Măcelaru, Znaider headline eclectic NSO series concert
Apr 1, 2016
WASHINGTON, April 1, 2016 – The National Symphony Orchestra opened the first of a pair of regular series programs Thursday evening at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall that feature well-known violinist-conductor Nikolaj Znaider in each of his roles.
After the break, the Orchestra returned to perform American composer Pierre Jalbert’s newish composition entitled “In Aeternam.” “In Aeternam” is a highly spiritual composition—a tone-poem, really—that the composer was inspired to write in response to the tragic death of a young relative at birth as well as to rejoice at the arrival of his own newborn son.
Unfamiliar with the piece, I did a little online sleuthing prior to the concert to get a little more background and found this useful passage on Mr. Jalbert’s own website:
“In Aeternam incorporates a fast, steady pulse that stems from Jalbert’s experience of hearing his son’s heartbeat for the first time during a pre-natal examination. In Aeternam is simultaneously a memorial for a niece who died at birth and a celebration of his son’s arrival, mixing grief with hope in a compelling reflection on the fragility of existence. Wrote the San Francisco Chronicle, ‘The piece revealed powerful command of the orchestra and a vivid emotional range. In Aeternam made a listener eager to hear more.’”
Read the full review