A Century of Irish Classics?
Barra Ó Séaghdha
On 7–25 September, the National Concert Hall hosted 'Composing the Island', a major series of concerts spanning one hundred years of Irish classical music. Featuring over 80 composers, 27 concerts, and almost 200 works, Barra Ó Séaghdha explores its achievements as well as the musical questions it raises.
Who's Afraid of Electronic Music?
Liam Cagney
A new electroacoustic music festival debuted in Dublin in April. Featuring Jennifer Walshe, Lucy Railton, Fergal Dowling and more, it adds an important layer to the country's new music scene, writes Liam Cagney.
Commemorating 1916 By Not Thinking About It
Barra Ó Séaghdha
As part of Ireland's 1916 commemorative programme, the National Concert Hall hosted a series of seven major concerts 'inspired by the 1916 Proclamation'. But, writes Barra Ó Séaghdha, did the series meaningfully engage with this history, or were they 'arranged with a view to demonstrating our harmlessness to an imaginary outsider'?
Piano Concerto by Gerald Barry
Anna Murray
Gerald Barry describes his new Piano Concerto as like a ‘play or opera’, with the relationship between piano and orchestra not what you would expect. Anna Murray attended the Irish premiere.
Ensemble Ériu – Stargazer
Toner Quinn
Ensemble Ériu, a group that combines traditional, jazz and contemporary music, recently toured their new six-part suite 'Stargazer'. Toner Quinn attended the opening performance in Galway.
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The Past Inside the Present: The Ergodos Exploration of Time
The Ergodos aesthetic has been remarkably consistent over the years, writes Liam Cagney, yet four recent albums by composers Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, David Collier and Simon O'Connor, and singer Michelle O'Rourke, are an undoubted maturation of the label's vision. 
A Fractured History for Fractured Arts
The treatment of music was inconsistent, but RTÉ's 'Altering States' underlines the need for a discourse about music's relationship with the other arts in Ireland, writes Laura Watson. 
Raelach's Landscape of New Voices
Three recent recordings from Raelach Records reflect the diversity of the label's interests, writes Adrian Scahill. 
Crash's Free State: Freedom and Responsibility
John McLachlan attends Crash Ensemble's 9th 'Free State' concert, which offered a range of work from emerging Irish composers. 
Diatribe Live: M.C. Schmidt/Jennifer Walshe/Nick Roth
A night of improvised music hosted by the Diatribe label was experiential, experimental and more, writes John McLachlan.