Leonard Cohen recall
a hit at Place des Arts

Nathaniel Rateliff captures the feel of the acclaimed singer/songwriter with a 40-piece orchestra

By Byron Toben

May 2, 2024

Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen may have shuffled off this mortal coil in 2016 but his spirit lives on as exemplified by Nathaniel Rateliff, backed by a 40-strong orchestra at the Sir Wilfred Pelletier hall on April 22 (first day of Passover).

Rateliff did not try to impersonate Cohen, but his deep voice was close enough to capture the feel of it while the lush sound of the orchestra (heavy on violins) added a rich quality that Cohen, who usually sang solo with his guitar, did not quite attain. All this was made possible by Evenko in cooperation with a private producer (possibly Cohen’s estate, administered by son Adam?)

Leonard Cohen in 1988 – Image: Gorupdebesanez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Though not a biopic, some of Cohen’s personal life was mentioned in Rateliff’s patter between the fifteen or so Cohen classics he performed, including Suzanne, Dance Me to the End of Time and Halleluiah.

Cohen, Westmount High School‘s most famous graduate (although Kamala Harris is closing the gap) squeezed a few novels, some poems and a Zen retreat into his 82 years. He was also described as a “ladies’ man.” Though pleasant looking, he was not a stunningly handsome fellow, so I once asked one of his girlfriends what the attraction was, to which she replied, “He listens to you.” Later, I recall seeing in a New York Times article on what women really want and, high on the list, was “to go dancing.” So guys, listen earnestly and dance, if not to the end of time, a long time to succeed with the ladies. But I digress.

As long as I am digressing, I can’t help pointing out that Halleluiah versions worked for Bach, Handel and Mozart before Cohen.

Rateliff did not try to impersonate Cohen, but his deep voice was close enough to capture the feel of it while the lush sound of the orchestra… added a rich quality that Cohen, who usually sang solo with his guitar, did not quite attain.

As an opener ice breaker for the evening, Rateliff enlisted his friend, pianist Phil Cook, to scoot up from North Carolina and entertain the nearly full house with twenty minutes of his unique style of tickling the ivories with his own compositions.

Feature image: Nathaniel Rateliff and his band, by Ryan Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Byron Toben, a past president of The Montreal Press Club, has been WestmountMag.ca’s theatre reviewer since July 2015. Previously, he wrote for since-terminated websites Rover Arts and Charlebois Post, print weekly The Downtowner, and print monthly The Senior Times. He also is an expert consultant on U.S. work permits for Canadians.