Name: Heroes: a video game symphony
Start: 2026-05-20T19:30:00
Location: Place des Arts

Kevin Zakresky

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

This program highlights the viola’s deep, expressive voice in Canadian composer Cassandra Miller’s Concerto, a poignant reflection on separation premiered in 2023 by Lawrence Power. Meanwhile, Debussy paints a vivid portrait of the sea with impressionistic colours, immersing listeners in a nostalgic and dreamlike soundscape. Enjoy a musical journey that is both powerful and poetic.

Wagner and Debussy: From Love to the Sea

Place des Arts

In May, under the baton of Kevin Zakresky, Heroes : A Video Game Symphony will immerse us in the greatest video game themes, from Fallout to Assassin’s Creed, as well as World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy, with projections and sequences from these landmark games for several generations.

Heroes: a video game symphony

In this 60-minute Symphonic Happy Hour, experience the extraordinary talent of Jason Xu, winner of the 2024 OSM Competition, as he brings out the full technical richness of the saxophone in Frank Martin’s Ballade. Camille Pépin will captivate you with the vibrant energy of Vajrayana, while Mussorgsky will take you on a journey through his imagined museum with Pictures at an Exhibition, a stunning work enriched by beautiful orchestral colours.

Pictures at an Exhibition

The Ring Without Words is an orchestral suite that distills the most iconic themes from Richard Wagner’s monumental tetralogy, The Ring of the Nibelung. This 70-minute symphonic fresco encapsulates the essence of the 15-hour epic, telling the tale of a magical ring forged by the dwarf Alberich from gold stolen from the Rhine. While the ring grants immense power, it also brings ruin and destruction to those who possess it. Wotan, the king of the gods, attempts to control the ring but fails, leading to the gods’ downfall. Betrayed and manipulated, the hero Siegfried is killed by Hagen, son of Alberich. Brünnhilde, the Valkyrie, daughter of Wotan and wife of Siegfried, returns the ring to the Rhine, marking the end of an era. The Ring Without Words offers an immersive journey through Wagner’s world, highlighting its most memorable moments, including the prelude to Das Rheingold, the Ride of the Valkyries, Siegfried’s death and funeral music, and the apocalyptic conclusion in Twilight of the Gods. In a thrilling season finale, the soaring lyricism of Schumann’s Piano Concerto, performed by pianist Yefim Bronfman, contrasts with the destructive power of gold in Wagner’s epic, creating a stunning clash of opposing powers.

Wagner and the Legend of the Ring

As part of their Prestige & Patrimoine series, GSI Musique and Oziko present Ferland symphonique; a bold, vibrant tribute to the work of the Petit Roi, the unique Jean-Pierre Ferland. This epic musical journey will come to life thanks to the symphonic arrangements of Blair Thomson and will be performed by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, under the baton of conductor Alain Trudel. Scenography and mise-en-scène elements will be announced shortly. In the image of the artist Ferland was, it will all be very poetic.