ON THE road to the west, Irish Chamber Orchestra opens its May tour next Wednesday 16, 8pm at St Mary’s Cathedral to join with the church in its year of 850th celebrations. The programme of choice headlines with Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ and will feature Bach, Vivaldi and the Orchestra’s own Malachy Robinson’s composition in a concert night that sits firmly with its collaborative status.
Katherine Hunka leads on violin; guest soloist is Nicola Sweeney on violin.
Look to Kilkee’s Cultúrlann Sweeney on Thursday 17 for the next immediate date, followed by Newport Church in Mayo on Friday 18, with a final stop in Monaghan for Garage Theatre on Saturday 19, all 8pm.
Vivaldi’s Concerto for 4 Violins and Cello in D-Major opens the night, followed by Robinson’s ‘Dream of the Green Man’. On to Johann Sebastian’s Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor and Schubert’s classic from the closing chapter in his life. These were years in which he was felled by morbid depression and poverty and yet wrote the most beautiful music that elevates its audience centuries later.
We hear from the ICO’s Charlotte Eglington that his “‘Death and the Maiden’ is one of his finest works and a cornerstone of the repertoire. It is an expressive, romantic and dramatic work written in death’s shadow. Mahler’s arrangement for string orchestra emphasises the music’s dramatic element, which was a powerful statement from Schubert.
“From old to new, ICO’s double bass player Malachy Robinson demonstrates his compositional skills with a cinematic new work ‘Dream of the Green Men’, inspired by Henry Purcell’s ‘The Fairy Queen’.”
Book for St Mary’s Cathedral, May 16 at 8pm on box office www.uch.ie
