RTÉ National
SYMPHONY
Orchestra
2014–2015 Season
Contents
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A Message of Welcome from RTÉ
Alan Buribayev on his Season
At a Glance: 2014–2015 Season
Concerts & Events: 5 September 2014–29 May 2015
Pipeworks Organ Recitals
Single Concert Ticket Prices at the National Concert Hall
Main Season Concert Package Options
Main Season Subscriber Rewards & Discounts
Main Season Concert Package Prices
Main Season Subscriber Card
How and When to Book
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra: Profile
National Concert Hall Seating Plan: Main Season Concerts
Cover image: Alondra de la Parra
Conducting on Friday 27 February
RTÉ National
SYMPHONY
Orchestra
2014–2015 Season
Patron: Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland
Principal Conductor: Alan Buribayev
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Main Season concerts, Horizons and other
selected concerts are broadcast on RTÉ lyric fm
1
Helena Wood, Leader, RTÉ NSO
2
Welcome
t is my pleasure to welcome you to the RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra’s 2014-2015 season, once again
including a Beyond the Season programme.
I
Marking the 150th anniversary of his birth, the works of Richard Strauss play
an important part in the Main Season which will also celebrate the 150th
anniversaries of the Nordic giants, Sibelius and Nielsen, the 30th Anniversary
of the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and, of course, Culure Night. Also featured
are Beethoven’s four Fidelio Overtures, three of Stravinsky’s greatest ballet scores,
a mini-series of three Shostakovich symphonies and an exciting range of choral
works – including two new RTÉ commissions for choir and orchestra. Overall,
across our Main Season and Horizons series, nine new works, including four
RTÉ commissions, will receive world premieres, and eight works will receive
first performances in Ireland.
Our artists and our musicians bring this music to life. Led by Principal
Conductor Alan Buribayev, we are proud to present a distinguished list of
guest conductors and soloists including a series of outstanding wind virtuosi.
In presenting this programme so rich in masterworks of the symphonic literature
from Bach to Bartók, Mozart to Mahler, and Beethoven to Stravinsky and
beyond, it is also my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to my successor, John
O’Kane. I have greatly enjoyed my time as Interim Executive Director, RTÉ
Orchestras, Quartet and Choirs and wish John every success in his new role.
Finally, on behalf of RTÉ and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, it is my
privilege to invite you to join, support and enjoy the orchestra in what promises
to be some great music-making over the weeks and months to come.
Aodán Ó Dubhghaill
Interim Executive Director
RTÉ Orchestras, Quartet & Choirs
3
Alan Buribayev, Principal Conductor, RTÉ NSO
4
Alan Buribayev
Principal Conductor, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
T
his is a season to which I look forward with tremendous excitement.
With my dear friends in the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra,
we will complete our journey through Prokofiev’s symphonies with
a performance of his Symphony No. 7 (8 May), we will pit ourselves against
the thrilling musical and rhythmic challenges of Stravinsky’s Rite (29 May) and
we will perform, for the very first time, Good Friday–Belfast: 10-4-98 by Irish
composer, Gerry Murphy (8 May).
With a range of great soloists, both Irish and international, we will, over a
number of concerts, perform some of the great orchestral works of Richard
Strauss and other great composers of the German tradition. And for me, a
very personal touch, music from my family, with the dances from my greatgrandfather’s opera Abai. It will be our pleasure, as always, to bring this great
music to you.
5
At a Glance September 2014 – January 2015
DATE
TIME
TITLE
COMPOSERS / PROGRAMME
Fri 5 Sep
Fri 12 Sep
Tue 16 Sep
8pm
8pm
1.05pm
Suppé, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Stravinksy
Beethoven, Sibelius, R Strauss
Dvorák From the New World
Fri 19 Sep
Fri 19 Sep
7pm
8pm
2014–2015 SEASON FAVOURITES
SEASON OPENING
GREAT SYMPHONIES CLOSE UP
CHARLES HAZLEWOOD
RTÉ CÓR na nÓG
RAPTURE
Fri 26 Sep
Tue 30 Sep
8pm
1.05pm
Liszt, Schumann, Bartók
Tchaikovsky Pathétique
Fri 3 Oct
Thurs 9 Oct
Fri 10 Oct
Fri 17 Oct
8pm
8pm
8pm
8pm
ORCHESTRAL SOLOS
GREAT SYMPHONIES CLOSE UP
CHARLES HAZLEWOOD
MUSIC AS WITNESS
SWASHBUCKLING STRAUSS
SWASHBUCKLING STRAUSS
OUT OF ITALY
Fri 24 Oct
Fri 31 Oct
Fri 7 Nov
8pm
8pm
8pm
QUIRKY BRILLIANCE
MUSIC FOR HALLOWEEN
GERMAN SOUL
Beethoven, Dvorák, Shostakovich
Dvorák, Brahms, R Strauss
Dvorák, Brahms, R Strauss
Mendelssohn, Mozart, Donizetti (arr. Seeber),
Respighi
Sibelius, Lindberg, Tchaikovsky
Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Berlioz, Dukas
Beethoven, Brahms
Fri 21 Nov
Fri 28 Nov
Fri 28 Nov
Fri 5 Dec
8pm
6.45pm
8pm
8pm
MASTER MAGICIAN
PIPEWORKS
LOVE IN A TIME OF WAR
RUSSIAN ROULETTE
Glinka, Mozart, Tchaikovsky
Elert
Mozart, Liszt (arr. Drezuin), Beethoven
Borodin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich
Tue 9 Dec
Thurs 11 Dec
Tue 16 Dec
1.05pm
1.05pm
11am &
1.05pm
8pm
LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE
THE ENCHANTED MUSE
CHRISTMAS IS COMING!
Operatic and Christmas favourites
Operatic and Christmas favourites
Christmas favourites
CELINE BYRNE
CHRISTMAS GALA
VIENNESE WHIRLS
Dvorák, Puccini, Gounod, Tchaikovsky
THE MUSIC MAKERS
Elaine Agnew, Mozart, Elgar
HORIZONS: GRÁINNE MULVEY
PIPEWORKS
CLOWN & PHILOSOPHER
Gráinne Mulvey, David Bremner, Nicola LeFanu
JS Bach, Messiaen
R Strauss, Bartók, Bruch
Thurs 18 Dec
Thurs 1 Jan
Fri 9 Jan
2.30pm &
6.30pm
8pm
Tue 13 Jan
Fri 16 Jan
Fri 16 Jan
1.05pm
6.45pm
8pm
v
Choral selection for children’s voices
Linda Buckley, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov
v
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Strauss Family and Viennese vocal favourites
All performances take place in the National Concert Hall, Dublin with the exception of
6
Thurs 9 Oct, Galway.
