Last month I ventured again to the Salzburg festival. It may seem odd that I didn’t hear a note of Mozart in his home city but my package of four operas and an orchestral concert by the visiting Berlin Philharmonic excluded him. The operas in my portfolio were Verdi’s Macbeth and Falstaff, Berlioz’ The Trojans,…
Among the tributes to the late Jane Carty was one that struck a particular chord for me, “She helped young people fall in love – with music”. It was part of the death notice informing us of her passing on August 2 and funeral from St Patrick’s Church in Dublin’s Monkstown on August 11. She…
The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland (NYOI) was founded in 1971 by the redoubtable Olive Smith, a woman of unusual vision when it came to getting young people involved in music. In her quest she was ably assisted by a number of similarly minded individuals not least Dublin-born violinist Hugh Maguire who at various times…
Following the conclusion of its ‘subscription concerts’ at the end of May, the National Symphony Orchestra continued to be engaged in a number of Tuesday lunchtime and Friday evening programmes at the National Concert Hall. These have also come to an end as the orchestral members have embarked on their holidays. For most of August…
Described as an eccentric opportunist, ‘Mr Charles, the Hungarian’ came to Dublin in March 1742 when he tried to steal a march on George Frideric Handel who had arrived in the city some months earlier. Taking up residence in Abbey Street, Handel remained in Dublin until the following August. During this time he finished his…
June brings its quota of music festivals. Among these Dublin International Chamber Music brought a number of home and visiting artists to its various locations while the current Pipeworks Organ and Choral Festival opened at the National Concert Hall last Tuesday and continues at selected venues until Sunday next June 25 at St Michael’s Church…
Following Gluck’s death in November 1787, Emperor Joseph II appointed Mozart as imperial and royal court composer. Among his formal duties the composer was expected to provide music for court balls and other such state occasions and, to fit the bill, Mozart supplied over 30 minuets and German dances in a relatively short time. However,…
Earlier in the year, I mentioned 2023 being the sesquicentenary of the birth of Sergey Rakhmaninov in Semyonovo in Russia. While anniversary performances of his music take place in a number of venues, there will be a major celebration on Friday May 26 when the National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus end their 2022/23 series of…
Last Saturday Irish National Opera began a nationwide tour of Massenet’s Werther. Opening in An Grianán in Letterkenny, it proceeded to Navan’s Solstice Arts Centre and then Galway’s Town Hall Theatre, where it is tonight, Thursday April 27. Werther’s next port of call is Limerick’s Lime Tree Theatre on Saturday 29, followed by Dundalk’s An…
Two weeks ago, there was a significant celebration in the National Concert Hall as March 30 marked the 100th birthday of the doyenne of our musicians, Sheila Larchet-Cuthbert. Invited guests, including yours truly, gathered in the John Field Room for chat and refreshments before moving into the auditorium where the NSO had just completed its…