Eroi(s)ca
2020, 2024. Orchestra.
Premiered by the Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra.
Video from @orchestre_metropolitain on instagram
Program Note:
Eroi(s)ca is a reinterpretation of Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony, “The Eroica.” Inspired by the concept of the Sublime, which combines both beauty and terror, Nicholas Ryan explores this dualism within a more contemporary context. The title of the piece fuses the word “Eros” (the greek god of love), with the word “Eroica,” (the italian word for heroic) reflecting a tension between love and conflict reminescent of Beethoven’s own mixed feelings towards Napoléon Bonaparte—the original subject of the 3rd Symphony.
Musically, Eroi(s)ca takes up motifs introduced in Beethoven’s Third, such as its use of the chromatic line Eb, D, C#, as well as its marked use of timpani, to evoke the military connotaions of the original work. Ryan’s work also uses a fusion of orchestral sounds in which consonance and disonnance and modal and atonal harmony all mix together to create an ever-evolving texture. This approach allows Eroi(s)ca to reinvent the heritage of Beethoven with a subtle modernity, all while conserving a profound dialogue between past and present.
*Text taken from the OM website and translated from French to English by NM Ryan.
*Eroi(s)ca was commissioned by the OM as part of the Beethoven’s Heritage composition contest.
*Recording available upon request.
More links about the piece here:
Tickets
About the contest
Interview with NM. Ryan