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CONDUCTOR
SOLOIST(S)
Gavin Maloney
Alan Buribayev
Charles Hazlewood
Pekka Kuusisto
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Mary Amond O’Brien
Gavin Maloney
Stefan Blunier
Charles Hazlewood
Gabriela Montero,
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
Leon McCawley
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Michael Francis
Alan Buribayev
Alan Buribayev
Daniel Smith
Philippe Graffin
Daniel Müller-Schott
Daniel Müller-Schott
Alexei Ogrintchouk
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Christian Lindberg
Jamie Phillips
Andreas Delfs
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John Finucane
John Finucane
Christopher Bell
Christian Lindberg
Enrico Pace
John O'Conor, Lynda Lee,
Owen Gilhooly, RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
Julian Rachlin
David Leigh
Julian Rachlin
Michael McHale,
RTÉ NSO Mentoring Scheme participants
Patrick Hyland
Sylvia O'Brien
Rachel Croash
David Brophy
Celine Byrne
Robert Houlihan
Anna Devin
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Andrew Litton
Hugh Tinney, Imelda Drumm,
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
Martin Johnson
Mark Duley
Maxim Rysanov, John Finucane
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Julian Rachlin
Julian Rachlin
Courtney Lewis
Gavin Maloney
Alan Buribayev
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7
At a Glance January–May 2015
DATE
TIME
Tue 20 Jan
Fri 23 Jan
Tue 27 Jan
Fri 30 Jan
Tue 3 Feb
Fri 6 Feb
Fri 13 Feb
Tue 17 Feb
1.05pm
8pm
1.05pm
8pm
1.05pm
8pm
8pm
1.05pm
TITLE
COMPOSERS / PROGRAMME
David Coonan, Joseph Davies
Sibelius, Grieg, Nielsen
Philip Hammond
Bizet, Rodrigo, Saint-Saëns
John Buckley, Elliott Carter, Jerome de Bromhead
Beethoven, Mahler, Korngold, Schubert
Elgar, Watkins, Brahms
Haydn Military,
Prokofiev Classical
Cramer, R Strauss, Reger
Beethoven, R Strauss
Berlioz
Fri 20 Mar
Fri 20 Mar
Fri 27 Mar
Fri 3 Apr
HORIZONS: DAVID COONAN
NORDIC GIANTS
HORIZONS: PHILIP HAMMOND
GALLIC CHARMS
HORIZONS: JOHN BUCKLEY
HEAVENLY LENGTH
ROLLERCOASTER
GREAT SYMPHONIES CLOSE UP
CHARLES HAZLEWOOD
6.45pm
PIPEWORKS
8pm
MUSICAL PEAKS
10.30am & LEAVING CERTIFICATE GUIDE TO
12.15pm SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
8pm
MEXICAN WAVE
8pm
SONG OF SUMMER
8pm
A TRIBUTE TO MASTER
UILLEANN PIPER LIAM O’FLYNN
6.45pm
PIPEWORKS
8pm
POETRY & MAYHEM
8pm
VOICES TO THRILL
3.30pm
THE EASTER PASSION
Fri 17 Apr
Thurs 23 Apr
Fri 24 Apr
Fri 1 May
Fri 1 May
Fri 8 May
Fri 15 May
Tue 19 May
8pm
8pm
7.30pm
6.45pm
8pm
8pm
8pm
1.05pm
Grieg, Nielsen, Sibelius
Borodin, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky
Borodin, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky
Mozart, Stravinsky
Tchaikovsky, Mozart, R Strauss, Shostakovich
Gerry Murphy, Prokofiev, Brahms
Mozart, Mahler
Brahms Symphony No. 3
Fri 22 May
8pm
A TOUCH OF FROST
MYSTERIOUS MELODIES
MYSTERIOUS MELODIES
PIPEWORKS
HORN OF PLENTY
DISSONANCE & RESOLUTION
APPROACHING NIGHT
GREAT SYMPHONIES CLOSE UP
CHARLES HAZLEWOOD
CHARIOT OF FIRE
Fri 29 May
8pm
RUSSIAN RITES
Mussorgsky (arr. Ravel),
Zhubanov & Hamidi, Stravinsky
Fri 20 Feb
Fri 20 Feb
Tue 24 Feb
Fri 27 Feb
Fri 13 Mar
Tue 17 Mar
May, Chávez, Rosauro, Stravinsky
Mendelssohn, Frank Corcoran, Beethoven
To be announced
Cochereau, Duruflé
Berlioz, Mozart, Poulenc, Ravel
Brahms, Mozart, R Strauss
JS Bach St Matthew Passion
Mendelssohn Elijah
All performances take place in the National Concert Hall, Dublin
with the exception of Thursday 23 April Cork & Friday 24 April Waterford.
8
SOLOIST
Gavin Maloney
Howard Shelley
Gavin Maloney
Takuo Yuasa
Gavin Maloney
Patrik Ringborg
Damian Iorio
Charles Hazlewood
Kristine Balanas
Howard Shelley
Michael McHale
Craig Ogden
Gwendolyn Masin
Kurt Nikkanen
Adam Walker, RTÉ ConTempo Quartet
-
Alan Buribayev
David Brophy
David Adams
Helena Wood
-
Alondra de la Parra
Kenneth Montgomery
David Brophy
Eriko Daimo
Martin Johnson
Liam O'Flynn and guests
Jean-Luc Tingaud
Alan Buribayev
Robert Howarth
David Leigh
Pascal & Ami Rogé
Celine Byrne, Ailish Tynan, Tara Erraught
Robin Tritschler, Eamonn Mulhall,
Roísín O'Grady, Sharon Carty,
Padraic Rowan, Philip O'Reilly, RTÉ Choirs
Julian Bliss
Elizabeth Cooney
Elizabeth Cooney
David Adams
David Pyatt
Finghin Collins
Nikolay Khozyainov
-
David Brophy
Conor Palliser
Conor Palliser
Vladimir Altschuler
Alan Buribayev
Gerhard Markson
Charles Hazlewood
Paul Daniel
Alan Buribayev
Darren Jeffrey, Celine Byrne,
Imelda Drumm, Mark Wilde,
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
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9
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
Taster concert
presenting just
a few of the
treasures to
come!
Paul Herriott
2014–2015 Season Favourites
Friday 5 September / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Gavin Maloney conductor / Presented by Paul Herriott, RTÉ lyric fm
Suppé
Beethoven
Schubert
Berlioz
Sibelius
Bartók
Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky
Stravinsky
The Beautiful Galathea Overture
Symphony No. 6, Pastoral: ‘Scene by the Brook’
Symphony No. 9, The Great: Scherzo
La damnation de Faust: Dance of the Sylphs; Hungarian March
Finlandia
Concerto for Orchestra: ‘Giuoco delle coppie’
Symphony No. 4: Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato
Symphony No. 5: Waltz
The Firebird: Danse infernal; Berceuse; Finale
A new season, and with it opportunities galore to again hear some of the
greatest music ever written – or to discover wonderful works for the first
time. Our centuries-spanning curtain raiser offers just a few of the jewels
and treasures to come. Masterpieces by Beethoven, Bartók, Schubert and
Tchaikovsky, together with Sibelius’ majestic Finlandia, Faustian drama
from Berlioz and the combustible excitement of Stravinsky’s Firebird offer
the perfect introduction to a year of unmissable music making.
