L'Enfance du Christ: Hervé Niquet leads the Montreal Flight into Egypt

Recently I chatted with a friend who is an orchestral musician. He recounted that last night he dreamt that he was playing Handel's Messiah; then he woke up and he was. That witticism may well be closer to the truth than one might expect. But this December the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal programmed another oratorio that is suited to the Christmas season, Berlioz' L'Enfance du Christ, which focuses on the holy family's flight into Egypt to escape persecution.

Led by French repertoire specialist Hervé Niquet, the performance was enhanced by innovative approaches to staging. The use of offstage choristers as well as having the soloists enter preceding each of their featured selections and then exiting immediately thereafter – always in character – heightened dramatic impact. However, having Parts 1 and 2 performed in tenebrous lighting conditions in marked contrast to the high beams deployed during Part 3 was of dubious benefit.

The soloists afforded themselves well. Kudos to Cyrille Dubois (Narrator) for his crisp diction and to Julie Boulianne (Mary) for convincingly conveying moods ranging from motherly compassion to desperate pleas for mercy. Gordon Bintner (Joseph), Tomislav Lavoie (Father of the Family), and Joé Lampron-Dandonneau (Centurion) all sang with conviction although frequently their lower tessitura did not project well. Robert Gleadow (Herod) was a dramatic tour de force while Geoffroy Salvas (Polydorus) was impressively sonorous, stentorian when required.

The Shepherds' Farewell chorus is the most familiar number in this oratorio. Rather than the anticipated soothingly pastoral approach, Niquet favoured a frenetic rendition both in terms of tempo and articulation. Towards the end, there was an unfortunate misstep in the woodwinds. 

Part 3 includes a beautiful interlude for two flutes and harp, the Trio of the Young Ishmaelites. This was a golden opportunity to turn the spotlight on the seasoned Principal Flutist Timothy Hutchins and the recently hired Second Florence Laurain. One couldn’t have asked for more perfectly matched, shimmering tone qualities coupled with expressive phrasing, ideally supported by Jennifer Swartz’s clear and resonant harp playing.

Andrew Megill's Chœur de l’OSM turned in a polished performance. They likely would have benefited (both acoustically and aesthetically) from being in the loft rather than onstage buried behind the orchestra. The blend in the sopranos did not meet the high standard of the other sections. Nonetheless, they  significantly contributed to the evening's success.

Niquet handled his forces with admirable security and control, the rhythmic cohesion particularly impressive despite the conductor having his head in the score much of the time, which limited the degree to which he was able to lift the music off the page. In general, intensity was limited to the upper spectrum of the dynamic range, consequently shortchanging much of Berlioz' gorgeous material. But the audience seemed genuinely appreciative of this very fine performance, a welcome start to the holiday season.