Works by Boudreau and Duguay.

Composer and conductor Walter Boudreau, a true beacon of Quebec’s creative music, never lost his sacred fire. At the intersection of several jubilees (his 70th birthday in 2017, his 30 years at the helm of the SMCQ in 2018, the 50th anniversary of the foundation of L’Infonie in 2019), FIMAV presents a bold retrospective concert in two parts and featuring two large ensembles.

Our first temporal stop is in 1971 with L’Infonie, a cult band from Quebec’s cultural liberation, the epitome of Musique Actuelle before it was a thing, and of which Boudreau was one of the main driving forces. 333 ToutArtBel, an ensemble of young musicians put together by Philippe Hode-Keyser in 2017 to pay tribute to L’Infonie, will perform Paix (words by Raôul Duguay), undoubtedly the composer’s first true magnum opus.

Then, we jump forward to current times as Société de musique contemporaine du Québec will perform Solaris (Incantations VIII-IXh), composed in 2012-13 for the 25th anniversary of the NEM ensemble. This work is part of Boudreau’s Le Cercle Gnostique, the artistic endeavour of a lifetime, and it brings together all of his strengths.

— François Couture, FIMAV

The SMCQ wishes to thank the Conseil des arts de Montréal, which has made it possible for Ensemble de la SMCQ musicians to participate in the FIMAV.