10
ALL TICKETS €10
MAIN SEASON
The haunting
Sibelius Violin
Concerto and the
heroic grandeur of
Richard Strauss
Pekka Kuusisto
Season Opening
Fidelio Overtures
Strauss 150
Friday 12 September / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven
Pekka Kuusisto
Sibelius
Leonore Overture No. 1 [10’]
violin
Violin Concerto in D minor
Alan Buribayev
R Strauss
conductor
Ein Heldenleben [40’]
[31’]
Our season opens in style with principal conductor Alan Buribayev
launching a survey of Beethoven’s four Fidelio Overtures with the
energetic Leonore No. 1. The evening also sees the first of five concerts
marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss: the
semi-autobiographical Ein Heldenleben quotes more than 30 earlier
works, its final pages marked by beauty and tenderness. Acclaimed and
decorated Finnish virtuoso Pekka Kuusisto joins us for one of his
compatriot’s most famous works, Sibelius’ epic Violin Concerto.
Soundings In Conversation / Pekka Kuusisto
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
11
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
Great Symphonies Close Up
with Charles Hazlewood
Presented by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the National Concert Hall
Takes place as part of FORTE! The RTÉ NSO’s Musical Discovery Programme
Tuesday 16 September / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Dvorák
Charles Hazlewood
Symphony No. 9,
From the New World [38’]
v
conductor/presenter
v
The memorable melodies of Dvorák’s ninth, last and most popular
symphony owe a considerable debt to the American-Negro spirituals
and plantation songs he discovered on his travels in the ‘New World’.
But, finding himself far from home, the nostalgic pull of his native
Bohemia can be clearly felt in a brilliantly orchestrated masterpiece
that sounds authentically American and Czech.
Charles Hazlewood
12
Charles Hazlewood is a man on a mission:
to make the masterpieces of classical music
accessible and understandable to the widest
possible audience. In this hour-long event
taking place as part of a revealing ear-opening
series examining how five composers created
five legendary symphonies, he will discuss,
explore and conduct excerpts from the ‘New
World’ symphony before a full performance
of the work.
ALL TICKETS €10
EXCLUSIVE OFFER for RTÉ NSO 2014–2015 Full Subscription Package buyers / SEE P.63
MAIN SEASON
Understated
beauty, thrills
and spills,
fairytale
realms
Gabriela Montero
Culture Night 100 FREE TICKETS
Available from August See www.rte.ie/nso
Rapture
Choral
Friday 19 September / Free concert 7pm / Soundings 7.10pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Linda Buckley
Gabriela Montero
RTÉ lyric fm commission / world premiere
piano
Tchaikovsky
RTÉ Philharmonic
Choir
Piano Concerto No. 1
in B flat minor [32’]
chorus master: Mark Hindley
Gavin Maloney
conductor
Beloved on the earth [15’]
Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade [42’]
The understated beauty and emotive power of Raymond Carver poems
‘This Word Love’, ‘No Need’ and ‘Late Fragment’ inspire Linda Buckley’s
new work for choir and orchestra; Gabriella Montero returns for the thrills
and spills of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto while Rimsky-Korsakov’s
hypnotically perfumed Scheherazade takes us into the exotic, fairytale realms
of The Arabian Nights.
FREE Concert RTÉ Cór na nÓg
Choral director: Mary Amond O’Brien
Soundings In Conversation / Linda Buckley
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
13
MAIN SEASON
Showcase
opportunity
with fireworks
guaranteed!
Leon McCawley
Orchestral Solos
Friday 26 September / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Leon McCawley
Liszt
Les préludes [16’]
Schumann
piano
Piano Concerto in A minor [31’]
Stefan Blunier
Bartók
conductor
Concerto for Orchestra [36’]
Liszt’s mighty symphonic poem Les préludes is a perfect orchestral
‘prelude’ to two compelling concertos. Eloquent, intimate and
virtuosic, Schumann’s Piano Concerto is vividly contrasted by Bartók’s
astonishing Concerto for Orchestra, a showcase opportunity for each
orchestral section to out-do the other. Fireworks are guaranteed!
Soundings In Conversation / Leon McCawley & Stefan Blunier
14
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
Great Symphonies Close Up
with Charles Hazlewood
Presented by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the National Concert Hall
Takes place as part of FORTE! The RTÉ NSO’s Musical Discovery Programme
Tuesday 30 September / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Tchaikovsky
Charles Hazlewood
Symphony No. 6,
Pathétique [47’]
conductor/presenter
Tchaikovsky’s final symphony puts the listener through the emotional
wringer with music of intense melancholy and anguished outbursts
expressed in a daringly wide dynamic range. Its variety of moods,
controlled passions and grief-stricken finale set it apart as one of
the richest and most intricately designed of all symphonies.
A sombre masterpiece full of hidden treasures.
Charles Hazlewood’s revealing
ear-opening series examining
how five composers created five
legendary symphonies continues
with Charles discussing, exploring
and conducting excerpts from the
Pathétique symphony before a full
performance of the work.
Charles Hazlewood
ALL TICKETS €10
EXCLUSIVE OFFER for RTÉ NSO 2014–2015 Full Subscription Package buyers / SEE P.63
15
MAIN SEASON
Drama, vivid
contrasts and
journalistic
immediacy
Philippe Graffin
Music as Witness
Fidelio Overtures
Friday 3 October / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Philippe Graffin
violin
Michael Francis
conductor
Beethoven
Leonore Overture No. 2 [13’]
Dvorák
v
Violin Concerto in A minor [32’]
Shostakovich
Symphony No. 11 in G minor,
The Year 1905 [34’]
The second of Beethoven’s Leonore overtures provides a dramatic
lead-in to Dvorák’s bold Violin Concerto, a work of vivid contrasts
and virtuoso demands for soloist Philippe Graffin. Shostakovich’s
Eleventh Symphony grips with journalistic immediacy in its
unblinking depiction of the ‘Bloody Sunday’ massacre in 1905
when Tsarist troops opened fire on unarmed demonstrators.
v
Soundings In Conversation / Philippe Graffin & Michael Francis
16
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
MAIN SEASON
‘Daniel MüllerSchott...one of
the finest cellists
before the
public today’
The Times, London
Daniel Müller-Schott
Strauss 150
Swashbuckling Strauss
Thursday 9 October / Leisureland, Galway / Concert 8pm
Friday 10 October / National Concert Hall / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Müller-Schott
Dvorák
v
Cello Concerto in B minor [40’]
Brahms
cello
Variations on a Theme by Haydn [17’]
Alan Buribayev
R Strauss
conductor
Don Juan [17’]
Dvorák’s lyrical Cello Concerto gave Daniel Müller-Schott a triumph
earlier this year with the Berlin Philharmonic; expect the same tonight!
