Truls Mørk and Les Violons du Roy, and J.S. Bach’s complete piano concertos with Alexandre Tharaud, both on Virgin Classics, and Haydn’s piano concertos with Marc-Andre Hamelin as soloist, released by Hyperion. Bernard Labadie has received Paris’s Samuel de Champlain award, the Canadian government’s Officer of the Order of Canada, and his home province has named him Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Québec.
Jane Archibald’s career trajectory has taken her from Canada to San Francisco to the Vienna State Opera and other major opera houses on both continents.
In the 2022–23 season, Jane sings the title role in Salome at Fondazione Lirico Sinfonico Petruzzelli e Teatro di Bari. In concert, she sings the soprano solo in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Rune Bergmann; Mozart’s Requiem with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Bernard Labadie; Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Kent Nagano; Mozart’s Requiem with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Michael Francis; works by Haydn and Beethoven with the Orchestra dell’Opera Carlo Felice Genova and Riccardo Minasi; and Debussy’s La damoiselle élue and Dutilleux’s Correspondances with the Seattle Symphony and their Conductor Emeritus Ludovic Morlot.
Her artistry has generated excitement across Europe and North America with recent engagements including the title role in Daphne at Oper Frankfurt; Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) at Deutsche Oper Berlin; Roxana (King Roger) at Oper Frankfurt; the title role in Alcina at Glyndebourne; Marie (La fille du regiment) at Wiener Staatsoper; Mathilde (Guillaume Tell) at Opéra National de Lyon; the title role in Semele with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra at Shanghai Symphony Hall; and Ginevra (Ariodante) at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia.
Other operatic engagements include Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), and the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor at Opernhaus Zürich; Adele (Die Fledermaus) and Ophélie (Hamlet) at The Metropolitan Opera; Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare in Egitto) at Opéra National de Paris; Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) at Teatro alla Scala and Deutsche Oper Berlin; Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos) at Bayerische Staatsoper, Baden-Baden Festspielhaus, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; and Mathilde (Guillaume Tell) and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) at Theater an der Wien.
Recently named one of CBC’s “30 hot classical musicians under 30,” mezzo-soprano Alex Hetherington is quickly establishing herself as a skilled interpreter of operatic and concert repertoire, with a specialty in contemporary music. She is in her second year of residency at the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio and has performed on major stages across Canada.
Operatic highlights include making her Canadian Opera Company (COC) debut as Mercédès in Carmen, singing the role of the Attendant in the COC’s production of Salome, and premiering the role of Riley in R.U.R. A Torrent of Light with Tapestry Opera, which won the 2022 Outstanding Ensemble Dora Mavor Moore Award. Other operatic credits include Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen in La tragédie de Carmen (UofT Opera), and Nicklausse in Tales of Hoffmann (Toronto City Opera). Alex has also appeared in concert with the NAC Orchestra (Mozart’s Requiem; Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes), the Victoria Symphony (Songs from the House of Death), the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Neruda Songs), and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Tilly, in The Bear).
Alex holds a Master’s degree in Opera Performance from the University of Toronto, where she won the Jim and Charlotte Norcop Award in Art Song and completed a research-creation project examining art song performance practice through the lens of modern gender theory. Alex has a passion for contemporary music, composition, and innovative recital programming, and in her spare time she can be found reading, gardening, and admiring dogs.
Tenor Andrew Haji is one of the most sought-after voices on operatic and concert stages across North America and Europe. Applauded at his debut for the Edinburgh Festival in Handel’s Saul, Haji’s upcoming season includes debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, and NDR Hannover. As well, he will be heard with the Houston Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and at Carnegie Hall with Orchestra of St. Luke’s. During the 2023–2024 season, the Ontarian appears with the Seattle Symphony and Grand Philharmonic Choir (Bach’s Johannes Passion), Victoria Symphony (Messiah), Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (Bruckner’s Te Deum), Carnegie Hall (Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium), and at the National Arts Centre (Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9), where he last appeared as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
Recent highlights include appearances with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Haydn’s Creation), Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society (Bach Cantatas), Chorus Niagara (Beethoven’s Missa solemnis), Orchestre Philharmonique et Cœur des Mélomanes (Rodolfo, La bohème), at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan (Nemorino, L’elisir d’amore), and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony).
