NSO: Summer Lunchtime
National Symphony Orchestra
John Finucane, conductor
Sinéad Farrell, piccolo
Presented by Liz Nolan, RTÉ lyric FM
Beethoven Coriolan Overture
Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto in C
Fauré Masques et Bergamasques
Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor
Kabalevsky Selections from The Comedians
A smorgasbord of musical treats for a five-course, something-for-everyone lunchtime menu taking you across Europe from the theatre to the tavern.
Former National Symphony Orchestra clarinet leader John Finucane makes a welcome return, this time as conductor, while principal piccolo Sinéad Farrell steps into the spotlight for Vivaldi’s virtuosic and charming Piccolo Concerto, where bright summer buoyancy is matched by an achingly expressive, exquisitely melancholic middle movement.
Beethoven’s majestic Coriolan Overture offers up a clenched fist of emotion and high drama thrillingly appropriate for the tragic portrait of the ill-fated Roman general it depicts.
Fauré’s sprightly Masques et Bergamasques glosses traditional dance styles with all the characteristic elegance and lyrical finesse typical of French refinement, while Brahms’s effervescent Hungarian Dance No.5 treats a popular tavern folk dance to the heady, unabashed, heart-on-sleeve intensity and thrilling balletic vitality.
Composed for a children’s play, Kabalevsky’s The Comedians is a delightful display of orchestral virtuosity, brimming with heightened colours, accelerated energy and pastel-delicate melodies.
Presented by National Symphony Orchestra