Shostakovich, Debussy and Dvořák: a legendary trio in the intimacy of Bourgie Hall
October 1, 2026 • WestmountMag.ca
Some evenings stand out the moment a season is announced. On October 21 and 22, 2026, Bourgie Hall brings together three of today’s most celebrated soloists: pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, violinist Lisa Batiashvili and cellist Gautier Capuçon. These two exclusive concerts are among the highlights of an already rich 2026–2027 season, and they mark the trio’s first joint appearance in Montreal.
THREE EXCEPTIONAL CAREERS
All three regularly perform on the world’s great stages, and they are stopping in Montreal as part of an international tour. For the occasion, they have chosen a 462-seat hall known for its exceptional acoustics.
Jean-Yves Thibaudet needs no introduction. For more than 40 years, this giant of the piano has had a brilliant career spanning major concert halls and film. His playing is both refined and lively, and it suits the French repertoire as naturally as the great Romantic works.
Great artists, an intimate hall, guaranteed emotion: here the Bourgie Hall formula is at its very best.
Georgian-born violinist Lisa Batiashvili wins audiences over with the purity of her playing and the richness of her tone. She works with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, and her expressive intensity makes each appearance an event.
Finally, Gautier Capuçon is one of the world’s most famous French cellists. He returns to Montreal after a 12-year absence. His reunion with Montreal audiences alone would make these evenings a must.
A HIGH-INTENSITY PROGRAM
The three musicians have chosen three piano trios that cover a broad stretch of music history, from the late 19th century to the early 20th. The program opens with Dmitri Shostakovich‘s Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8. He wrote this early work at 16. It unfolds in a single passionate movement, where the composer’s distinctive voice is already clear.
Next comes Claude Debussy‘s Piano Trio in G major, L. 5, another early work, written at 18 during a stay in Italy. Luminous and melodic, the score hints at the future master of musical Impressionism. The evening ends with Antonín Dvořák‘s Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op. 65, one of the darkest and most ambitious pieces in his chamber music. This peak of late Romanticism calls for performers who are both powerful and closely attuned to one another.
The hall’s programmers have called these artists’ visit “a great victory.” Elsewhere, they usually play in halls of about 2,000 seats, so hearing them in Bourgie Hall’s intimate setting is a privilege. The concert is part of Bourgie Hall’s 16th season. The season includes 94 concerts, festivals devoted to Beethoven, Philip Glass and Pierre Mercure, and visits from renowned quartets such as the Takács, the Juilliard and the Kronos.
A UNIQUE SETTING IN THE HEART OF THE MUSEUM
Bourgie Hall opened in September 2011 in the nave of the former Erskine and American Church, in the heart of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. It has since become one of the most sought-after concert music venues in Canada. It presents more than 150 events a year across major series: piano, vocal recital, early music, strings, jazz, and music from here and around the world.
Its remarkable architecture adds a rare visual dimension to the experience, with some 20 Tiffany stained-glass windows found nowhere else in the country. Its Hamburg Steinway, a favourite of international artists, is especially well suited to a pianist of Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s stature.
The hall also stands out for its multidisciplinary collaborations, which pair music with visual arts, dance, literature and digital arts. Its landmark projects include the complete Schubert lieder and more than 30 works commissioned from Canadian and international composers.
THIBAUDET, BATIASHVILI, CAPUÇON
Bourgie Hall, 1339 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal
October 21 and 22, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $95; Museum members: $81; 34 and under: $47.50
BOX OFFICE
Online at sallebourgie.ca, by phone at 514-285-2000, option 1, or toll-free at 1-800-899-6873, daily from 9 am. to 5 pm. In person at the Bourgie Hall box office one hour before the concerts, or at the Museum box office during opening hours.
Feature image: courtesy of Bourgie Hall
Bourgie Hall presents over a hundred concerts a year in various musical styles, from jazz to classical works and from Baroque music to contemporary creations. Its high-calibre programming features some of the most prominent Canadian and international musicians of their generation. bourgiehall.ca
