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NAC Orchestra Releases Two Orchestras, One Symphony Spotlighting Québec Composer Jacques Hétu’s Legacy
« On November 15, the National Arts Centre Orchestra will release Two Orchestras, One Symphony, a recording that was made in collaboration with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Jean-Sébastien Vallée Artistic Director.
The album features the late Québec composer Jacques Hétu’s Symphony No. 5, which he wrote inspired the Second World War poem Liberté by French poet Paul Éluard (1895-1952). The album will be released digitally worldwide on the Analekta label as of November 15, 2024.
With two orchestras and one of Canada’s finest choirs, the work is given a monumental presentation.
The Album
The concept for the album began to take shape after Alexander Shelley guest conducted the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. It was his suggestion for the two orchestras to come together to perform Hétu’s masterpiece. The finished version features more than 100 musicians and the 114 singers of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir in a celebration of Canadian talent.
The project went on a three city tour that saw them perform at Le Grand Théâtre de Québec in Québec City, Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, and Southam Hall in Ottawa.
Jacques Hétu was born in Trois-Rivières, and left a legacy of about 70 works that include symphonies, chamber music, concertos, and opera. He became a member of the Royal Society of Canada, and in 2001 he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is one of the most frequently performed Canadian composers today.
The NAC Orchestra began to work with Hétu back in 1977 under former music director Mario Bernardi. The first collaboration was a commission titled Antinomie. The relationship continued under Pinchas Zukerman (as former NAC Orchestra music director), who took some of Hétu’s music on a European tour in 1990… »
