Last weekend, I had the immense pleasure of attending the ‘Vivaldi on Fire’ season opening concert by Ensemble Caprice at the beautiful dining room of the 9e at the Eaton Centre.
It was a beautiful concert filled with fiery passion, and the setting itself added a layer of elegance and intimacy that made the afternoon all the more memorable. When the musicians took their places beneath the soft lighting of the room, we all felt that we were about to experience something special that Vivaldi himself would approve of !
Under the masterful direction and charismatic dialogue of Matthias Maute, the ensemble opened its new 2025-2026 season with a bold program entitled Vivaldi en Feu. The program evoked a thrilling encounter between baroque brilliance and the deep, soulful traditions of Eastern European nomadic music.
Soprano Janelle Lucyk joined the ensemble for the cantatas and motets, bringing a voice that was at once crystalline and intensely expressive. Her presence elevated the baroque masterpieces of Antonio Vivaldi and the orchestra delivered a fiery motet In furore iustissimae irae RV 626 and virtuosic Sonate La Follia RV 63.
I was particularly struck by how the ensemble and soloist made those well-known works feel freshly charged with possibility.
Then came the lesser-known ensemble concerto: the Concerto in C Major for two recorders, two violins and basso continuo (RV 533), immediately followed by an anonymous nomadic-music piece from the Collection Uhrovska 1730. The contrast could not have been sharper, and yet the transition felt entirely natural.
Throughout the evening, the 9e space in downtown Montreal provided a perfect backdrop: stylish, refined, yet intimate enough to make you feel enveloped by the music.
Since its founding, the Ensemble Caprice has earned a reputation for revisiting baroque repertoire with originality and for pairing it with unexpected musical traditions. This concert was a compelling invitation to audiences to hear baroque music differently.
If you’d like to explore more about the ensemble and their upcoming concerts, you can visit their website here: Ensemble Caprice. And for information about the production company behind the season, GFN Productions, which handles more than 75 concerts annually across Canada, you can see their website here: GFN Productions. GFN Productions+1
In short, this concert at the 9e was everything one hopes for in a high-calibre classical event:
Exhilarating, Emotionally Rich, and Intelligently Curated.