Robert Shaw enjoyed great success as a conductor, first in the choral realm and later with the Atlanta Symphony. He opined that the typical choral director should use a baton, as rhythmic cohesion was often a weakness, whereas the majority of orchestral conductors should dispense with the stick, as their work was too often characterised by a lack of musical line. The soprano, and conductor, Barbara Hannigan proved Shaw's point, and then some, in a phenomenal guest conducting stint with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.
In Strauss' Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings, her musicality was astounding. Hannigan conducted like a ballerina; her right hand seemed to be bowing a string instrument, her left painting an impression of what she wanted to hear. The care and attention provided to building tension garnered superb results. Had equal care been devoted to sculpting the release of that tension, her interpretation would have been even more impactful. Occasionally, Hannigan's interpretive approach was akin to slowly and steadily bringing water to the boil, only to then have the heat abruptly turned off and the lid removed from the pot; certainly tantalising, but perhaps not optimal for this sombre composition. However, the final denouement was exquisitely engineered. Kudos to OSM concertmaster Andrew Wan for his solo work, which raised the bar. The strings, playing with an appreciably darker sound than is their wont, succeeded in evoking the work's ominous spirit.
With her fluid conducting gestures, Hannigan lifted the music off the page in Strauss. She then showcased her prowess as a multi-faceted artist as singer, conductor and live-streamed actor in the ensuing presentation of Poulenc's one-act opera La Voix humaine. The performance was nothing short of a knockout, due in no small measure to the artistry of videographer Denis Gueguin, who did so much more than project a live feed of Hannigan's image onto a giant screen positioned above the stage. The videographic techniques employed were both innovative and insightful. We were able to see the singer from all kinds of angles, occasionally in multiple images, at other times as a snapshot. Hannigan's acting, perhaps more than her flawless vocal production, was paramount in this mind-blowing adaptation. Her facial expressions and arm movements cast an indelible impression. Orchestrally, the OSM's double reeds were a stand-out, as was a particularly poignant viola and cello soli passage.
Nowadays most professional orchestras, even those in the top tier, devote a portion of their season to playing film scores as their audience simultaneously watches the corresponding movie. What Hannigan, Gueguin, and designer Clément Malinowski achieved in their approach to the Poulenc goes so much further with respect to making art music accessible to a broader audience, not only vivifying the performance, but edifying the overall artistic experience.
In North America it has become de rigeur for a symphony concert to be afforded a standing ovation. At this concert's conclusion, the sincerity of the audience's effusive response to Barbara Hannigan's tour de force performance was a richly deserved tribute for an unforgettable evening of music-making.