Brahms’ masterly Haydn Variations lead fluidly to the swashbuckling
and incident-filled Don Juan, the second of six masterpieces by Richard
Strauss conducted by Alan Buribayev this season.
v
Soundings In Conversation / Daniel Müller-Schott
DUBLIN TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
FOR GALWAY SEE WWW.MUSICFORGALWAY.IE
17
MAIN SEASON
One of the
most beautiful
concertos ever
composed for
the oboe
Daniel Smith
Out of Italy
Great Wind Virtuosi
Friday 17 October / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
Mendelssohn
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Alexei Ogrintchouk
Symphony No. 4 in A, Italian [27’]
oboe
Donizetti
Daniel Smith
Oboe Concertino in F [10’]
conductor
Respighi
Mozart
Oboe Concerto in C, K.314 [21’]
(arr. Seeber)
Pines of Rome [23’]
The outstanding Russian soloist Alexei Ogrintchouk takes centre stage
for Mozart’s Oboe Concerto – one of the most beautiful ever composed
for the instrument – and Donizetti’s delightful Concertino, masterfully
arranged by the orchestra’s former cor anglais player, Helmut Seeber.
Mendelssohn’s ebullient ‘Italian’ Symphony and Respighi’s technicoloured
portrait of the Pines of Rome complete an evening of Italian style and
elegance.
Soundings In Conversation / Alexei Ogrintchouk & Daniel Smith
18
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
MAIN SEASON
Passion and
romance with
trombonist
extraordinaire
Christian Lindberg
Christian Lindberg
Quirky Brilliance
Great Wind Virtuosi
Friday 24 October / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Christian Lindberg
trombone /conductor
Sibelius
Karelia Suite [14’]
Lindberg
Helikon Wasp [20’] Irish premiere
Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 5 in E minor [50’]
Trombonist extraordinaire Christian Lindberg returns for an evening
of passion and romance. Sibelius’ rousing Karelia Suite is a colourful
picture-postcard from the heartland of Finnish folklore, Tchaikovsky’s
storm-driven Fifth Symphony a baring of the Russian soul.
And for sheer showmanship, Lindberg plays, recites and conducts
his own brilliantly quirky Helikon Wasp.
Soundings In Conversation / Christian Lindberg
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
19
MAIN SEASON
Some of the
most demonic
music ever
composed!
Enrico Pace
Music for Halloween
Friday 31 October / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
Stravinsky
The Firebird Suite (1919) [22’]
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Enrico Pace
piano
Jamie Phillips
conductor
Rachmaninoff
Variations on a Theme by Paganini [22’]
Liszt
Totentanz [16’]
Berlioz
Dance of the Sylphs
and Hungarian March [8’]
Dukas
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice [12’]
Celebrate Halloween with some of the most demonic music ever
composed: Stravinsky’s combustible Firebird, Rachmaninoff ’s seemingly
possessed Paganini Variations and Liszt’s macabre dance of death. Scared
yet? Don’t be! There’s a sweeter magic in Berlioz’s Dance of the Sylphs and
the comic terror of Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice promises a happy ending.
Soundings In Conversation / Jamie Phillips
20
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
MAIN SEASON
Elegance,
grandeur and
a heartfelt
expression
of loss
John O’Conor
German Soul
Choral
Friday 7 November / Concert 8pm
Beethoven
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor [34’]
John O’Conor
A German Requiem [68’]
Brahms
piano
Lynda Lee
soprano
Owen Gilhooly
baritone
RTÉ Philharmonic
Choir
chorus master: Mark Hindley
Andreas Delfs
conductor
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
Two of Germany’s greatest composers
were also two of the most soulful.
Acclaimed Beethoven interpreter
John O’Conor returns for the classical
elegance and symphonic grandeur of
the Third Piano Concerto. Brahms’
Requiem Mass, written in German in
memory of his mother, is one of the
most beautiful, and heartfelt expressions
of loss ever composed.
21
MAIN SEASON
A master
magician
casts his spell
Julian Rachlin
Master Magician
Friday 21 November / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
Glinka
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Julian Rachlin
violin /conductor
Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture [5’]
Mozart
Violin Concerto No. 5 in A,
Turkish, K.219 [31’]
Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4 in F minor [44’]
Julian Rachlin’s last appearance with the RTÉ National Symphony
Orchestra was ‘musical magic’ (The Irish Times). Expect more spells
to be cast in this, the first of two concerts [see 28 November] from the
multi-skilled musician as Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture weaves
its own special enchantment, the 19-year-old Mozart’s Fifth Violin
Concerto conjures a colourful ‘Turkish’ episode, and Tchaikovsky’s
Fourth Symphony evokes super-charged tragedy and dark-hued glamour.
Soundings In Conversation / Julian Rachlin
22
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
MAIN SEASON
Beautiful melodies
and music from
the height of the
Napoleonic wars
Julian Rachlin
Love in a Time of War
Friday 28 November / Pipeworks recital 6.45pm / Concert 8pm
Mozart
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Violin Concerto No. 3 in G,
Strasbourg, K.216 [24’]
Liszt
(arr. Drezuin)
Julian Rachlin
Après une lecture de Dante [21’]
violin /conductor
Irish premiere
Beethoven
Symphony No. 7 in A [36’]
Multi-talented Julian Rachlin returns with another violin concerto –
the Third – by the 19-year-old Mozart, crammed full of beautifully
fragile melodies and with a finale of delightful surprises. For sheer
contrast, Liszt’s ruminative Dante Sonata hovers between Heaven and
Hell while Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony seethes with all the angst
and turmoil surrounding its writing at the height of the Napoleonic
wars, the composer’s deafness and unrequited love.
FREE Concert Pipeworks: David Leigh, organ. See p.58.
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
23
MAIN SEASON
Courtney Lewis
makes a welcome
return for thrilling
Russian music
Courtney Lewis
Russian Roulette
RTÉ NSO
Mentoring Scheme
Friday 5 December / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Michael McHale
Borodin
Polovtsian Dances [14’]
piano
Prokofiev
Courtney Lewis
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat [16’]
conductor
Shostakovich
with 2014 RTÉ NSO
Mentoring Scheme participants
Symphony No. 5 in D minor [44’]
Hailed as ‘the best young Irish conducting talent I’ve heard in more
than two decades’ (The Irish Times), Belfast-born Courtney Lewis
returns for an evening of thrilling Russian music. Borodin’s Polovtsian
Dances (source of the tune for Stranger in Paradise) provide a rich and
ripely romantic prelude to Prokofiev’s robust and muscular First Piano
Concerto. Bursting with tunes and full of defiance against his Soviet
paymasters, Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony is a work of epic drama.
