Photo: Patrick Fouque
Photo: Patrick Fouque
Angélique Kidjo Sings Glass 2024-2025
Glass’ music fuels the imagination of Angélique Kidjo, who brings Beninese legends to life with her vocal depth and power
While Beethoven poetically depicted birdsong and rippling streams, Janácek, a stark observer, contrasted the stillness of forest life with the conflict-filled world of humans. Meanwhile, Glass drew inspiration from African poems that tell of the creation myth and deities of the ancient Ifé Empire, fuelling the imagination of Angélique Kidjo, who brings these legends to life with vocal depth and power.
Artists
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Elena Schwarz, conductor
Angélique Kidjo, voice
Programme
Leoš Janáček, The Cunning Little Vixen, Suite (arr. C. Mackerras, 22 min.)
Philip Glass, Ifé, Three Yorùbá Songs (20 min.)
Intermission (20 min)
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 68, ‘‘Pastoral’’ (39 min.)
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Angélique Kidjo
SingerFive-time GRAMMY Award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the foremost artists in international music today, a creative force with sixteen albums to her name. In 2021, Time Magazine named her “Africa’s premier diva,” and one of the most influential people in the world. She is the recipient of the 2015 Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award, the 2018 German Sustainability Award, the 2023 Vilcek Prize in Music laureate, and the 2023 Polar Music Prize winner. As a performer, her striking voice, stage presence and fluency in multiple languages as well as her familiarity with several cultures have won the respect of her peers and expanded her following across national borders. Kidjo has cross-pollinated the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of American R&B, funk and jazz, as well as influences from Europe and Latin America.
