De Guise-Langlois: A talented father, too.

Clarinet debut: Romie de Guise-Langlois
BY: Tom Purdom 01.22.2013

In her Philadelphia recital debut, Romie de Guise-Langlois explored the development of the clarinet repertoire, including a premiere that may evoke her earliest memories.

Memories, encounters and good news from Syria
TOM PURDOM

For her Astral Artists recital debut, clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois arranged a program that combined new music with a historical survey. She commissioned two beautiful, highly creative new works for the event and teamed the premieres with three pieces that sketched in the development of the clarinet repertoire from Brahms to Bartok.

The first premiere on the program had originally been titled It’s Raining in Syria, and it’s listed that way in the program booklet that Astral prepares in advance of the season. Composer Kinan Azmeh subsequently renamed it A Scattered Sketchbook, presumably because the original title sounded like a reference to the current civil war in his native country.

Azmeh is a clarinetist and a graduate of Julliard and the Damascus High Institute of Music, not to mention the Damascus School of Electrical Engineering. His revised title refers to the true subject of his piece: the musical scenes and influences he has encountered on his travels.

Behind the audience

Sketches opens with a bit of staging. Violinist Kristin Lee stood in the front of Trinity Center’s hall, playing short figures that suggested the sound of Middle Eastern and Indian instruments. The clarinet answered from behind the audience, with a deep, sonorous melody that added another suggestion of Middle Eastern music and instrumentation.

The first movement casts the violin in an unusual role as an accompanying instrument. The violinist spends most of her time creating simple figures, much the way bass players normally accompany more glamorous instruments. It’s a subordinate role, but it looked like it required tight discipline and close attention to Lee’s partner.

In the second section, the players reversed roles and the pulses of the clarinet provided a soft drum that accompanied the violin. Later, the duo launched into a kind of Central European dance, complete with frantic fiddling. Altogether, the five sections of A Scattered Notebook run through a demanding, continuously absorbing kaleidoscope of clarinet and violin styles and techniques.

Memories of pregnancy

The second premiere was a suite for clarinet and piano by the clarinetist’s father, Jerome Langlois, a composer and musician whose résumé includes film and TV sound tracks, along with chamber and symphonic music. Its overall title, Te Souviens-tu?, means “Do you remember?”; the titles of its three sections refer to a trip to the islands when the composer’s wife was pregnant with the future source of the commission. It’s a poetic subject, poetically evoked.

The opening section, “Music Box,” avoids the temptation to tinkle and beautifully suggests half-heard sounds. The third section, “The Ocean,” begins with the breezy cheeriness of the beach and ends with the majesty of the deeps. The entire piece displays a composer with a talent for producing not only clarinet melodies but a talented clarinetist as well.

In the opening movement of the Brahms sonata that ended the first half, de Guise-Langlois produced a clarinet line that sounded too cool to my ear. I missed the warmth and poignancy that I hear in the Brahms performances that suit my personal taste. Pianist Andrea Lam communicated more rapport with the Brahmsian spirit.

But the second movement sounded genuinely moving; and when they shaped the colors and melodies of the Debussy sonata that followed the intermission, both musicians played as if they spoke a familiar language.

Three survivors

De Guise-Langlois was the afternoon’s star, and her tone, control and artistic vision proved she fully deserves the support that Astral gives the young musicians who survive its rigorous selection process. But her two partners were also Astral Artists who’d survived the same process.

The three young musicians ended the afternoon with a trio that explores the clarinet’s potential and highlights the distinctive voices of all three instruments: Bartok’s Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano. It was a good choice for a finale, and they gave it an exceptionally lively performance.

JEROME LANGLOIS jouera des compositions de son nouvel album « Pièces pour piano et La Luna Suite », et, avec sa fille, la clarinettiste renommée établie à New York ROMIE DE GUISE-LANGLOIS (www.deguise-langlois.com), il interprétera certaines de ses compositions de l’époque de MANEIGE jusqu’à aujourd’hui. JEROME LANGLOIS jouera aussi en 1iere partie pour le groupe légendaire britannique de rock progressif RENAISSANCE (www.renaissancetouring.com) le 11 octobre au Gesù (billets présentement en vente).

