≈ 2 hours · With intermission
Repertoire
Kintsugi
Piano Concerto No. 3
Symphony No. 4
I. Andante sostenuto – Moderato con anima
II. Andante in modo di canzona
III. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato
IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco
Tchaikovsky composed his Fourth Symphony in 1877, amidst a major turning point in his life. The movements were sketched in May and June, but their completion was interrupted by his disastrous marriage to Antonina Milyukova; the composer, who was homosexual, suffered a nervous breakdown. He eventually emerged out of the crisis, no doubt helped by Nadezhda von Meck, an extremely wealthy widow and an enthusiast for Tchaikovsky’s music, who began to provide him with an annual allowance that enabled him to focus entirely on composing without financial concerns. Under this arrangement, Tchaikovsky completed his Symphony No. 4 in January 1878.
The work follows an emotional journey of “darkness to light” or “victory over struggle”, not unlike Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5; indeed, Tchaikovsky admitted, in a letter to composer Sergei Taneyev, that his Fourth was obviously “a reflection” of Beethoven’s C minor symphony. It opens with an ominous brass fanfare (“Fate”, as Tchaikovsky described it to von Meck), which becomes a recurring “motto” in the work. Notably, in the first movement, it returns dramatically at key moments; listen throughout for its brutal intrusion, just when the music seems to become more optimistic and overcome its nervous anxiety. The second movement begins as if resigned over what has come before—a melancholy melody first presented by the oboe. But all does not seem to be lost, as a hopeful new theme in the middle section develops into a passionate orchestral outpouring.
The Scherzo, plucked entirely by the strings, offers a playful respite. It frames a central Trio, featuring an elegant dance for the woodwinds that becomes awkwardly fast when it is humorously interrupted by the brass playing the Scherzo’s theme as a march. The finale starts with a full-orchestra crash (cymbals and bass drum included!); a running whoosh of a theme follows, and then a naïve though somewhat sombre tune, based on the Russian folksong “In the field a little birch tree stood”. Alternating with returns of the first theme, the folk tune is developed in extended episodes, the second of which breaks into the menacing motto fanfare of the first movement. This time, however, it poses no more threat, and the symphony rushes, unfettered, to an exuberant close.
Program notes by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Artists
New Zealand–born Gemma New is the Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of Canada’s Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. New is the recipient of the prestigious 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.
In Summer 2023, New makes debuts at the BBC Proms with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, and she returns to the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She makes additional festival appearances including Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival, Festival de la Chaise-Dieu with Orchestre National de Lyon, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where she leads a production of Susannah.
During her 2023–2024 season, New makes subscription debuts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony, and Orchestre National de France. North American returns include Atlanta Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Continually in demand in Europe, New makes her debut with the Bamberger Symphoniker as well as conducting the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Barcelona y Nacional de Cataluña, Orquesta Nacional de España, Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen-Normandie, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, and Staatsorchester Hannover.
New previously served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Associate Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony. A former Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Conducting Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center, she was awarded Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Awards in 2017, 2019, and 2020, before receiving the 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.
Gabriela Montero’s visionary interpretations and unique compositional gifts have garnered her critical acclaim and a devoted following on the world stage. Anthony Tommasini remarked in the New York Times that “Montero’s playing had everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power…soulful lyricism…unsentimental expressivity.”
Montero’s 2023–2024 season will feature performances of her own “Latin” Concerto on an extensive U.S. tour with Mexico City’s Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería and Carlos Miguel Prieto, as well as with the New World Symphony, the Polish National Radio Symphony, the Antwerp Symphony, and the NAC Orchestra, the latter with which she continues a flourishing four-year Creative Partnership through 2025.
Celebrated for her exceptional musicality and ability to improvise, Montero has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. A graduate and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London, she is also a frequent recitalist and chamber musician, having given concerts at such distinguished venues as Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, Sydney Opera House, and the National Concert Hall in Taipei.
An award-winning and bestselling recording artist, her most recent album, released on the Orchid Classics label, features her own “Latin” Concerto and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, recorded with the Orchestra of the Americas in Frutillar, Chile. Montero made her formal debut as a composer with Ex Patria, a tone poem designed to illustrate and protest Venezuela’s descent into lawlessness, corruption, and violence.
Winner of the 4th International Beethoven Award, Montero is a committed advocate for human rights whose voice regularly reaches beyond the concert hall. She was also awarded the 2012 Rockefeller Award for her contribution to the arts and was a featured performer at Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential Inauguration.
Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.
Alexander Shelley began his tenure as Music Director in 2015, following Pinchas Zukerman’s 16 seasons at the helm. Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and former Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (2009–2017), he has been in demand around the world, conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Stockholm Philharmonic, among others, and maintains a regular relationship with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the German National Youth Orchestra.
Each season, the NAC Orchestra features world-class artists such as the newly appointed Artist-in-Residence James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Joshua Bell, Xian Zhang, Gabriela Montero, Stewart Goodyear, Jan Lisiecki, and Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds. As one of the most accessible, inclusive, and collaborative orchestras in the world, the NAC Orchestra uses music as a universal language to communicate the deepest of human emotions and connect people through shared experiences.
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Official Car of the NAC Orchestra
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees