Conducted by Fabien Gabel, the OSM welcomes to its stage pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque. Glass’ Double Piano Concerto, written for these two artists, is a work in which soloists and orchestra weave a tapestry of sound in constant flux. The melodic sensuality of Richard Strauss’ Dance of the Seven Veils and of Schmitt’s La tragédie de Salomé bring a touch of exoticism to this program.
Artists
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Fabien Gabel, conductor
Katia and Marielle Labèque, pianos
Programme
Ravel, Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68a (17 min.)
Glass, Double Concerto for Two Pianos (25 min.)
Intermission* (20 min.)
R. Strauss, Salome, op. 54, TrV 215: “Dance of the Seven Veils” (9 min.)*
Schmitt, La tragédiede Salomé, Symphonic Poem, op. 50 (24 min.)
*This work will not be performed, and there will be no intermission at the concert on May 9 at 10:30 a.m.
Total duration100minutes
Fabien Gabel
Conductor
Fabien Gabel is the newly appointed Music Director Designate of the Tonku.nstler-Orchester, a position which begins with the 2025/2026 season. Elsewhere, he has established an international career of the highest calibre, appearing with orchestras such as London Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Praised for his dynamic style and sensitive approach to the score, he is best known for his eclectic choice of repertoire, ranging from core symphonic works to new music to championing lesser-known composers of the 19th and the 20th century.
Having attracted international attention in 2004 as the winner of the Donatella Flick conducting competition, Fabien Gabel was Assistant Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra 2004-2006. He was music director of Orchestre symphonique de Quebec 2012-2021 and Orchestre francais des jeunes 2017-2021. Fabien Gabel was named eChevaliers des Arts et des Lettresf by the French government in January 2020.
Katia and Marielle Labèque are regular guests of prominent orchestras worldwide and have collaborated with the foremost conductors of our time. Among their many achievements, they are recognized for their work with composers including Thomas Adès, Louis Andriessen, Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, Bryce Dessner, Philip Glass, Osvaldo Golijov, György Ligeti, and Olivier Messiaen. At the invitation of the Philharmonie in Paris, they were featured during a special weekend where they premiered a new project for two guitars and two pianos, including a piece written for them by Thom Yorke (RadioHead), Don’t Fear the Light. Other notable world premieres include a new concerto by Nico Muhly, “In Certain Circles,” with the Orchestre de Paris and Maxim Emelyanichev in 2021. They recently toured with the Filarmonica Joven de Colombia under Andrés Orozco-Estrada in Germany, Austria and Holland.
The Labèque sisters boast an extensive discography and are recording artists with Deutsche Grammophon since 2016 (previously, with KML). Their DVDs include a gala concert with the Berlin Philharmonic and Simon Rattle, attended by an audience of over 33,000 (EuroArts). A record audience of more than 100,000 attended the Vienna Summer Night Concert in Schönbrunn (CD and DVD on SONY).