Soundings In Conversation / Michael McHale & Courtney Lewis
24
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
Christmas
Lunchtime
concert
Love in a Cold Climate
Tuesday 9 December / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Patrick Hyland tenor
John Finucane conductor
Glazunov
Mozart
Mozart
Borodin
Tchaikovsky
Rachmaninoff
Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky
The Seasons: ‘Winter: Frost; Ice; Hail; Snow’
Don Giovanni: ‘Il mio tesoro’
Così fan tutte: ‘Un’aura amorosa’
Nocturne
Eugene Onegin: ‘Kuda, kuda?’ (Lensky’s Aria)
Spring Waters
The Nutcracker: Dance of the Mirlitons
The Nutcracker: Waltz of the Flowers
Darkening December days offer the perfect excuse to be reminded of
the chilly romance of Winter with the glistening beauty of Glazunov’s
frosty portrait. Seasonal sparkles comes courtesy of Tchaikovsky’s alwaysenchanting Nutcracker and the promise of warmer times to come with
Rachmaninoff ’s Spring Waters. Punchestown-born tenor Patrick Hyland
brings three of opera’s largest characters – Mozart’s libidinous Don Giovanni
and earnest lover Ferrando (Così fan tutte) and the ill-fated suitor Lensky
from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin – to vivid life.
ALL TICKETS €10
25
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
Christmas
Lunchtime
concert
The Enchanted Muse
Thursday 11 December / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Sylvia O’Brien soprano
John Finucane conductor
Delibes
Gounod
Gounod
Gluck
Grieg
Traditional
Grieg
Bissill
Coppélia: Entr’acte and Waltz
Roméo et Juliette: ‘Je veux vivre’
O Divine Redeemer
Orfeo ed Euridice: Dance of the Blessed Spirits
Peer Gynt: Solveig’s Song
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Bell Ringing
Christmas Carnival
Escape the winter chill into the enchanted worlds of Delibes’ fairy-tale
ballet Coppélia, Gounod’s romance-filled Roméo et Juliette, the mythological
fantasy of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and Grieg’s fabled Peer Gynt. And
with Christmas just around the corner, indulge in the beauty of Gounod’s
O Divine Redeemer, Grieg’s evocative tolling of bells and Richard Bissill’s
joyous mood-setting Christmas Carnival.
26
ALL TICKETS €10
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
Christmas
Coffee &
Lunchtime
concerts
Christmas is Coming!
Tuesday 16 December / Two concert performances 11am & 1.05pm
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Rachel Croash soprano
Christopher Bell conductor & presenter
Anderson
Traditional
Zéspedes
Waldteufel
Anderson
Pietro Yon
Traditional
Bell
Traditional
Christmas Festival
Mary Had a Baby
Convidando esta la noche
Skaters’ Waltz
Sleigh Ride
Gesù Bambino
Christmas Carol Fantasy
Penguin Song
Jingle Bells
As Christmas edges ever closer, celebrate the season’s warmth and magic
with music from across the centuries and around the world. Festive delights
include the 17th-century Latin American rapture of Convidando esta la
noche, Edwardian charm of Pietro Yon’s Gesù Bambino, European élan of
Waldteufel’s skaters and American energy and fun of Leroy Anderson’s
Christmas Festival. Then sit back and enjoy the traditional delights of Mary
Had a Baby, or join in – with full voice – Christopher Bell’s delightful
Penguin Song and scene-setting sparkle of Jingle Bells.
ALL TICKETS €10
27
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
Celine Byrne
Christmas Gala
Thursday 18 December / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Celine Byrne soprano
David Brophy conductor
Celine Byrne
With just one week left before the big day, ‘Ireland’s leading opera singer’
(Belfast Telegraph), Celine Byrne, and the RTÉ National Symphony
Orchestra bring the worlds of opera and Christmas joyfully together for a
fabulous night of music and song. Orchestral delights include the magical
harmonies of Humperdinck’s Prelude to Hansel and Gretel, drama-laced
Intermezzos from Puccini’s Manon Lescaut and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, and
the dazzling Troika from Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé.
The evening’s leading lady steps into the limelight to deliver some of the
most enduring of all opera arias and a selection of favourite seasonal songs.
The tender beauty of Puccini’s ‘O mio babbino caro’ (Gianni Schicchi) and
‘Un bel dì’ (Madama Butterfly), the haunting serenity of Dvorák’s Song to
the Moon (Rusalka) and soaring romance of the Jewel Song from Gounod’s
Faust flow seamlessly into a delightful seasonal compendium of timeless
popular songs. Holst’s sensitive and soulful setting of In the Bleak Midwinter,
the infectious sentiment of Have Yourself a Merry Christmas, hushed beauty of
Silent Night and festive anthems Joy to the World and O Holy Night add their
own happy contributions to a suitably snow-coated sense of occasion.
v
28
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MAIN SEASON
Celebrate in
glittering style
with some of the
most entrancing
and beautiful
music ever written
Anna Devin
Viennese Whirls
Thursday 1 January / Two concert performances 2.30pm & 6.30pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Anna Devin
soprano
Robert Houlihan
conductor
Presented by
George Hamilton
RTÉ lyric fm
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €15 / SEE P.60
It wouldn’t be New Year’s Day without
the melody-filled music of the Viennese
masters. So travel back in time to celebrate
in glittering style with some of the most
entrancing and beautiful music ever
written. Gems from the pens of the
Strauss family, Suppé and Zeller include
the unforgettable Blue Danube, swooning
Roses from the South and the atmospheric
Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna. Irish
soprano Anna Devin joins us for the
aching romance of Lehár (‘Meine Lippen,
sie küssen’ and Vilja Lied), infectious
giggling from Strauss (Laughing Song)
and the magical anthem Vienna, City of
My Dreams.
29
MAIN SEASON
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
‘The singing will
never be done’
Siegfried Sassoon
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
Celebrating 30
The Music Makers
Choral
Friday 9 January / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
Elaine Agnew
Everyone Sang [20’]
RTÉ commission / world premiere
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Hugh Tinney
piano
Imelda Drumm
mezzo-soprano
RTÉ Philharmonic
Choir
chorus master: Mark Hindley
Andrew Litton
conductor
Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor,
K.466 [30’]
Elgar
The Music Makers [38’]
A celebration of the universal power of
music to reach out and inspire marks the 30th
anniversary of the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir.
