A Royal Conflict
Brendan Finan
Irish National Opera's production of Donizetti’s 'Maria Stuarda' opened in the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin at the weekend, ahead of dates in Cork, Wexford and Limerick. Brendan Finan reviews.
Natural New Directions
Brendan Finan
Violist Nathan Sherman and percussionist Alex Petcu have recently released a new album that includes commissions from Benedict Schlepper-Connolly and Kate Moore as well as works by Ian Wilson and Berio. Brendan Finan reviews.
Music Out of Time
Toner Quinn
Music for Galway recently presented the world premiere of Gerald Barry's 'Cello Concerto' and the Irish premiere of Julia Wolfe's 'Wind in My Hair'. Toner Quinn reviews.
Intense Innovation: Jazz Clubs and the Evolution of Jazz
Ronan Guilfoyle
On 26–28 May in the Bello Bar in Dublin, Dave Liebman and the Guilfoyle/Nielsen trio will try to emulate the atmosphere of the New York jazz clubs of the 1960s, with their long playing time and intimate atmosphere in which jazz originally developed. Here, Ronan Guilfoyle discusses what made the jazz club so essential to the music.
Sean-nós on Its Own Terms
Adrian Scahill
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Ceara Conway and Inni-K have all recently released CDs that reimagine the performance of Irish sean-nós songs. Adrian Scahill reviews.
Not a Journey But a Place
Brendan Finan
Last weekend, Louth Contemporary Music Society presented the Irish premiere of American composer Michael Pisaro-Liu's, ‘asleep, wind, voice, poe’. The concert featured London group Apartment House, pianist David Bremner, composer and audio producer David Stalling, and actor Olwen Fouéré. Brendan Finan reviews.
Shades of Drama and Light
James Camien McGuiggan
Last week, the National Symphony Orchestra performed under Portuguese conductor Joana Carneiro a programme of works by Salonen, Mahler, and Stravinsky, featuring mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
A Limited Edition
Laura Watson
A new collection of essays, 'This Woman's Work', focuses on the female experience of music and aims to challenge 'the historic narrative of music and music writing being written by men, for men’. Laura Watson reviews.
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Representing Ireland's Damaged Past
Farpoint Recordings have recently released 'SacrumProfanum' by composer Benjamin Dwyer, a work for ensemble and tape inspired by the medieval Sheela-na-gig carvings found in Ireland. James Camien McGuiggan 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.