KARG-ELERT Seven Pastels from the Lake of Constance’ 

Just as Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony, being performed by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at 7.30pm, takes extra-musical inspiration (a poem by Lord Byron) for its subject matter, so Karg-Elert uses various scenes from the Lake of Constance as his subject matter.  Karg-Elert is an enigmatic figure, absorbing many varying influences at the turn of the last century.  In later life he turned to contrapuntal rigour and the great Germanic repertoire of the past, but this set of pieces represents the height of impressionism as an influence, with highly evocative titles and many and specific demands of colour.