One of Mozart’s best-loved and most dramatic
piano concertos follows the premiere of
Elaine Agnew’s setting of Siegfried Sassoon’s
moving poem of unexpected beauty and
hope. Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s Ode inspired
one of Edward Elgar’s most tender, personal
and beautiful compositions.
Soundings In Conversation / Elaine Agnew & Mark Hindley
30
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
HORIZONS
2015
Contemporary Music Series
Featured composer
Gráinne Mulvey
Gráinne Mulvey
FREE
CONCERT
See p.61
Tuesday 13 January / Composer in Conversation 12.30pm / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
David Bremner
Gap Static (2014) [5’] world premiere
Gráinne Mulvey
Martin Johnson
Diffractions (2014) [10’] world premiere
cello
Nicola LeFanu
Gavin Maloney
Threnody (2014) [5’] world premiere
conductor
Gráinne Mulvey
Presented by Bernard
RTÉ lyric fm
Clarke
Cello Concerto:
Excursions and Ascents (2014) [20’]
RTÉ commission / world premiere
Life is a wave…
‘Four world premieres. Three generations of composers. I explore Alpine
glaciers and the mysteries of light with John Tyndall in both my cello
concerto Excursions and Ascents and in Diffractions for orchestra. Nicola
LeFanu’s Threnody laments the brutality of war with Euripides and Brendan
Kennelly. David Bremner investigates the lyricism of the dotted line with
Gap Static.’ Gráinne Mulvey
Composer in Conversation In association with Contemporary Music Centre
CMC Director Evonne Ferguson with Gráinne Mulvey
Concert will be broadcast on Nova on RTÉ lyric fm (Sunday 18 January, 8-10pm)
31
MAIN SEASON
‘Rysanov is a
remarkable player’
Gramophone Magazine
Maxim Rysanov
Clown & Philosopher
Friday 16 January / Pipeworks recital 6.45pm
Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Maxim Rysanov
Great Wind Virtuosi
Strauss 150
R Strauss
Till Eulenspiegel lustige Streiche [15’]
Bartók
Viola Concerto [21’]
viola
Bruch
John Finucane
clarinet
Double Concerto for Clarinet
and Viola in E minor [19’]
Alan Buribayev
R Strauss
conductor
Tod und Verklärung [23’]
Strauss the rollicking clown (Till Eulenspiegel) and Strauss at his most
philosophical and profound (Tod und Verklärung) frame Bartók’s potently
lyrical Viola Concerto – with the charismatic young violist Maxim Rysanov
as soloist – and Bruch’s romantic Double Concerto with the orchestra’s
own Principal Clarinettist John Finucane partnering Rysanov as soloist.
FREE Concert Pipeworks: Mark Duley, organ. See p.58.
Soundings In Conversation / Maxim Rysanov & John Finucane
32
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
HORIZONS
2015
Contemporary Music Series
Featured composer
David Coonan
David Coonan
FREE
CONCERT
See p.61
Tuesday 20 January / Composer in Conversation 12.30pm / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Kristine Balanas
Byzantium for orchestra (2012) [17’]
Irish premiere
David Coonan
violin
Träumerei for violin and
orchestra (2011) [12’]
Gavin Maloney
Irish premiere
conductor
Presented by Bernard
RTÉ lyric fm
Joseph Davis
Clarke
David Coonan
Sarcasms for orchestra (2014) [15’]
RTÉ commission / world premiere
Hidden Visions
‘The transcendent worlds of Yeats, Brahms’ unseen love-letters, and
the two-sided sardonicism of Sergei Prokofiev; all lie interwoven in the
hinterlands of the three works on this programme. Sometimes explicit,
sometimes hidden, these influences reflect an urge to reach for something
beyond oneself, wrought together here by a love for the wondrous
possibilities of the orchestra.’ David Coonan
Composer in Conversation In association with Contemporary Music Centre
CMC Director Evonne Ferguson with David Coonan
Concert will be broadcast on Nova on RTÉ lyric fm (Sunday 25 January, 8-10pm)
33
MAIN SEASON
Celebrating the
150th anniversary
of the births of
two Nordic giants
Howard Shelley
Nordic Giants
Nielsen 150
Sibelius 150
Friday 23 January / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
Sibelius
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Howard Shelley
piano /conductor
Finlandia [8’]
Grieg
Piano Concerto in A minor [31’]
Nielsen
Symphony No. 2,
The Four Temperaments [32’]
Pianist-director Howard Shelley returns to celebrate the 150th
anniversaries of the birth of two Scandinavian giants: Sibelius, with his
vibrantly atmospheric epic-in-miniature Finlandia, and Carl Nielsen,
whose Second Symphony brilliantly evokes the contrasted moods of
The Four Temperaments. Grieg’s perennially popular, tune-filled Piano
Concerto is a glorious expression of youthful exuberance.
Soundings In Conversation / Howard Shelley
34
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
HORIZONS
2015
Contemporary Music Series
Featured composer
Philip Hammond
Philip Hammond
FREE
CONCERT
See p.61
Tuesday 27 January / Composer in Conversation 12.30pm / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Philip Hammond
Michael McHale
‘...the starry dynamo in the
machinery of night...’ (2001) [10’]
piano
Miniatures and Modulations (2011) [15’]
Gavin Maloney
conductor
Presented by Bernard
RTÉ lyric fm
New Work for piano & orchestra (2014) [20’]
Clarke
Piano Centre Stage
‘My music is the result of many influences, and this Horizons concert enjoys
the context of the imagery of the black and white movie, the historical
Belfast Harp Festival of 1792, and the poetry of the French symbolists.’
Philip Hammond
Composer in Conversation In association with Contemporary Music Centre
CMC Director Evonne Ferguson with Philip Hammond
Concert will be broadcast on Nova on RTÉ lyric fm (Sunday 1 February, 8-10pm)
35
MAIN SEASON
A love song to
Spain and an
orchestral feast
of dramatic
contrasts.
Craig Ogden
Gallic Charms
Friday 30 January / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Craig Ogden
guitar
Takuo Yuasa
conductor
Bizet
Carmen Suite No. 1 [12’]
Rodrigo
Concierto de Aranjuez [21’]
Saint-Saëns
Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Organ [36’]
Rodrigo’s ever-popular love song to Spain, the Concierto de Aranjuez – with
Craig Ogden the virtuoso soloist – boasts a glorious melody at its heart
and forms the centrepiece for an evening of Gallic passion and romance.
Bizet’s First Carmen Suite is a thrilling, colour-soaked opera in miniature;
Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony an orchestral feast of dramatic contrasts.
