HUNGARIAN musician Gábor Tákacs Nagy has worked with Irish Chamber Orchestra over years but his February concerts in Limerick and Dublin mark his first as principal artistic partner. The concerts take place at University Concert Hall on Thursday February 21 and the RDS Concert Hall, Dublin on Saturday 23 respectively at 8pm. Gábor’s decision to make an artistic commitment to the ICO is a real coup for the orchestra. “I have conducted the Irish Chamber Orchestra many times in the last few years and it is always a refreshing experience for me… They are a diamond in the cultural life of Ireland,” says Tákacs-Nagy.
An exciting programme features classics from Austria and Russia. Mozart’s Symphony No.15 KV 124, the music of youthful rebellion with energy bursting from the fifth bar. The refined simplicity is addictive and the last movement will raise the blood pressure.
Mozart loved Haydn’s music, particularly his ‘Mourning Symphony’ which is his crowning achievement. Gábor considers Haydn part Hungarian because he was born 30 miles from the Austrian border and spent many years as court composer in Hungary.
Gábor has a special bond with Russian composer, Rodion Shchedrin having conducted his best known work, ‘Carmen Suite After Bizet’. This popular suite is a fantastic mix of all the familiar tunes, dressed up in a way Bizet could never have imagined. The big melodies are instantly recognisable and the dramatic power of the score is complimented by Shchredrin’s interventions, with Gabor bringing the entire Suite together to great aplomb.
Gábor Takács-Nagy was a founding member of the mythical Takács Quartet. Currently music director at Manchester Camerata, he is also guest conductor of the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Catch two great concerts with the ICO in Limerick and Dublin; see www.irishchamberorchestra.com and you can book at box office or online at www.uch.ie
