00:00 So, we're happy about that.
00:05 Actually, thank you for getting this wrong.
00:08 This gives me the opportunity to say this proudly, and I'm really proud to say it.
00:12 Alright. Well, congratulations, and thank you for correcting me.
00:15 Yeah, no worries.
00:16 So, how does it feel to win your first award?
00:18 It feels great, actually. It was so unexpected. I almost didn't come here.
00:22 It was a last minute thing, and I just brought my one-year-old kid.
00:25 Actually, my kid turned one-year-old yesterday.
00:27 I cannot miss her birthday, so I just bring her along with my wife and my mother-in-law,
00:32 and we just say, "We're going to have fun anyway, whatever happens."
00:35 So, wow. I mean, it's great.
00:37 And I have to ask, because I feel like someone else is going to if I don't.
00:41 Where is your bow tie from?
00:43 The Internet.
00:45 Isn't there where everything comes from?
00:47 Yes, indeed.
00:49 So, I'll open it up.
00:51 So, people who are far away, it's a Lego bow tie, and you can actually connect pieces,
00:54 so I can customize it depending on where I go.
00:56 It's a great conversation starter, and it's like I said, when you don't know anyone.
00:59 Yes, Eric Parazelli, French education?
01:04 Yes, yes.
01:06 So, the Verglas storm, we all remember it.
01:10 It was a rather special event.
01:13 And to make it an inspiration for a symphony, it was quite bold.
01:18 I was wondering how it inspired you,
01:21 and how you got the inspiration for this event.
01:27 Do I answer in French or in English?
01:30 In French, it would be appreciated.
01:33 Great.
01:34 So, I was 17 at the time of the Verglas storm,
01:37 and for those who don't know, it was a mega storm that hit not only Quebec,
01:41 but also Ontario, Vermont, and the state of New York.
01:44 So, it was really something major.
01:46 And this symphony was also to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Verglas storm,
01:52 because it was in 1997.
01:54 And I did a lot of projects with the Montreal Classical Orchestra,
01:58 at the time it was called the McGill Chamber Orchestra,
02:00 and the conductor, Boris Brott.
02:02 The album, by the way, there are three pieces on the album,
02:04 "Histoire de pêche" and "Toute une journée" as well,
02:06 and they are all pieces that were commissioned by the Classical Orchestra.
02:08 This piece in particular, this Verglas storm,
02:10 is a co-commission of five orchestras.
02:12 So, co-commission of five orchestras.
02:14 And Boris Brott was saying,
02:17 "Ah, we're doing a lot of small pieces with you,
02:19 it would be fun to do a major piece."
02:21 I've always wanted to do a symphony,
02:24 and I was going to be 40,
02:25 and I thought it would be a perfect project for the 40s.
02:28 So, a kind of challenge that I started,
02:31 and I said, "Try to find a theme,
02:32 maybe something related to the environment."
02:34 And I just finished writing my opera "Fly Down the Rammenburg",
02:36 which talks about climate change.
02:38 I didn't want to tackle the subject in the same way.
02:39 I had the idea, "Ah, the Verglas storm is interesting,"
02:42 because that's when I realized for the first time
02:44 how fragile the environment is,
02:47 and we are vulnerable, we depend on our environment.
02:49 If things don't go well in the environment,
02:51 things don't go well for us.
02:52 So, it was a theme that I found interesting to tackle,
02:54 and to go deeper.
02:55 And the symphony is a bit like a novel.
03:00 So, it's something that's still quite long,
03:02 and it allows us to have a lot of time
03:03 to develop ideas and themes.
03:05 There are four themes.
03:06 The first movement is "Torment",
03:07 so it's the arrival of the storm,
03:08 where everyone is writing a murderous lie.
03:10 The second movement is "Shut Up",
03:12 and it pays homage to the welcoming side of Quebeckers
03:17 who have helped each other,
03:18 a neighbor who had a power plant that was welcoming someone, all that.
03:21 The third movement is "Night, Dark, and Day",
03:23 so it's the dark nights without light pollution,
03:25 where you can see the beautiful light sky.
03:27 It was beautiful, it was mysterious, but it was frightening.
03:29 The last movement is "Light",
03:30 it's the return of electricity,
03:31 it's the return of energy, of life,
03:33 which takes its turn in a kind of crescendo of positive energy at the end.
03:37 - OK, thank you very much.
03:38 - My pleasure.
03:39 - I presume.
03:39 - We got one more question.
03:41 (whooshing)
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