Complete Symphonies : Tremblay / Francophonie Canadienne Orchestra (5CD)

Ludwig van Beethoven : 9 Symphonies

Marie-Josee Lord, soprano
Genevieve Couillard Despres, mezzo-soprano
Guy Belanger, tenor
Etienne Dupuis, baritone
Choeur de la Francophonie
Orchestre de la Francophonie / Jean-Philippe Tremblay, conductor

Live Recorded from July 21 to 24 2009 at Salle Raoul-Jobin, Palais Montcalm, Quebec

Conductor Jean-Philippe Tremblay leads the Orchestre de la Francophonie on a complete Beethoven symphonies cycle. Recorded during 4 live concerts in Quebec City's Palais Montcalm, the young musicians delivered a fresh and heartfelt performance of the staple of the orchestral repertoire.


Ludwig van Beethoven is without a doubt the incarnation of pure romanticism. A revolutionary both in his approach to the musical and the social, he was a model citizen of the Enlightenment: a musician who was free, open and independent. His work, bearing the stamp of passion, impetuousness, fraternity, love, and above all integrity, communicates a host of emotions that leave no soul indifferent. His ethical values are of striking relevance to our present society, more than 200 years later. His desire to be the work, the creative genius, takes us closer to the concept of the universal creator, bringing out love and the search for the absolute. No compromise can be made with Beethoven's music. It is the bearer of emotions and a humanist ideal which calls for transcending the self in order to make room for a universal and generous energy.

Beethoven is, for me, the greatest among the greats: the liberator, the guide. To interpret his music is one of the most incredible experiences that can be granted a musician. I have boundless respect and total admiration for this genius. It is in this spirit that my colleagues of the Orchestre de la Francophonie and myself have approached his music.

The influence of musicological research undertaken in the last two decades by specialists of the baroque and classical periods cannot be overlooked. Consequently, it is our duty to ask ourselves about the tempi, the articulations, the attacks, the use of vibrato of course, and the effects known as more romantic. With Beethoven, it is impossible to premeditate these factors of interpretation, as the text itself gives all the indications necessary for the shaping of a sound and energetic, but above all, human musical idea. Is it the right one? No one, except ‘the master' can answer that. We can, however, assure you that it comes directly from our hearts and that we offer it with great humility.
c Jean-Philippe Tremblay ( ANALEKTA )