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Scene News CLASSICAL CLIODHNA RYAN Spring has wel
l and truly sprung, and the milder and lighter evenings invite us to venture out of hibernation. It’s a season full of contrast, as is the music on offer in Dublin this month. A fascinating weekend titled ‘Migrations’ is taking over the National Concert Hall on February 24th and 25th . Five quartets are bringing us on a journey through time, from Europe’s most innovative composers of the 18th - 20th centuries, to works written by four contemporary composers which speak directly to current global political crises. The weekend explores themes of displacement, identity, and migration through the powerful, emotive and intimate nature of the string quartet. The Belcea, the Carducci, the Pavel Haas, the Solas and the Mogdiliani Quartets will be our guides through two days of concerts, masterclasses and talks. Check out the NCH website for details. Still at the NCH on the 29th , the RTE Concert Orchestra celebrates the music of Puccini, whose immortal melodies have captivated audiences the world over. They are marking the centenary of his death with an evening of arias, overtures and intermezzos from La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot. Joined by soprano Celine Byrne and tenor Noah Stewart, audiences can expect some of the most moving and exquisite music ever written for voice. It begins at 7.30pm. We are staying with the voice but going back to 1772, and a powerful work which tells the story of the Passion of Christ. On March 1st at 7.30pm in St Patrick’s Cathedral the Irish Baroque Orchestra perform Bach’s great St Matthew Passion. It is a work of emotional and psychological depth, which brings together all of Bach’s mastery to express his deeply personal spiritual beliefs. Directed by Peter Whelan, with Nick Pritchard as Evangelist, and written for two orchestras, chorus, a children’s choir and soloists, this is an epic work written by a genius inspired by a profound and unwavering faith. The Irish Baroque Orchestra uses instruments and strings similar to what was used at the time, creating a sound world which is vulnerable, raw and intensely human. If you’re planning on catching a Passion in the lead up to Easter, then this is the one to go to. At the Freemason’s Hall on the afternoon of Sunday March 3rd , three exceptional artists joined forces in a performance of chamber music for clarinet, violin and piano. Dutch violinist Noa Wildschut, Spanish clarinettist Pablo Marragán and German pianist Amadeus Wiesensee have performed as recitalists and soloists in the greatest concert halls across the world. This March sees them touring with Music Network across Ireland in a programme of works by Saint-Saën and Schoenfield, dance melodies from Hungary and Romania, and a new work, Cascade, commissioned by Music Network and written for the tour by Irish composer Dr. Amy Rooney. If you miss the opportunity to get to the Freemason’s Hall on the 3rd , don’t worry, as they will be onstage at The Pavilion Dun Laoghaire at 8pm on the 7th . We are lucky enough to have another extraordinary musician visit our shores within the very same week. Sofia Jernberg is a voice artist and composer who has expanded the possibilities of the most human instrumentthe voice. Her singing vocabulary includes sounds and techniques that often contradict a natural singing style. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Vietnam and Sweden, she is based between Oslo and Stockholm. In All About Jazz, Karl Ackermann said of her that “...it is the singing that is most impressive. Jernberg’s vocal agility is sweeping, analogous, conceivably, to the range of sounds that Wadada Leo Smith can generate with the trumpet. She is a phenomenon that merits attention.” She will be performing works by Jennifer Walshe and Georges Aperghis as well as her own. The concert is in The Studio at the National Concert Hall on March 6th and begins at 8.30pm. Let’s finish with a bang, or perhaps a beheading? Irish National Opera are bringing Richard Strauss’s opera Salome to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on March 12th , 14th and 16th . An opera in one act, with a wildly original score, and based on the play by Oscar Wilde, it’s a thrilling ride from beginning to end. What set Salome apart from almost every opera that preceded it was Strauss’s decision to set the Wilde text word for word, without using a librettist. While some of the play is cut, Wilde’s beautiful, erotic and mesmeric language is left intact. The world-class cast includes Olivier nominated soprano Sinéad Campbell-Wallace in the title role, Munich tenor Vincent Wolfsteiner singing Herodes, Icelandic bass-baritone Tómas Tómasson as Jochanaan, and choreography by Liz Roche. This is just a snapshot of all the wonderful music that’s happening across Dublin to inspire you to get out there! PAGE 35