In the orbit of Piano-Soleil: Gougeon the pedagogue
Professor of composition at Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Music since 2001, Denis Gougeon has taught many composers who now enjoy successful careers. On November 8, 2013 at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur (Montreal), seven of his former students paid homage with premieres of miniatures inspired by his cycle Six thèmes solaires, particularly its opening piece, Piano-Soleil. The seven tributes were written by Ashot Ariyan, Simon Bertrand, André Cayer, Mathieu Lavoie, Analía Llugdar, Pierre Michaud, and Marianne Trudel. They were performed, following the ten pieces that comprise Six thèmes solaires, by the Arkea Ensemble under the direction of Dina Gilbert. This article presents the accounts of these seven composers on their various works and helps us understand Gougeon’s teaching methods, in particular his emphasis on the rigors of the craft and the need for versatility. Gougeon spoke briefly after the concert, and a transcription of his speech serves as a conclusion to the article.