Skip to Content

Le Loup de Lafontaine Reviews

Victoria PelkyAbout Victoria

My name is Victoria Pelky and I am starting my masters at Carleton in the program of Indigenous and Canadian Studies.  I am originally from the small northern Ontario town of Blind River, located roughly 9 hours from Ottawa. My primary and secondary education was all done in French in a school, leaving me bilingual from a very young age. Over the last three years, I attended Trent University, where I graduated with a Bachelors of Arts with honors in French studies and history. Coming to Carleton, my academic interest lies in the questions surrounding the rights of the French Ontario people, specifically surrounding education. Self-expression and cultural identity is something that I hold close to my heart, having not only been part of the francophone minority within the province but also as part of the Metis minority. Both of these communities have had to stand up and fight for their rights within the province and the country. I believe that my background will bring a unique perspective on future projects and experiences and may inspire others who find themselves in similar situations. Within our country anything is possible.

[button title=”About this project” url=”https://carleton.ca/fass/nac-student-performance-review-project/” style=”red-solid” class=”left” /]

Review

Ian Cusso
Ian Cusson, Photo Copyright: John Arano

Legend Through Song: a Review of Ian Cusson’s Le Loup de Lafontaine

At the premiere of Le Loup de la Fontaine, the NAC Orchestra was truly masterful. The first piece was written by Ian Cusson based on a local folk legend from his small French-Métis town of Lafontaine, Ontario, where the composer was born and raised. The orchestra accompanies the text which tells the legend of a lone wolf entering the village and dancing with a small girl. The site caused panic to spread to the townspeople. The music moved together with such eloquence as the music danced together to tell the story. Listening to the performers was truly a moving experience.  I found that it was as if I was submerged into a Disney film, as the music moved from one scene to the next. The added fiddling took my breath away. It was included in the classical style of the Orchestra both as a complementary element but more importantly to express the heritage of the legend and its origins.

While the story of Le Loup de Lafontaine was geared to a more traditional Orchestra style, mixed with a fiddling flare, the second composition is a more modern take to classical music.

The second piece performed was written and performed by Pekka Kuusisto, a Finnish violin player accompanied by the NAC orchestra. This composition contrasted the first as it held more of raw emotion, a slower tempo with more violin solos. Unlike the first, while listening to this piece you never knew what was coming next. The performance went from whistling, to a single violin to a full orchestra to drumming to the piano and back to a single violin. It was like nothing I have ever heard before. Both pieces were cleverly written and performed, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

Le chant du loup : une critique du Loup de Lafontaine par Ian Cusson

Lors de la première performance de l’œuvre Le Loup de la Fontaine, l’orchestre du CNA fut magnifique. La première pièce, écrite par Ian Cusson, se base sur une légende folklorique de sa petite ville franco-métisse de Lafontaine en Ontario. L’orchestre accompagne la narration, qui raconte la légende d’un loup solitaire entrant dans le village et dansant avec une petite fille, provoquant ainsi la panique des habitants. La musique accompagne le récit avec éloquence. Il semble qu’elle danse avec lui pour raconter l’histoire. Alors que la musique passait d’une scène à l’autre, elle donnait la sensation d’être plongé dans un film de Walt Disney. Le son du violon folklorique ajouté à l’orchestre m’a coupé le souffle. C’est lui qui exprimait l’héritage de la légende et ses origines.

Alors que l’histoire du Loup de Lafontaine était axée sur un style de musique d’orchestre plus classique, mélangé à une touche de violon traditionnel, la deuxième composition fut nettement plus contemporaine.

La deuxième pièce interprétée a été écrite et présentée par Pekka Kuusisto, un violoniste finlandais accompagné ce soir-là par l’orchestre du CNA. Cette composition contrastait avec la première, car elle contenait plus d’émotion brute, un tempo plus lent et davantage de solos. Contrairement à la première, en écoutant cette pièce, on ne savait pas ce qui allait suivre. La performance est passée du sifflement d’un seul violon à un orchestre complet, puis de la batterie au piano et enfin, au chant d’un seul violon pour terminer. Cela ne ressemblait à rien de ce que j’avais entendu auparavant. Les deux pièces ont été intelligemment écrites et interprétées, gardant le public en haleine jusqu’au tomber du rideau.