On the opera stage, Haji soon debuts the title role in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito for Pacific Opera Victoria and has been heard with the Canadian Opera Company in La bohème and L’elisir d’amore. Further appearances include Mozart’s Requiem with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Handel’s Messiah with the Houston Symphony and the NAC Orchestra, La bohème with Edmonton Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, La traviata and Macbeth with Calgary Opera, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Victoria Symphony, and Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Elora Festival.
French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly has gained international recognition for his “beautiful, blooming tone and magnetic stage presence” (San Francisco Chronicle). He is the first prize winner of the prestigious Concours Musical International de Montréal, a grand prize winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and was awarded Concert of the Year in Romantic, Post-Romantic and Impressionist Music at the 16th annual ceremony of the Gala des prix Opus.
In 2022–23 Philippe Sly will debut at Opernhaus Zürich for Lakmé (Nilakantha) and the Bayeriche Staatsoper for Semele (Cadmus) and return to the Wiener Staatsoper for Don Giovanni (Leporello). On the concert stage he will appear with the New York Philharmonic for J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and the National Arts Centre (Canada) for Mozart’s Requiem.
Last season he debuted with Opéra de Québec for Don Giovanni (title role), and the Matsumoto Festival in Le nozze di Figaro (title role) and returned to the Wiener Staatsoper for Le nozze di Figaro (title role) and Don Giovanni (Leporello). On the concert stage he appeared in St. Matthew Passion with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and St. John Passion and Mozart’s Requiem with Les Violons de Roy. In the 2020–21 season, he made his debut at the Wiener Staatsoper in Le nozze di Figaro and returned to Orchestre Métropolitain and Les Violons de Roy for their annual Galas.
Recent performances include the world premiere of Harry Stafylakis’s Into Oblivion with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra; J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Gulbenkian Orchestra (Portugal); Handel’s Messiah with the University Musical Society; and Mozart Mass in C Minor with the National Arts Centre (Canada) and Maison Symphonique de Montreal. Additionally, he returns to the Paris Opera (Garnier) for productions of Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte as well as performances of Schubert’s Winterreise with Le Chimera Project.
Philippe Sly’s solo recordings are available on Analekta Records.
La Chapelle de Québec, founded by Bernard Labadie in 1985, is a nationally based chamber choir of professional singers recruited mainly in Québec City, but also throughout Québec and Canada. It assembles for two or three concerts each season to join Les Violons du Roy in major works from the repertory for choir and orchestra, especially from the 18th century. Its performances of cantatas, oratorios, and masses by J.S. Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Haydn have been acclaimed throughout Canada and the United States, thanks to many broadcasts by Radio-Canada, the CBC, and NPR in the United States.
La Chapelle de Québec has performed regularly on tour with Les Violons du Roy, notably in Handel’s Messiah and J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in Toronto, in an all-Vivaldi program in France, and in Mozart’s Requiem in Toronto and the United States. The choir is often asked to appear with Bernard Labadie in the concerts he conducts with U.S. orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with which it performed Handel’s Messiah in 2004 and J.S. Bach’s Magnificat in 2006.
La Chapelle de Québec won a Juno Award for its recording of Mozart’s Requiem, released by Dorian in 2002.
Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra is praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary learning and engagement programs, and its unwavering support of Canadian creativity. The NAC Orchestra is based in Ottawa, Canada’s national capital, and has grown into one of the country’s most acclaimed and dynamic ensembles since its founding in 1969. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, engaging communities from coast to coast to coast through inclusive programming, compelling storytelling, and innovative partnerships.
Since taking the helm in 2015, Shelley has shaped the Orchestra’s artistic vision, building on the legacy of his predecessor, Pinchas Zukerman, who led the ensemble for 16 seasons. Shelley’s influence extends beyond the NAC. He serves as Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the U.K. and Artistic and Music Director of Artis—Naples and the Naples Philharmonic in the U.S. Shelley’s leadership is complemented by Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds and Principal Youth Conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. In 2024, the Orchestra marked a new chapter with the appointment of Henry Kennedy as its first-ever Resident Conductor.
