The highlight of these was the world premiere of the very Canadianly-titled Neiges. A theme and variations for chamber ensemble, it begins with gestures of characteristic Bouchardian energy: a joyous spilling of paint, as it were, on the musical canvas. As the piece progresses, those generous, youthful impulses are refracted, examined and refined. The piece ends reflectively, with the feeling that the process of discovery and transformation and richness could continue forever.
By Tamara Bernstein
