On August 28, Nonesuch Records releases Limina, an album of orchestral music by composer Donnacha Dennehy. The release marks the fourth installment in a long relationship between Dennehy and Nonesuch, including 2024’s GRAMMY-winning Land of Winter.
Limina features the world premiere recordings of the eponymous piano concerto and the towering Violin Concerto. Both are performed by the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland under the baton of conductor Ryan McAdams.
McAdams writes of working with Dennehy: “One of the luckiest moments of my career was being hired to lead the world premiere of Donnacha Dennehy’s second opera, The Second Violinist. I had never met Donnacha or conducted his music, but our collaboration since has been one of the richest of my life. It’s brought me in contact with Ireland’s extraordinary musical culture and with Donnacha’s endless creativity, technique, and humanity. The two concerti on this album are prime—yet contrasting—examples of his faultless ear and warm heart. What a joy it was to put this album together with these two wonderful soloists, my friends in the National Orchestra of Ireland, and the great Teldex and Nonesuch teams.”
First conceived as a chamber concerto co-commissioned by Contemporaneous, Limina was written for pianist Eliza McCarthy; McCarthy gives an athletic, urgent performance in this new orchestral version with expanded string sections. The piece’s three movements (“Head,” “Chest,” and “Nervous System”) move through the body, creating a listening experience that is by turns driving and achingly beautiful. McCarthy explains: “Collaborating with Donnacha on Limina has been a wild and joyous ride. His writing demands uncompromising precision while leaving space for instinct and freedom, and I am honored to be built into the DNA of such an extraordinary piece.”
The Violin Concerto was originally commissioned for Augustin Hadelich by the Oregon Symphony, the Aspen Music Festival, and the philharmonie zuidnederland. Here, violinist Stephen Waarts serves as soloist following several recent performances of the concerto.
“The first movement is impulsive and angular, starting at full throttle out of the gate in terms of difficulty," notes Waarts, "but it also has quiet moments and a fantastic cadenza that builds from contemplative to wild. The second movement is the gorgeous soul of the piece, with extremely long lines putting the listener into a sort of trance or meditation. The third is very fun; it's quite rock and roll, has an Irish jig in the middle, and ends with some dizzying virtuosity. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved in this premiere recording.”
For more information, contact Flannery Cunningham.
