MEDELLIN | The day after the big premiere of the Longueuil Symphony Orchestra’s South American tour in Bogota, the musicians and their conductor Alexandre Da Costa flew to Medellín. The second performance of Stradivari in Vienna took place in the city’s largest theater, the Teatro Metropolitano.
• Also read: Opening night for the Longueuil Symphony Orchestra in Bogota
• Also read: Da Costa on tour with his Stradivari in Colombia and Brazil
“We do this job for the joy of playing for a lot of people from all over, and I have to admit I didn’t believe this tour six months ago after everything that’s happened with the pandemic,” explained bassist and veteran Gilbert Fleury all smiles after the first concert of this South American tour.
The day after this premiere, which visibly enchanted the audience in Bogota, the musicians and Maestro Da Costa were happy and proud of their performance. And this despite the fatigue of this trip, which entails many trips and, for some, some physical dangers related to the high altitude (the capital of Colombia is still at 2640 meters above sea level).
“With Alexandre we don’t play with our heads, we play with our hearts,” introduced the Serbian-born cellist Bojana Milinov a few hours before the dress rehearsal on the terrace of the hotel in Medellín.
Indeed, Alexandre Da Costa plays the Stradivarius with all his heart and conducts his orchestra, to the delight of the audience, who are often shocked and then quickly amazed by his unique technique and infectious energy.
Get off the beaten track
After arriving in Medellín, the troupe took the time to enjoy the sun of the capital of the mountainous province of Antioquia and to share the anecdotes and emotions of the previous day.
“An international tour as a musician is incredible,” admits Martine Michaud, who has been playing with the OSDL since 1988. It will be a nice memory for all of us. »
One feeling seems to be unified among the musicians of the orchestra: the arrival of Alexandre Da Costa brought them out of a certain “maturity” with joy. “He loves to think outside the box and we’re happy to follow him there,” the violinist continues.
The conductor had just told Le Journal that during a daytime discussion about music, he almost never consumed classical music in everyday life.
“I love classical music, but I never listen to it, I live it,” he said.
Medellin
Built by famed architect Ariel Escobar Llanos, the Metropolitan Theater José Gutiérrez Gomez welcomed the OSDL on Friday night between its geometrically inspired walls, its large vertical surfaces of slightly inclined brick (reacting to the acoustic design of the space) and its suspended concrete and wood panels , which act as sound reflectors.
In the largest theater in Medellín, inaugurated in 1987, the evening of the concert was as magical as the previous one. Perhaps a little because the altitude was lower, but certainly because the musicians of the Orchester symphonique de Longueuil once again allowed themselves to be infused with the energy, charisma and wholeness of their Maestro’s heart.