Rhapsody (in honour of Saint Jean de Brébeuf)
Composer: Henrique Coe
Concert: World premiere (August 8, 2019)
Salle Gilles-Lefebvre (Orford Musique), Canada
Performers:
Véronique Lacroix, conductor
Lyndsay Promane, mezzo-soprano
Martin Blais, alto flute
Lindsay Allan, clarinet
Ryan Jung, piano
Roberto Bui, cello
Audréanne Filion, cello
Program Note:
Rhapsody was composed in 2019 during my stay at the Académie Orford Musique in Orford, Québec. Since the piece was going to be written and premiered in Canada, I had the idea of dedicating it to Saint Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary in 17th-century Nouvelle-France, the French domain in North America that encompassed much of what is now Canada.
The piece features hectic, calm, and melodic passages, with the main melody stated at the beginning and again at the end. It was originally written for mezzo-soprano and a chamber ensemble consisting of alto flute, clarinet, piano, and two cellos, although the voice part does not have a specific text; rather, it features syllables such as da-ba-da-ba-da-ba, which do not need to be strictly observed. The flute ensemble version was written in 2026 as an adaptation for eight flutists: two piccolos, two flutes, two alto flutes, and two bass flutes.
The world premiere of the original version of Rhapsody took place on 8 August 2019 at Salle Gilles-Lefebvre (Orford Musique) in Orford, Québec, by the contemporary ensemble of the Académie Orford Musique 2019, conducted by Véronique Lacroix. The flute ensemble version received its first performance on 15 July 2026 at Ehrbar Saal in Vienna, Austria, by the Orbit Ensemble, during the Vienna Contemporary Composers Festival.