The first half opened with sopranos Emma Pennell and Elisabeth St-Gelais joining the orchestra for two new vocal works confronting history, memory and the lived experience of indigenous communities in Canada today. ‘You Can Die Properly Now’ was sung in Mi’kmaq with English surtitles. Pennell, also a noted librettist, has controlled power and range. She evoked the tragi-beauty of this short, captivating piece by Ana Sokolović and Michelle Sylliboy with real presence.
Ian Cusson and Natasha Kanapé-Fontaine’s ‘Un cri s’élève en moi’ (‘A cry rises in me and transfigures me’) was full of suspense, texture and contrasting bright lights. In just over ten minutes the song presents a suspenseful life-cycle. Elisabeth St-Gelais delivered its emotional range with convincing delicacy. “The poem is the movement that fertilises.”
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