Tears of sadness
and tears of joy

The trombone and the voice come together in a profoundly expressive dialogue at Bourgie Hall

March 19, 2026

At Bourgie Hall on April 19 at 2:30 p.m., Clavecin en concert presents a programme in which early music becomes flesh, breath, and pure emotion: Tears of Sadness, Tears of Joy, bringing together trombonist Maximilien Brisson and soprano Myriam Leblanc in a programme devoted to the early Italian Baroque, where the expression of emotion occupies centre stage, never decorative, always vivid and fully present. Building on his 2024 recording Scorrete lagrime mie on Passacaille, Brisson continues his rare exploration of the repertoire, drawing us into a 17th-century Italy where lament, exaltation, and virtuosity merge into a single, urgent expressive impulse.

The concert unfolds like a theatre of passions, where shadow answers light, and each piece reveals a different face of Baroque emotion.

Around them, an exceptional ensemble gives this journey depth and colour: Christophe Gauthier on harpsichord, Luc Beauséjour on organ, and Sylvain Bergeron on theorbo join the two soloists in bringing to life striking pages by Barbara Strozzi, Francesca Caccini, Sigismondo d’India, Giovanni Battista Bovicelli, Lodovico Viadana, Giovanni Bassano, and Bartolomeo Barbarino. The programme was conceived to highlight the historical kinship between the trombone and the human voice — a near-natural link here, as the instrument seems capable of conveying the heart’s tremors with as much nuance as a singer.

The concert unfolds like a theatre of passions, where shadow answers light, and each piece reveals a different face of Baroque emotion. Works by Vivaldi, Frescobaldi, Piccinini, and Sances are also featured, alongside Maximilien Brisson’s Sonata per il trombone solo. Grave, which adds a distinctly contemporary voice to the programme. More than a tribute to the past, this evening is a reminder that early music remains an art of the present: a living space where breath, tension, and imagination continue to burn with intensity.

Programme

The vocal line, the instrumental breath, and the rhetoric of the affections come together to form a sonic theatre of rare density.

L’Eraclito amoroso — Barbara Strozzi
Ferma Signore, arresta — Francesca Caccini
Io son ferito — Giovanni Battista Bovicelli, after Palestrina
Piango, gemo, sospiro e peno — Antonio Vivaldi
Ancidetemi pur — Girolamo Frescobaldi, after Arcadelt
Canzona quinta detta La Tromboncina — Girolamo Frescobaldi
Che si può fare — Barbara Strozzi
Lagrime mie — Barbara Strozzi
Sento in seno — Antonio Vivaldi
O che nuovo stupor — Francesca Caccini
Piangono al pianger mio — Sigismondo d’India
Se non potei mirar — Antonio Vivaldi
Sonata for solo trombone. Grave — Maximilien Brisson
Toccata: Ciaccona — Alessandro Piccinini
Vulnerasti cor meum — Giovanni Felice Sances

Artists

Myriam Leblanc, soprano
Maximilien Brisson, trombone
Christophe Gauthier, harpsichord
Sylvain Bergeron, theorbo
Luc Beauséjour, organ

About Bourgie Hall

Inaugurated in 2011, Bourgie Hall is an architectural jewel nestled in the heart of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Set within the nave of the former Erskine and American Church, it is distinguished by its striking beauty and by the unique presence in Canada of some twenty Tiffany stained-glass windows. Its annual programming — more than one hundred concerts — explores the many faces of music: from jazz to Baroque music, from classical repertoire to new creations.

Tears of Sadness, Tears of Joy

The concert is part of Clavecin en concert’s 2025–2026 season.

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 2:30 p.m.
Bourgie Hall, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
1339 Sherbrooke Street West

Tickets
$48 (regular), $42 (senior), $30 (34 and under)

Images: Courtesy of Bourgie Hall

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