Soundings In Conversation / Craig Ogden & Takuo Yuasa
36
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
HORIZONS
2015
Contemporary Music Series
Featured composer
John Buckley
John Buckley
FREE
CONCERT
See p.61
Tuesday 3 February / Composer in Conversation 12.30pm / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Elliott Carter
Sound Fields (2007) [6’] Irish premiere
John Buckley
Gwendolyn Masin
A Mirror into the Light (1999) [6’]
violin
Jerome de Bromhead
Gavin Maloney
A Lay for a Light Year (2014) [8’]
conductor
world premiere
Presented by Bernard
RTÉ lyric fm
Clarke
John Buckley
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
(2008) [23’] Irish premiere
Mirrors of Light
‘Light and space have been abiding sources of inspiration in my compositions
for many years and are at the heart of this concert. The serenely luminous
Sound Fields, composed in his ninety-ninth year by Elliott Carter, and A Lay
for a Light-Year by Jerome de Bromhead are juxtaposed with my own works,
which seek to balance a calm reflective lyricism with gestures of explosive
energy’. John Buckley
Composer in Conversation In association with Contemporary Music Centre
CMC Director Evonne Ferguson with John Buckley
Concert will be broadcast on Nova on RTÉ lyric fm (Sunday 8 February, 8-10pm)
37
MAIN SEASON
Romantic
Hollywood film
scores used
to ravishingly
lyrical effect
Kurt Nikkanen
Heavenly Length
Fidelio Overtures
Friday 6 February / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
Beethoven
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Kurt Nikkanen
Leonore Overture No. 3 [14’]
Mahler
Blumine [8’]
violin
Korngold
Patrik Ringborg
Violin Concerto in D [24’]
conductor
Schubert
Symphony No. 9 in C, The Great [48’]
The dramatic Third Leonore Overture, with its offstage trumpet calls, is perhaps
Beethoven's most dramatic solution to the problem of an overture for his
only opera, Fidelio. It is a powerful prelude. Mahler’s lyrical Blumine, with its
haunting trumpet solo ushers in Korngold’s Violin Concerto, a work which
borrows heavily from his romantic Hollywood film scores to ravishingly lyrical
effect. Schumann famously described Schubert’s final symphony as being of
‘heavenly length’ and its drama, passion and eloquent anticipation of the
Romantic era is equally deserving of its nickname, The Great.
Soundings In Conversation / Kurt Nikkanen
38
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
MAIN SEASON
‘a stunning
talent...plays with
the artistry of a
performer of
maturer years.’
The Guardian
Adam Walker
Rollercoaster
Great Wind Virtuosi
Friday 13 February / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Adam Walker
flute
RTÉ ConTempo
Quartet
Damian Iorio
Elgar
Introduction and Allegro [14’]
Watkins
Flute Concerto [20’] Irish premiere
Brahms
Symphony No. 1 in C minor [45’]
conductor
London Symphony Orchestra principal flute Adam Walker gave the
2014 premiere of Huw Watkins’ Flute Concerto in what one critic
described as ‘a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end’ (The Guardian).
RTÉ’s new resident string ensemble, the RTÉ ConTempo Quartet,
joins the orchestra for Elgar’s sumptuous showcase for strings, the
Introduction and Allegro, composed in 1905 for the newly-formed
LSO. Brahms’ First Symphony is a work of mighty scale and scope
justifying its description as ‘Beethoven’s Tenth’.
Soundings In Conversation / Adam Walker & Damian Iorio
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
39
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
Great Symphonies Close Up
with Charles Hazlewood
Presented by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the National Concert Hall
Takes place as part of FORTE! The RTÉ NSO’s Musical Discovery Programme
Tuesday 17 February / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Haydn
Symphony No. 100, Military [28’]
Charles Hazlewood
Prokofiev
conductor/presenter
Symphony No. 1, Classical [15’]
Haydn’s remarkable appropriation of martial might, swagger and
grandeur also triumphantly found its way into European ballrooms
with music that marries the parade ground and salon to astonishing
effect. Paying obvious homage is Prokofiev’s First Symphony, a work
of deceptive simplicity and striking modernity subtly cut from an
ancient musical cloth.
Charles Hazlewood
40
Charles Hazlewood’s revealing
ear-opening series examining
how five composers created five
legendary symphonies continues
with Charles discussing, exploring
and conducting excerpts from the
‘Military’ and ‘Classical’ symphonies
before full performances of each.
ALL TICKETS €10
EXCLUSIVE OFFER for RTÉ NSO 2014–2015 Full Subscription Package buyers / SEE P.63
MAIN SEASON
A monumental
homage to
elemental and
unchanging
nature.
Helena Wood
Musical Peaks
Fidelio Overtures
Strauss 150
Friday 20 February / Pipeworks recital 6.45pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Helena Wood
Beethoven
Fidelio Overture [6’]
Beethoven
violin
Violin Concerto in D [42’]
Alan Buribayev
R Strauss
conductor
An Alpine Symphony [47’]
Concluding the survey of Beethoven’s Fidelio Overtures, the Fidelio
Overture itself reveals a leaner, less intense solution to a problem
described by the three dramatic Leonore overtures earlier this season.
The serene eloquence of his only Violin Concerto provides an
opportunity for RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra Leader
Helena Wood to shine. Richard Strauss’ mighty Alpine Symphony
is a monumental homage to elemental and unchanging nature.
FREE Concert
Pipeworks: David Adams, organ. See p.59.
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
41
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
A Leaving Certificate Guide to
Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique
Tuesday 24 February / 10.30am & 12.15pm
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
David Brophy
conductor/presenter
At the age of 26, Berlioz penned
one of the greatest orchestral works
of the nineteenth century.
David Brophy
Focusing on The Ball and March to
the Scaffold in this tailor-made concert
presentation for Leaving Certificate
music students, the RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra with conductor
and DIT Conservatory of Music and
Drama Lecturer David Brophy, will
unlock some of its magic, revealing,
through selected excerpts, the masterful
way in which the young Frenchman
combined groundbreaking orchestration
with breathtaking musical drama.
The presentation will include big screen illustration, and full performances
of both movements from this epic work.
Takes place as part of FORTE! The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra’s Musical
Discovery Programme
42
ALL TICKETS €10 per student. Complimentary for teachers
MAIN SEASON
Celebrating
Ireland’s growing
relationship
with Mexico
Alondra de la Parra
Mexican Wave
Friday 27 February / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
May
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Eriko Daimo
marimba
Alondra de la Parra
conductor
Sunlight and Shadow [9’]
Chávez
Symphony No. 2, Sinfonía india [13’]
Rosauro
Marimba Concerto No. 1 [18’]
Stravinsky
Petrushka [35’]
The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra proudly opens the Embassy of Mexico in
Ireland’s 2015 programme to celebrate Ireland’s long and warm relationship with
Mexico and the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
In her first visit to Ireland, esteemed Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra will
conduct a programme including works by Irish and Mexican composers. The intense
beauty of Frederick May’s Sunlight and Shadow perfectly contrasts the captivating
use of Mexican folk tunes in Carlos Chávez’s Second Symphony and the Brazilian
influences in Ney Rosauro’s rhythmically hypnotic Marimba Concerto. Stravinsky’s
multi-coloured Petrushka is a fantastical blend of folk tale and fairground.
