issue five - Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

contemporary music concert, in which
he participated with François Morel and
Gilles Tremblay. He was the first Canadian
composer to introduce techniques of
Modernism into musical composition, such as
taped material and aleatoricism. Garant was
one of the founders of the Société de musique
contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ), the oldest
organization of its kind in the country, which
he directed from its establishment in 1966
until 1986.
Amuya, an Inuit word that means deep snow
and slush, was written for the soundtrack of
the film Man and the Polar Regions for Expo
67 in Montréal. Composed in the style of
post-serial 1960's, this work was premiered
in Toronto July 20, 1968 under the direction
of the composer. For Walter Boudreau,
Artistic director at SMCQ, Amuya "admirably
demonstrates the composer's absolute
control of his material ... formal clarity and
rigor are here combined with a refined sense
of orchestration. Garant, like in all his works
from this period, subtly reveals himself
through music of contrasts."
Gabriel Dharmoo b. 1981
Moondraal Moondru
Gabriel Dharmoo’s musical practice
encompasses composition, improvisation
and the research of South Indian Carnatic
music. Having researched Carnatic music
with 4 renowned masters in Chennai (India)
in 2008 and 2011, his recent work explores
the integration of different traditional music
to his personal style. His works have been
performed on stages across Canada, France,
the U.S. and South Africa. In addition to
winning 6 prizes from the SOCAN Awards
for Young Composers, he was awarded the
2011 Prix d'Europe composition prize and
the Canada Council for the Arts’ 2011 Robert
Fleming Prize.
The Tamil title Moondraal Moondru, which
can be translated to Thrice Three, refers to
the formal structure of the piece – three times
three types of sections:
- Three trios, which explore melodies
and ornamentations inspired by Carnatic
music ragas.
allegro 25