When the stamp of the guitar howls it goes with the grooves of the violin. When leather jackets and elegant jackets rub your shoulders, for the evening. When there is delicacy and strength. Room Wilfrid-Pelletier will be the scene Symphonic lead January 29 and 30, featuring a metal quartet by Jonquière, a true pioneer of the genre since the 1980s, and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM), conducted by Dina Gilbert.
Among the frequent personnel changes, rotated around the world and a discography spanning five decades, the four members of Voïvod have seen. And yet they evoke it with stars in their eyes Symphonic leadthat they waited impatiently for months.
“It’s so big, the OSM project is like a great gift in a musical life and career,” says Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain, guitarist. “We’re already curious on a musical level, but I think it just motivates us to keep exploring. We will definitely come out of here and it will influence us to write the next album “which should usually be released during 2026.” ! Delivered by Dominic “Rocky” Laroche, bass player in training.
Therefore, the most recovered could imagine that symphonic music and metal are difficult to adapt, but the group claims otherwise. “The way metal bands are structured is similar to the sections of, say, a string orchestra or a symphony orchestra. Because each side of the dialogue, each side has to complement both so that the structure is solid and makes sense with several means,” says Mongrain. “In Metal Music, there is exactly room for virtuosity in the view, which may be less in pop,” confirms Laroche. Then they are all virtuosos in classical, especially on OSM. »»
A little anecdote signed by Michel “Away” Langevin, drummer: Many metal guitarists met in the 80s a beloved 24 violins of whimsy from Niccolò Paginini, Xix Technical WondersE Century originally written for the violin and tried to get it back into the electric sauce.
Langevin confirms that the emphasis for the show will be on pieces “that are longer, with several movements”, specific to progressive metal. “It adapts to the orchestra more easily than if we did that concentrate On parts of our early days, really trash metal. »»
Amplify intensity
“It brings additional tension to all these marks and tools.” I think the orchestra worsens the agreements and worsens the harmony. He will look for colors that we can’t (produce) because we don’t have 20 fingers rather than 14 strings,” Mongrain admits with a smile.
Orchestrator Hugo Bégin was responsible for designing the arrangement for OSM. The group practices the show’s material with computer-generated sound models, but is impatient at the thought of hearing the result with an orchestra.
“I remember when we created the jazz festival (in 2019) (Daniel Mongrain) prepared part of the bracelet. Hearing it digital is a thing, but hearing it bracelet Get out next to me, real tools. I had chills, I had goosebumps, “recalls Denis” the snake “Bélanger, the singer of Voïvod.
This time it will not be five musicians accompanying the band, but very close to a hundred. In addition to the orchestra’s contribution, Voïvod Symphonique will present an unprecedented visual and video design, signed by Marcella Grimaux and noisy head studio and based on the art of Michel Langevin.
“For Which Bell Tolls”
Dina Gilbert, behind the baton of both representatives Symphonic leadhe loves bridging symphonic music and popular repertoire. In particular, the orchestra chef led similar projects with Bigflo & Oli, Dominique Son-Aimé and IAM. He argues that the opening of the symphonic world to other forms of music is not unique to our era.
“Even great composers like Mozart, Dvořák and Beethoven were inspired by pop music or folk songs at the time.” They were also looking for innovation, what you could do is unusual. »»
Dina Gilbert finds influences from György Ligeti, Igor Stravinsky or Béla Bartók in Voivod’s music. The effects magnified by the work of Hugo Bégin, when arranged, for the occasion, especially magnificent. “We went so far as to add an organ to the instrumentation as well as the famous big bells that had just been purchased and made for OSM. »»
Deep work on the sound balance was also done, which allowed the Voivod, naturally noisy, not to overshadow the OSM. Band members will be playing with helmets and not sound returns, so Michel Langevin will be surrounded by Plexiglass to reduce the volume of his battery as much as possible. All OSM musicians will be amplified by microphones. “It is important for us to respect the two aesthetics, so the balance of the sound is in the identity of one and the other of the parties,” says the conductor.
Symphonic lead It promises a particularly eclectic audience more than during the show’s usual eight season. According to Dina Gilbert, mingle is a golden opportunity to meet, mingle.
“People, they come to music they think they know, then they pick up even more music they didn’t know. We are thus in a world that is polarized. I think it’s good to realize that with culture we can remove these partitions and we can appreciate a few things. It’s just rewarding. You have to be curious first and then trust the rest. »»
Leave a Reply