The Goo 1
Scene News CLASSICAL CLIODHNA RYAN This April the
re are discoveries for all acoustic explorers out there, with heavyweight international artists joining top-tier Irish talent for thrilling creative collaborations. From April 25-28, New Music Dublin is taking over the NCH for four days of premieres, contemporary classics, experimental explorations, and multimedia collaborations. So call in sick, pitch your tent at Earlsfort Terrace, and get into it, because it’s going to be memorable. Thursday’s highlights include The Harmonic Labyrinth at 3pm with Aoife Ní Bhriain on violin and Liam Byrne on viola da gamba. At 7pm the RTE Concert Orchestra will be performing world premieres by Raymond Deane and Deirdre Gribbin as well as Kaija Saariaho’s Aile du songe. Hugh Tinney returns to NMD as piano soloist in the world premiere of Deane’s Anaphora while Silvija Ščerbavičiūtė, RTÉ Concert Orchestra Principal Flute, is soloist in the Saariaho. Stone Drawn Circles close the first day of the festival, with premieres by Úna Monaghan, Karen Power, Brian Irvine, Cat Hope and Nicole Lizée. Friday kicks off with a violin and piano recital by Darragh Morgan and Mary Dullea at 1pm. They are presenting a concert of works by Gerald Barry, whose music has been described by The Guardian as ‘enchanting, exhilarating, wildly funny, frighteningly violent or downright infuriating, sometimes all at the same time’. At 7pm the National Symphony Orchestra feature two Irish premieres alongside the world premiere of Tuile agus Trá, by Linda Buckley with singer Iarla Ó Lionáird as soloist. SLEEPTALKER by Robin Haigh opens the concert while Donnacha Dennehy’s Violin Concerto brings it to a close. Dennehy describes his concerto as opening with the violin zooming in and out of different perspectives. Of the second movement Dennehy says “(it) feels redolent of the sea to me.” He describes the last movement as earthy and STONE DRAWN CIRCLES CHAMBER CHOIR IRELAND cheeky, as “the violin threatens to spiral everything out of control leading to a fierce conclusion on the very edge of what is possible!”. The closing concert on Friday is at 10pm, with mother and daughter duo Anne La Berge (flute/electronics/voice) and Diamanda La Berge Dramm (violin/voice). Together they have been described as ‘electrifying, moving and covering a wide expanse from avant-garde virtuosity to high energy and heady computer-assisted improvisation’. Saturday’s highlights include Chamber Choir Ireland at the Pepper Canister Church. The concert starts with David Fennessy’s eccentric ChOirland, with works by Thomas Tallis, Eoghan Desmond and Cassandra Miller to follow. It finishes with The Dancers Inherit the Party by Gabriel Jackson, based on the eponymous poem by Ian Hamilton Finlay. Saturday’s 7pm performance opens with the final symphony of Jóhann Jóhannsson performed by the National Symphony Orchestra. A Prayer to the Dynamo is a four-movement work that features the hydroelectric hum of Elliðaárstöð, the Reykjavik power plant whose sounds fascinated Jóhannsson. The event closes with a set by A Winged Victory For The Sullen, aka Dustin O’Halloran and Adam Wiltzie. They are considered frontrunners of the ambient music scene and were dear friends and collaborators of Jóhannsson during his lifetime. Finally, on Saturday at 9.30pm, Crash Ensemble’s Changing States is inspired by changing states in music, society and politics. It features the world premiere of Cryptid by Bekah Simms and the Irish premiere of Finnish composer Antti Auvinen’s Boundary Bourrée. Sunday shines a spotlight on Irish ensembles, with Musici Ireland presenting Earth Rising at 11am in the Kevin Barry Room. The programme focuses on the natural world, with works by Deirdre Gribbin, Linda Buckley, Amanda Feery and Liam Bates. Kirkos perform their Beginners Guide To Slow Travel at 3pm and at 5pm Elvana Sinfonietta are on the main stage of the NCH. The centrepiece of the concert is a world premiere by Rhona Clark, with the rest of the programme taking inspiration from Ireland, Sweden and Japan. At 7pm in The Studio, Crash Ensemble present the world premiere of TERRARIUM by Anne Cleare. It was created in collaboration with site-responsive artists Lay of the Land and videographer and director Laura Sheeran. Described as “immersive and multi-layered”, it is an exploration of Ireland’s boglands, particularly Lough Boora in Offaly, “peeling back layers of memory and myth embedded within its fascinating, post-industrial terrain.” There are also talks, installations and audience-inclusive events, so get into it and explore the festival website to discover all that’s on offer. As you can tell, I’ll be more out than in this month, so see you there! PAGE 35