A mysterious, dreamlike piece for theatre, a sacred motet clothed in operatic garb, and a ‘little’ symphony that punches above its weight.

Composed as incidental music for a theatre play ominously titled Death, Sibelius’ Valse triste immediately gained a place in the concert repertoire. Evoking the delirious visions of a dying woman, it is a melancholic waltz with a dark, fevered poetry and haunted quality that entices even as it unsettles.

The ‘stupendous coloratura sophistication and radiance’ (Neue Musikzeitung) of soprano Claudia Boyle takes centre stage for the vocal pyrotechnics of Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate. Composed when he was just 16, it’s a bold and brilliant marriage of the operatic and the sacred.

The liveliest of Beethoven’s symphonies, the Eighth, is also the shortest earning it the nickname ‘Little’. But what distinguishes it is not its size but its infectious energy and optimism. Harking back to Mozart and Haydn, it is full of musical surprises and attention-grabbing tricks that keep players and audiences on their toes in one of the most entertaining of all symphonies.

The concerts will also be available to view on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player.