FIREWORKS AND SPECTACLE

RTE National Symphony Orchestra Spring 2010 Tour

Mairéad Buicke, soprano
Nicola Benedetti, violin
Takuo Yuasa, conductor

Tuesday 23rd March
Leisureland, Salthill, 8pm

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture

Tickets €22/€18/€10 from Music for Galway 091 705962, Opus II, Cornstore or on-line www.tht.ie

Scottish violin star Nicola Benedetti and the acclaimed young Irish soprano Mairéad Buicke, straight from her base at English National Opera, join the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, under conductor Takuo Yuasa, on its Spring tour. The performance takes place on Tuesday 23 March in Leisureland, Galway at 8pm.

Expect fireworks, red-blooded romantic virtuosity and music of great drama with the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and the 1812 Overture, always great favourites with audiences. Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 paints an idyllic, nostalgic picture of the American south. Mairéad Buicke will transport audiences to that lazy summer, the swing on the back-porch, the streetcar rattling by… Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, what some call his salute to the life and beauty of the world completes the tour programme.

Since catapulting to fame at the age of 15, winning the 2004 BBC Young Musician of the Year, Scottish born violinist Nicola Benedetti has captivated audiences and critics alike with her musicality and poise. She is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most innovative and creative young violinists with an enviable ability to communicate and enthrall audiences with dynamic and energy-filled performances.

The tour will also see the welcome return of Limerick born soprano Mairéad Buicke to sing the Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915. A semi-finalist and special prize winner of the Belvedere International Singing Competition in Vienna in 2004, Mairéad has, for the last three years, been based at English National Opera as part of its prestigiousYoung Singers Programme. Roles there have included Pamina Die Zauberflöte, Karolka Jenufa and 2nd Niece Peter Grimes as well as 1st Lady Die Zauberflöte, Sylviane The Merry Widow and Paquette Candide. Mairéad is also a keen recitalist. Recital work includes the Wexford Festival, Music for Galway Festival, the Boyle Arts Festival and Bantry Chamber Music Festival.

The highly regarded Japanese conductor Takuo Yuasa performs throughout Europe and the Far East. He has held long-term positions as Principal Conductor of the Gumma Symphony Orchestra in Japan, as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and as the hugely successful Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland, a position he held for eight years. He has a successful recording career as an exclusive Naxos artist. His versatility is recognised by orchestras around the world who engage him to conduct standard core repertoire as well as less well-known pieces by major composers.

Tickets are available from Music for Galway 091 705962 or Opus II, The Cornstore, Galway or online www.tht.ie

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Music for Galway launches 29th International Concert Season

Music for Galway announced details of the 29th international concert season at the Galway City Museum on Tuesday Sept. 8. Describing Music for Galway concerts as being vital to the cultural fabric of Galway, Prof. William Schabas, Director of the Irish Human Rights Centre at NUI Galway, cellist and music lover, pointed in particular to the fact that while in these days of ipod and radio, the enjoyment of this music has turned very much into a solitary experience, Music for Galway affords people from Galway and the West the chance to come together and experience this music in a collective way, to talk about it and come away at times uplifted, at times perhaps challenged, but certainly feeling enriched.

Artistic director Jane O’Leary described the programme as ‘entertaining, enriching and inspiring’, noting that musicians from over a dozen countries would be coming to Galway between September and May. Twenty concerts are on offer, ranging from solo pianist James Lisney, who will be resident in Galway during February, to the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, who will perform Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Violin Concerto in March.

A number of anniversaries occur and there will be celebrations to note the 250th anniversary of the death of Handel, the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death, and 200th birthdays for Schumann and Chopin. Chopin’s music features in recitals by pianists Cédric Tiberghien in November and James Lisney who describes himself as a ‘great-grand-pupil’ of Chopin's. One of the season’s highlights will be the popular January Festival. FANTASIES AND FAIRYTALES opens the Schumann year and features the Irish debut of young Russian baritone Rodion Pogossov joined by Romanian pianist Eduard Stan, German clarinettist Johannes Peitz and the Galway Ensemble-in-Residence, ConTempo Quartet.

The Haydn Trio Eisenstadt perform music by Haydn and inspired by Haydn, while Händel is celebrated by young English Baroque duo Gandolpho and also with Opera Theatre Company’s Production of Alcina.

Irish clarinetist Paul Roe teams up with the Galway Ensemble-in-Residence, ConTempo for a special concert KLEZMER AND BEYOND - THE SOUL OF THE CLARINET which features the Irish premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s klezmer-inspired piece for clarinet and string quartet.

The season opens with PURELY PIANO - international piano star Andreas Haefliger from Switzerland performs piano sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms on Thursday 24 September in the Aula Maxima, NUI Galway at 8pm. Described as

‘a pianist to listen to’, Haefliger is featured at concert halls throughout the world and will be performing in Galway for the first time.

While ticket prices remain unchanged, the season this year comes in a variety of packages – great savings can be made by joining Music for Galway as a member and by purchasing either the full season ticket (30% reduction), or the Autumn Season or Spring Season (20% reduction). Music for Galway offers anyone who joins before October 12th the opportunity to bring a guest for free to one of the first two concerts in the season.

Music for Galway gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council.

Come along and experience how music performances can truly enrich our lives!

Tickets from Music for Galway 091 705962, Opus II, Cornstore or on-line www.tht.ie