≈ 60 minutes · No intermission
Repertoire
Suite No. 1 from “Peer Gynt,” Opus 1: I. Morning Mood
The Tale of Tsar Saltan: Flight of the Bumblebee
Music for Movies: Threshing Machines
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Opus 68, “Pastoral”: II. Andante molto mosso
The Wand of Youth, Suite No. 2, Opus 1b
Reunion from Hiawatha: Suite from the Ballet, Opus 82a
"The Hebrides" Overture, Op. 26, “Fingal’s Cave”
Born in Hamburg, February 3, 1809
Died in Leipzig, November 4, 1847
In 1829, the 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn embarked on a long Grand Tour of Europe. Some of the composer’s best-known works were inspired by these travels, including the Italian Symphony (No. 4) and two works from Scotland, the Scottish Symphony (No. 3) and the overture The Hebrides (also known as Fingal’s Cave).
Scotland especially appealed to Mendelssohn’s romantic sensibility and penchant for picturesque landscapes as musical stimuli. In early August, Mendelssohn and his traveling companion Karl Klingemann (a young German diplomat and poet) reached the western coast and took a boat to the Hebrides, a group of well over one hundred rugged, picturesque islands where Gaelic is widely spoken and the people still live much as they have for hundreds of years, tending cattle and sheep, weaving Harris tweed, and raising crops such as barley, oats and potatoes. Best known of the islands is Skye, but it was Staffa that left the deepest impression on young Mendelssohn, for here was located the spectacular cavern named after the folk hero Fingal.
The vast cave, open to the sea, measures 227 feet by 42 (69 metres by 13), and rises to a height of 66 feet (20 metres). The sea forms the floor; along the walls stand towering pillars of basalt lava, inspiring Klingemann to describe the scene as resembling “the interior of an immense organ. It lies there alone, black, echoing, and entirely purposeless – the grey waste of the sea in and around it.” Mendelssohn put his own impression into tone instead, noting down a 21-measure passage that became the opening of his overture and perfectly captures the air of hushed mystery, dark mists and the restless sea. Thomas Attwood conducted the first performance in London on May 14, 1832.
Two main musical ideas are developed within the context of a sonata-form movement: the “lapping wave” motif that opens the work, and a long-breathed, rising melody for the lower strings and woodwinds. The development section concentrates on the first subject, a remarkably malleable little motif that Beethoven too might well have enjoyed developing. The recapitulation begins as did the overture, but the second theme is given over to the solo clarinet. A coda brings the music to its emotional climax, followed by a quiet, haunting close.
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Mario Bernardi led the NAC Orchestra’s first performance of Mendelssohn’s overture The Hebrides in 1971. The most recent interpretation by the Orchestra took place in 2015 on Canada Day, with Alain Trudel on the podium.
Program notes by Robert Markow
“Four Sea Interludes” from Peter Grimes, Op. 33a: IV. Storm: Presto con fuoco
(arr. Caplet) Clair de lune
Conga de Fuego Nuevo
Artists
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A passionate communicator, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser brings clarity and meaning to the concert hall, fostering deep connections between audiences and performers. He is concurrently the Principal Youth Conductor and Creative Partner of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Principal Education Conductor and Community Ambassador of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Artist in Residence and Community Ambassador of Symphony Nova Scotia, and Resident Conductor of Engagement and Education of the San Francisco Symphony.
Daniel served as Assistant Conductor of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Associate Conductor of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and was Cover Conductor with the Washington National Opera in 2020.
Daniel is the host of Canadian Broadcasting Company’s (CBC’s) nationally broadcast weekly radio show Centrestage.
He was also the subject of an award-winning, full-length CBC documentary called Disruptor Conductor, focussing on his concerts for neurodiverse, prison, African diaspora, and LGBTQ2S+ populations.
Daniel earned his Bachelor degrees in Music Performance and Education from the University of Calgary, and his Master of Philosophy in Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England.
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.
A versatile theatre artist, Marie-Ève Fontaine works across Canada as an actor, puppeteer and animator. Her theatre credits include roles in Les Zaventures de Zozotte for Théâtre de Dehors, Les fourberies de Scapin for Fâcheux Théâtre, and Le dire de Di by Michel Ouellette for Théâtre Catapulte and Théâtre français de Toronto. Marie-Ève also shares her passion for stories through puppetry and storytelling workshops. In addition to her work as an artist, Marie-Ève is involved in various cultural activities, notably as an advisor to the young ambassadors of the BIG BANG Festival at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
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Official Car of the NAC Orchestra
