“It can’t be more concept than that”, launched Olivier Grant, of the Botanical Garden, before presenting the fourth artist to perform this summer in show in front of the Roseraie.
Flore laurentienne is the title of the work of Brother Marie-Victorin, who is behind the creation of the Botanical Garden. It is also the name chosen by Mathieu David Gagnon for his instrumental musical project, he who grew up with the first edition of 1935 annotated by his agronomist grandfather in the family library.
“By teaching people the species of plants that grow on the territory, he put names to our identity”, explained to us after the show the one who lives in Kamouraska and who grew up in Gaspésie.
An artist driven by great sensitivity and erudition – his quest for learning led him to the conservatories of Bordeaux and Aubervilliers – Flore laurentienne is known for putting nature to music as a painter would. However, Mathieu David Gagnon avoided dwelling too much on the great symbolism of a Laurentian Flora show at the Botanical Garden. He rather cherished the opportunity to reminisce about a beautiful memory with his father, who is no longer of this world, at the essential Papillons en liberté.
One thing is certain, under the trees, with a sun soothed by a gentle breeze, the setting of the Botanical Garden could not be better suited to his music, which mixes orchestrations of strings and old synths, and which invites contemplation.
At the opening, the public could hear Fleuve no 1. Children then spontaneously walked in front of the stage. People had brought their camping chairs. Others were lying in the grass.
“Thank you for being here in such large numbers. It’s heart-warming,” Flore laurentienne told the crowd before explaining what a fugue is in baroque music, a piece that stems from a single melodic phrase, the one that Ligia Paquin performed on the viola. .
Annie Gadbois (cello), Mélanie Bélair (first violin) and Chantale Bergeron (second violin) completed the string quartet while Mathieu David Gagnon managed four keyboards with two hands.
“Is that Pink Floyd enough for you?” “, he launched to the crowd with the gentle shyness – letting his great interiority hint – which characterizes him. During the 60 minutes of the show, the public could hear Navigation 4, Chatons de saule and another piece called La nuit bleue, which will appear on a new album that will be released in the winter, announced Flore laurentienne.
La nuit bleue is inspired by a painting by Jean Paul Riopelle.
It was also with Dépaître Riopelle that Émilie Mercure was seduced by the music of Flore laurentienne. She and her friend Joëlle Choquette were at their first show at the Botanical Garden. “Laurentian flora, it lends itself so well to this context,” said the first. “I thought the show was in the evening. It’s even better in the afternoon,” added the second.
As the years go by, the two friends go less to festivals with large, dense crowds. “It’s nice to have more intimate contexts,” says Joëlle.
Conversely, Francine Sicard and René Chartrand are regulars in the series of shows Les arts s’invite au jardin. However, they discovered Flore laurentienne. For them, it was even free with their Accès Montréal card.
To live in the neighborhood near the Botanical Garden? “It’s a wealth, you have no idea. We just did a guided tour of the Maisonneuve library. It’s a rare beauty! »
The couple moved from Gatineau to Montreal just before the pandemic. A retirement dream. For what ? “For culture,” says Ms. Sicard with an enthusiasm that is moving for a journalist who writes a column entitled La vie, la ville.
“We are 65 and over, so the metro is free,” also boasts her husband, who grew up in Verdun.
While we were chatting with Flore laurentienne – after the hour he spent selling albums to members of the public won over by his performance – a woman insisted on coming to tell him that she had seen him perform four times in less than a year.
Notice to interested parties: Flore laurentienne will give a show at sunrise in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, at 4:30 a.m. (!), on August 20, as part of Chants de marin. Another tailor-made event for the artist since it is a festival “where the magic of the river and the music mingle harmoniously”.
From August 24 to 26, Flore laurentienne will also precede Alexandra Stréliski at the Fernand-Lindsay Amphitheater in an outdoor format similar to that of the Botanical Garden.
However, the next big outdoor music event is without a doubt that of the Orchester métropolitain on Wednesday at the foot of Mount Royal. It will, of course, be under the direction of the great Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and he will have Alain Lefèvre as a special guest. The latter will perform the play Rhapsodie Romantique by André Mathieu. Also on the program, music by Dvořák and Jean Coulthard.
It’s free, and we’re expecting 50,000 people.
I also confirm that Francine Sicard and René Chartrand will be present.
