On June 13, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Enrico Onofri, will premiere Violin Concerto (chamber version) by Bryce Dessner with soloist Pekka Kuusisto, for whom the work is written and dedicated.
It takes inspiration from water as well as from the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. In 2020 and 2021, Dessner spent much time at his home in the Basque region of France, directly on the pilgrimage route. During long hikes through the forests with his son, he thought about how many pilgrims have already gone and how many more will be going on the same journey. Writing a violin concerto and thus going a route many composers before him had taken, he felt an analogy to this pilgrimage, asking himself:
Why are we drawn to a path so many before us have taken and often?
What could I have to say that could be new or specific to my own journey?
This arrangement for chamber orchestra was commissioned by the Munich Chamber Orchestra. The original version was premiered in October 2021 by HR Sinfonieorchester, Pekka Kuusisto and conducted by Ariane Matiakh in Frankfurt am Main.
For more information, please see the website of the Munich Chamber Orchestra.
