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A unique musical ensemble in the Canadian landscape, Pentaèdre explores and presents to the public a diversified and original chamber music repertoire, developed in the tradition of music for winds. Under the artistic direction of Louis-Philippe Marsolais since 2005, the five artists-musicians forming the quintet are recognized for the talent, technique, precision and colour they bring to their performances.
Strongly committed to refresh the classical concert concept, Pentaèdre crosses the borders between artistic disciplines and reintegrates performing arts into the concert : musicians become complete artists by performing with dancers, actors, mimes or singers. Their 3 to 5 concert season may thus include researches, transcriptions, creations, guest ensembles or artists (piano, singers, strings), collaborations or exchanges, works for young audiences as well as staging challenging interdisciplinary projects.
The past ten years have seen Pentaèdre inviting renowned guests artists such as tenors Christoph Prégardien and Rufus Muller, baritones Russell Braun and Phillip Addis, soprano Karina Gauvin and pianists Naida Cole, David Jalbert and Iwan Llewelyn-Jones, while pursuing collaborations with chamber ensembles like Penderecki String Quartet and Arthur-LeBlanc String Quartet. The ensemble has performed in Eastern Canada major festivals and toured extensively in Quebec, Canada, the United States and Europe.
The most recent CD recorded by Pentaèdre, a chamber version by Normand Forget of Schubert’s Winterreise, was awarded the CD of the Year 2008 Opus Prize – Classical, Romantic, Postromantic, Impressionist Music by the Conseil québécois de la musique, and got the exceptional Stern des Monats/Star of the Month from German magazine Fono Forum. These come on top of excellent reviews of Pentaèdre’s innovative shows L’amour est un opéra muet and A Chair in Love, and an Opus Prize for Best Concert of the Year, Present, Contemporary, Electro-Acoustic Music in 2002.
Among recent performances are the stage version première of John Metcalf’s opera A Chair in Love at Cardiff and Swansea Opera Houses (10 concerts in Wales and Ireland); two tours of 15 and 26 concerts for the Jeunesses musicales de Belgique; L’amour est un opéra muet (from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte) with the mime company Omnibus; 3 shows for young audiences including the creation of a musical tale; the première of a chamber version of Schubert’s Winterreise (by Normand Forget) with famous tenor Christoph Prégardien. The ensemble has recorded 5 CDs and performed more that 25 premières including commissions to Quebec composers such as Ana Sokolovic, Denis Gougeon or Denis Dion. Their season concerts are regularly broadcast on Radio-Canada and CBC.
Pentaèdre’s musicians : Danièle Bourget, flute; Martin Carpentier, clarinet; Normand Forget, oboe; Mathieu Lussier, bassoon; Louis-Philippe Marsolais, horn