The Philip Glass Ensemble & NSO

Philip Glass Ensemble Residency

National Symphony Orchestra
Philip Glass Ensemble
Michael Riesman conductor
Kate Ellis cello
 
Philip Glass Naqoyqatsi [Irish Premiere]
Co-commissioned by Los Angeles Philharmonic, Barbican, London, Edinburgh Festival and the National Concert Hall.

The Philip Glass Ensemble and close Philip Glass associate Michael Riesman partner with the NSO for the Irish premiere of a compelling new orchestral score from Glass’s stunning soundtrack for Godfrey Reggio’s 2002 film, Naqoyqatsi (‘life as war’).

Emotive and romantic, it’s also a scorching wake-up call to the mounting threat to the environment. The prominent cello at its heart celebrates humanity’s vitality and suggests that all might not yet be lost.

Did you know?

Naqoyqatsi was the third and final instalment in Reggio and Glass’s cinematic ‘Qatsi trilogy’, Qatsi translating as ‘life’.

Alternative translations for Naqoyqatsi include ‘civilised violence’ and ‘a life of killing each other’.

Listen out for…

The romantic quality lent by curvaceous melodies and the prominent solo cello voice.

How percussion contributes to dynamic shading and heightens moments of drama.

The sleek, gossamer-thin sonorities of the orchestral strings that hark back to early Glass at his most provocative.

Presented by NCH