BILLETS POUR LE 24 NOVEMBRE: Billets pour sièges réservés seront en vente vendredi 28 septembre à midi à la billetterie du Gesù (www.legesu.com, 1200 Bleury, 514-861-4036) pour $35 (incluant taxes & frais) ou via www.admission.ca (1-855-790-1245) pour $40.35 (avec taxes & frais, livraison non-inclus).

PRE-VENTE: Samedi 22 septembre à 10h AM sur www.progquebec.com. Un nombre limité de billets pour sièges réservés dans les premières rangées au centre seront disponibles au coût de $39.83 (taxes, frais et livraison inclus).

POUR PLUS D’INFORMATION SUR NOS SPECTACLES, VEUILLEZ NOUS VISITEZ AU www.fmpm.net.

Annie Haslam, the lead singer of renowned progressive rock pioneers Renaissance, has beendiagnosed with a serious vertebral compression fracture and is required to wear a Jewett BackBrace for two to three months. Her doctors have prescribed a minimum two to three weekabstention from all travel. As a result, Renaissance will be forced to postpone the first nine datesof the first leg of their upcoming 2012-2013 Concert Tour.

The dates affected are:
Wednesday October 3 – Howard Theatre Washington DCThursday October 4 – Variety Playhouse Atlanta GAFriday October 5 – The Plaza Live Orlando FLSaturday October 6 – Capitol Theater Clearwater FLSunday October 7 – Amaturo Theater, Broward Center for Performing Arts Fort Lauderdale FLThursday October 11 – Le Gesu Centre Montreal, Quebec, CanadaFriday, October 12 – Tupelo Music Hall Londonderry, NHSaturday October 13 – Showcase Live Foxborough, MASunday October 14 – Center For The Performing Arts – The Egg Albany, NY

Ms. Haslam’s specialist has advised that she may begin performing live again starting with thegroup’s scheduled Friday, October 19th performance at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield,CT. The group plans on rescheduling the cancelled shows and adding more dates in 2013.

“I am very upset about having to postpone these shows,” commented Ms. Haslam. “We’ve allbeen so excited about bringing our classics to the fans as well as previewing material from thenew studio album Grandine il Vento.”

Renaissance recently completed mixing their first new studio album in twelve years, which isexpected to be released in early 2013.

The 2012 dates the band will be performing are:
**Friday October 19 – Ridgefield Playhouse Ridgefield, CT**Saturday October 20 – The Concert Hall at Ethical Culture New York, NY**Thursday, October 25 – Victoria Theater – New Jersey Performing Arts Center Newark, NJ**Friday October 26 – Keswick Theater Glenside, PA*Saturday, October 27 – Scottish Rite Auditorium Collingswood, NJ*Sunday, October 28 – Strand Center for the Arts Lakewood, NJ
* Program comprising Turn Of The Cards and Scheherazade and Other Stories** Program comprising Novella in its’ entirety plus a treasure trove of favorites and debuting selections from thenew album Grandine il Vento

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Photos available at
www.renaissancetouring.com
www.anniehaslam.com

Le 25 mars au Cheval Blanc Jérôme Langois lance son nouveau CD intitulé ‘Pièces pour piano et La Luna Suite’. Faisant toujours preuve de la même énergie et de la même originalité qu’à la lointaine époque de Maneige, le légendaire groupe qu’il avait fondé avec 4 autres copains musiciens, Jérôme Langlois n’a jamais cessé de composer et d’être présent sur la scène musicale québécoise.

Jérôme présentera un mini concert solo au piano, avec une pièce à la clarinette accompagnée par un nouveau film du réalisateur Québecois Hugues Tremblay. Le tout se déroulera à la brasserie Le Cheval Blanc, 809 rue Ontario est, dimanche le 25 mars, de 16h à 18h. :Bière gratuite à l’achat d’un CD !