NSOI: Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland
Ryan McAdams, conductor
Martin Johnson, cello

Wagner ‘Dawn’ and ‘Siegfried’s Rhine Journey’ from Götterdämmerung 
Anselm McDonnell Cello Concerto No. 1, ‘Hostile Summits’  (World Premiere - NSOI Commission)
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, ‘Pathétique’

Epiphanies of the soul, heart and nature ring out in two luxurious orchestral showpieces and the world premiere of 2024 Séan Ó Riada Competition winner Anselm McDonnell’s First Cello Concerto performed by Martin Johnson. Ryan McAdams conducts with ‘bounding, generous energy’ (Journal of Music).

From the beginning of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, the combustible conclusion to his epic Ring cycle, two orchestral interludes sweep from hushed sunrise to heroic adventure, evoking mythic love, fateful destiny, and the ever-flowing Rhine before terrible destruction gives way to the promise of renewal. 

Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, his last, most searing symphony, is a powerful, poignant confessional filled with turbulent passion, restless energy and aching melodies. Its striking use of brass chorales, dark low-lying strings and volatile drama points to unbearable tragedy behind the fatalistic surrender of its mournful Adagio finale.

‘On the cutting edge of musical creativity’ (Opera Journal), Anselm McDonnell is one of the most imaginative and exciting composers of his generation. His First Cello Concerto, Hostile Summits, pits the solo instrument as observer to the towering majesty and divinity of mountains, the imposing meeting point between earth and the heavens. The cello’s wide, expressive range, dramatic dynamic contrasts, and cello and strings mimicking the sound of a giant guitar add to its sense of scale and wonder.

McDonnell says: "Hostile Summits explores our relationship with mountains through the lens of the soloist’s relationship with a larger orchestral force. Movement I, ‘The Pursuit of Fear’, looks at mountains as places to experience thrill, danger, and the rush of vertigo; pinnacles of nature which must be summited and conquered by human effort. 

‘Movement II, ‘Weywot’, depicts mountains in antiquity: locations of divine power and religious significance, the meeting point between earth and heavens. Contrasts between high and low material convey the idea of an insurmountable distance between mortality and divinity. Movement III, ‘Bring Me Your Mountains’, is a reflection on the Biblical passage where Christ, after his Transfiguration on the mountain, descends to heal a sick child and promise his disciples that faith in him, not their effort, will move mountains."

Presented by NCH