Adrian Smith

Adrian Smith is Lecturer in Musicology at TU Dublin Conservatoire.

The Beauty and Imperfections of the World
The National Symphony Orchestra and tenor Gavan Ring gave the Irish premiere of Stephen McNeff's 'The Celestial Stranger' on 31 January. Adrian Smith reviews.
Ita Beausang (1936–2024): Pioneering Irish Musicologist and Music Educator
The musicologist and educator Ita Beausang passed away on 20 November. Adrian Smith writes about her contribution to music in Ireland.
An Irresistible Contradiction
Irish National Opera's production of Verdi's 'Rigoletto' is currently running at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Adrian Smith reviews.
Polyrhythms and Púcaí
The 12th Fidelio Trio Winter Chamber Music Festival took place on 22–24 November in Belvedere House, Dublin, and featured works by Shaun Davey, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Niall Vallely and Ailís Ní Riain, as well as marking the centenary of the death of Gabriel Fauré. Adrian Smith reviews.
Friendly But Demanding
A new release from composer Andrew Hamilton and Crash Ensemble asks the question: can music be kind? Adrian Smith reviews.
Contemplating the Earth’s Subliminal Forces
'Earth Sonnet', a new song cycle by Mel Mercier featuring Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Mikel Murfi and the MÓNCKK ensemble, was premiered on 13–14 September at the Dublin Fringe Festival. Adrian Smith reviews.
Kneecap's Rebellion
'Kneecap', the semi-fictional biopic of the Belfast Irish-language rap group, binds many threads, from competing visions of the Irish language’s future to exploring the North's shifting political landscape. Adrian Smith reviews.
Silence is Not Complicity: A Reply to Sebastian Adams
In a previous article in the Journal of Music, composer Sebastian Adams criticised music organisations for not supporting activist musicians. Here, music writer Adrian Smith replies and makes the case for the political independence of promoters.
The Wonders of Bantry
The 2024 West Cork Chamber Music Festival took place from 28 June to 7 July in Bantry and featured Camerata Øresund, Chiaroscuro Quartet, Esther Hoppe, Boris Giltburg, Dana Zemtsov and many more. Adrian Smith reviews the concerts on 4 and 5 July.
The Importance of Ensembles to the New Music Scene
The Music Current contemporary festival was held at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin last week from 2 to 6 April and featured TAK Ensemble, Dublin Sound Lab, Black Page Orchestra, Nadar Ensemble and lovemusic collective. Adrian Smith reviews.
The Erotic and the Murderous: Irish National Opera's 'Salome'
Irish National Opera's production of Richard Strauss' 'Salome' opened on 12 March at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Adrian Smith reviews.
A Fight for Power and Wealth: 'Possession' at the Project Arts Centre
'Possession', a new operatic work by the artist Amanda Coogan and composer Linda Buckley, based on a script by the deaf artist Teresa Deevy, ran at the Project Arts Centre from 21 to 24 February. Adrian Smith reviews.
Letting a Classic Speak
Irish National Opera presented Puccini's 'La bohème' at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin on 20–26 November. Adrian Smith reviews.
A Northern Star: What Ireland Can Learn from Huddersfield
The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (17–26 November) has a particular focus on music from Ireland this year, as well as works from Lithuania, Rebecca Saunders, Laura Bowler, Angharad Davies and more. Adrian Smith reviews the opening weekend.
Into the Sonic Mass
Composer Ed Bennett and cellist Kate Ellis have this month released 'Strange Waves', a new record on the Ergodos label. Adrian Smith reviews.
Walshe's World of Dislocation
The world premiere of 'Oscailt', a new work by Jennifer Walshe, took place at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Dublin on Tuesday 19 September. Adrian Smith reviews.
When it Comes to New Music, the NSO Needs to Get a Move On
The National Symphony Orchestra's new season begins on Friday 8 September, the second full season since it moved to the NCH. Adrian Smith looks ahead to some of the highlights and also considers the orchestra's programming of new music.
Minor Melancholia
'The Blue Light', a new album by composer Garrett Sholdice, has just been released on the Ergodos label. Adrian Smith reviews.
Playing with the Post-digital
The 2023 Music Current festival took place last week (12–15 April) at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin, featuring works by Francis Heery, Jaki Irvine, Michael Maierhof, Jessie Marino, Simon Steen-Anderson and Michael Beil, with performers Nadar Ensemble, Dublin Sound Lab and more. Adrian Smith reviews.
Love, Lust and the Passing of Time
Irish National Opera presented Richard Strauss' 'Der Rosenkavalier', starring Celine Byrne, Paula Murrihy and Claudia Boyle, at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin on 5–11 March. Adrian Smith reviews.
Conversations with Joyce
The world premiere of a new opera by Evangelia Rigaki and Marina Carr, 'Old Ghosts', inspired by 'Ulysses', took place last week at the Museum of Literature Ireland in Dublin. Adrian Smith reviews.
The Gradual Unfolding of Ideas
Last week the National Symphony Orchestra performed four world premieres by Irish composers – orchestral works by Adam McCartney, Seán O’Dálaigh, Judith Ring and Karen Power. Adrian Smith reviews.
'A Civilizational Battle': Russia, Ukraine and the Conflict Over Culture
There have been renewed calls for a boycott of Russian culture, but many Russian artists are at odds with the regime and we should support them, writes Adrian Smith.
A Joyous Debut
The Chineke! Orchestra, Europe's first majority Black and ethnically diverse orchestra, made their Irish debut at the NCH on 13 November, with soloist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason. Adrian Smith reviews.
A Hymn to Nature and Freedom
Irish National Opera's 'William Tell' – the first production of the Rossini opera in Ireland for 145 years – opened at the Gaiety Theatre on 8 November and runs until Sunday. Adrian Smith reviews.
The Pacing of Big Moments
The newly formed Pirosmani Quartet (Mairéad Hickey, William Hagen, Georgy Kovalev and Aleksey Shadrin) performed works by Seán Doherty, Beethoven and Brahms at the NCH on 23 October, the final date of a nationwide tour presented by the National String Quartet Foundation. Adrian Smith reviews.
Different Dimensions
The Fidelio Trio have recently released an album of chamber works by Gerald Barry, most of which have never been recorded previously. Adrian Smith reviews.
Expanding the Boundaries of Opera
'Out of the Ordinary/As an nGnách', a new opera by Finola Merivale and Jody O’Neill experienced through virtual reality, is currently running as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival. Adrian Smith reviews.
An Ambitious and Diverse Return
New Music Dublin returned last week with a fully live event from 28 April to 1 May, and 39 world premieres. Adrian Smith reviews.
Beyond Pussy Riot – Rock, Pop, Rap and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Beyond the activist punk band Pussy Riot, a number of popular rock, pop and rap artists in Russia have been making their voices heard on the invasion of Ukraine – in the face of oppressive new laws – while others have chosen to stay silent. Adrian Smith explores the nature of dissent through music in Russia at this critical time.