The Orchestra has a rich history of partnerships with renowned artists such as James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Renée Fleming, Hilary Hahn, Jeremy Dutcher, Jan Lisiecki, Ray Chen, and Yeol Eum Son, underscoring its reputation as a destination for world-class talent. As one of the most accessible, inclusive and collaborative orchestras in the world, the NAC Orchestra uses music as a universal language to communicate the deepest of human emotions and connect people through shared experiences.
A hallmark of the NAC Orchestra is its national and international tours. The Orchestra has performed concerts in every Canadian province and territory and earned frequent invitations to perform abroad. These tours spotlight Canadian composers and artists, bringing their voices to stages across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia.
NAC Orchestra
- Conductor: Bernard Labadie
- Soloists: Jane Archibald, soprano; Alex Hetherington, mezzo-soprano; Andrew Haji, tenor; Philippe Sly, baritone; La Chapelle de Québec
- First Violins
Yosuke Kawasaki (concertmaster)
Jessica Linnebach (associate concertmaster)
Noémi Racine Gaudreault (assistant concertmaster)
Jeremy Mastrangelo
Marjolaine Lambert
Emily Westell
Manuela Milani
Emily Kruspe
*Erica Miller
*Martine Dubé - Second violins
Mintje van Lier (principal)
Winston Webber (assistant principal)
Leah Roseman
Carissa Klopoushak
Frédéric Moisan
Zhengdong Liang
Karoly Sziladi
Mark Friedman
**Edvard Skerjanc
*Oleg Chelpanov
*Renée London
*Heather Schnarr - Violas
Jethro Marks (principal)
David Goldblatt (assistant principal)
David Marks (associate principa)
David Thies-Thompson
Paul Casey
*Alisa Klebanov - Cellos
Rachel Mercer (principal)
Julia MacLaine (assistant principal)
Timothy McCoy
Leah Wyber
Marc-André Riberdy
*Karen Kang - Double basses
Max Cardilli (assistant principal)
Vincent Gendron
Marjolaine Fournier
**Hilda Cowie
*Paul Mach - Flutes
Joanna G'froerer (principal)
Stephanie Morin - Oboes
Charles Hamann (principal)
Anna Petersen - English Horn
Anna Petersen - Clarinets
Kimball Sykes (principal)
Sean Rice - Bassoons
Darren Hicks (principal)
Vincent Parizeau - Horns
Lawrence Vine (principal)
Julie Fauteux (associate principal)
Elizabeth Simpson
Lauren Anker
Louis-Pierre Bergeron - Trumpets
Karen Donnelly (principal)
Steven van Gulik - Trombones
**Donald Renshaw (principal)
*Steve Dyer (guest principal)
**Colin Traquair
*Charles Benaroya - Bass Trombone
*David Pell - Tubas
Chris Lee (principal) - Timpani
*Michael Kemp (guest principal) - Percussion
Jonathan Wade - Organ
* Thomas Annand - Principal Librarian
Nancy Elbeck - Assistant Librarian
Corey Rempel - Personnel Manager
Meiko Lydall - Assistant Personnel Manager
Laurie Shannon
*Additional musicians
**On Leave
La Chapelle de Québec, choir
- Soprano
Anne-Marie Beaudette
Odéi Bilodeau-Bergeron
Lesley Bouza
Megan Chartrand
Rebecca Dowd Lekx
Paulina Francisco
Marie Magistry
Stephanie Manias
Emily Wall - Alto
April Babey
Charlotte Cumberbirch
Marie-Josée Goyette
Josée Lalonde
Claudia Lemcke
Rosalie Lane Lépine
Rachel Pelletier-Tremblay
Gena van oosten
Meagan Zantingh - Tenor
Kerry Bursey
Richard Duguay
Dominique Gagné
Aldéo Jean
Joé Lampron-Dandonneau
Patrick McGill
David Menzies
Arthur Tanguay-Labrosse - Bass
Martin Auclair
Ryne Cherry
John Giffen
Robert Huard
Emanuel Lebel
Bernard Levasseur
Phililppe Martel
Nathaniel Watson
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