Soundings In Conversation / Eriko Daimo
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
43
MAIN SEASON
A celebration of
nature, fantasy
and the power
of ‘singing
and soaring’
Martin Johnson
Song of Summer
Friday 13 March / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Martin Johnson
cello
Kenneth Montgomery
conductor
Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture [12’]
Frank Corcoran
Cello Concerto [30’] world premiere
Beethoven
Symphony No. 6 in F, Pastoral [39’]
The sprightly, colourful fantasy of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s
Dream Overture and Beethoven’s exquisite orchestral love song to nature,
the Pastoral Symphony, provide a frame for the world premiere of
Frank Corcoran’s Cello Concerto, a work that ‘sings and soars’ with
powerful emotions for both the orchestra and soloist, the RTÉ NSO’s
Principal Cellist Martin Johnson, for whom it was written.
Soundings In Conversation / Martin Johnson & Kenneth Montgomery
44
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
A Tribute to Master Uilleann Piper
L ia m O ’ Fly nn
Celebrating his 70th Birthday Year
RTÉ National
Symphony
Orchestra
David Brophy conductor
CELEBRATING ST PATRICK’S DAY
Tuesday 17 March, 8pm / See www.rte.ie/nso
MAIN SEASON
Two piano
concertos, four
hands and one
pair of starcrossed lovers.
Pascal & Ami Rogé
Poetry & Mayhem
Friday 20 March / Pipeworks recital 6.45pm / Concert 8pm
Berlioz
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Pascal & Ami Rogé
pianos
Jean-Luc Tingaud
conductor
Roméo et Juliette Love Scene [18’]
Mozart
Concerto for Two Pianos in E flat,
K.365 [25’]
Poulenc
Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor [20’]
Ravel
Boléro [13’]
Husband-and-wife piano duo Pascal and Ami Rogé bring two bravura piano
concertos for four hands to an evening framed by the sumptuous romance
of Berlioz’s star-crossed lovers and Ravel’s percussively hypnotic Boléro.
Though centuries apart, the influence of Mozart’s exuberant, poetic and
playful concerto can clearly be heard amidst the madcap mayhem of
Poulenc’s excitable, exotic and delightfully knockabout concerto.
FREE Concert
Pipeworks: David Leigh, organ. See p.59.
46
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
MAIN SEASON
A ravishingly
beautiful trio and
an exhilarating
marriage of the
operatic and
the sacred
Tara Erraught
Voices to Thrill
Strauss 150
Friday 27 March / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Celine Byrne
soprano
Ailish Tynan
soprano
Tara Erraught
mezzo-soprano
Brahms
Symphony No. 4 in E minor [39’]
Mozart
Exsultate Jubilate [17’]
R Strauss
Der Rosenkavalier, Final trio [18’]
Alan Buribayev
conductor
Three stunning Irish voices – sopranos Celine Byrne and Ailish Tynan and
mezzo Tara Erraught – come together for the ravishingly beautiful final
trio from Richard Strauss’ masterpiece Der Rosenkavalier. Mozart’s Exsultate
Jubilate, an exhilarating marriage of the operatic and the sacred, sparkles
with coloratura splendour. A more epic struggle is to be found in Brahms’
Fourth Symphony, the very apex of his imposing large-scale style.
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
47
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
A magisterial
telling of the
Easter Story
Robin Tritschler
The Easter Passion
Choral
Friday 3 April / Concert 3.30pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Robin Tritschler
Evangelist (tenor)
Róisín O’Grady soprano
Sharon Carty mezzo-soprano
Eamonn Mulhall
Jesus (tenor)
Padraic Rowan bass-baritone
Philip O’Reilly Christus (bass)
RTÉ Cór na nÓg
choral director: Mary Amond O’Brien
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
JS Bach
St. Matthew Passion [131’]
Bach’s magisterial telling of the
Easter Story is arguably the greatest
of all musical masterpieces. Deeply
moving, and boasting dark-hued
music of exquisite beauty, it’s a drama
of tremendous urgency, profundity
and overwhelming poignancy.
chorus master: Mark Hindley
Robert Howarth conductor
48
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.61
MAIN SEASON
‘Julian Bliss…sonic
brilliance...seamless
ease…magisterial
technical precision’
Der Kleine Bund
Julian Bliss
A Touch of Frost
Great Wind Virtuosi
Friday 17 April / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Julian Bliss
Grieg
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 [15’]
Nielsen
clarinet
Clarinet Concerto [24’]
David Brophy
Sibelius
conductor
Symphony No. 1 in E minor [40’]
Grieg’s tune-filled Peer Gynt Suite is the icing on a musical birthday
cake for two of Scandinavia’s greatest composers on the 150th anniversary
of their birth. Outstanding young clarinettist Julian Bliss returns for the
stormy virtuosity of one of the greatest wind works of the 20th century,
Carl Nielsen’s tortured Clarinet Concerto. The First Symphony by
Sibelius is full of youthful promise and rousing romantic ardour.
Soundings In Conversation / Julian Bliss & David Brophy
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
49
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
RTÉ National
Symphony
Orchestra goes
on the road
Elizabeth Cooney
Mysterious Melodies
Thursday 23 April / Cork / Concert 8pm
Friday 24 April / Waterford / Concert 7.30pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Elizabeth Cooney
Borodin
Prince Igor Overture [10’]
Sibelius
violin
Violin Concerto [31’]
Conor Palliser
Tchaikovsky
conductor
Symphony No. 5 in E minor [50’]
Borodin’s magnificently vibrant distillation of themes from Prince Igor
is the perfect curtain raiser for an evening of high drama and fevered
romance from two emotionally uninhibited masterpieces. Sibelius’
Violin Concerto is full of rhapsodic yearning and charged by the
most mysterious of melodies. Tchaikovsky’s tragedy-accented Fifth
Symphony is an experience of overwhelming lyrical intensity.
50
FULL DETAILS SEE WWW.RTE.IE/NSO
MAIN SEASON
David Pyatt
‘magnificent’
Sunday Times
‘a virtuoso’
Daily Telegraph
David Pyatt
Horn of Plenty
Great Wind Virtuosi
Strauss 150
Friday 1 May / Pipeworks recital 6.45pm / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
Tchaikovsky
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
David Pyatt
horn
Vladimir Altschuler
conductor
Serenade for Strings [28’]
Mozart
Horn Concerto No. 1 in D [9’]
R Strauss
Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat [15’]
Shostakovich
Symphony No. 1 in F minor [28’]
Two first concertos for horn, two remarkable composers, one astonishing
horn player. ‘Exuberant, lip-tingling’ (Sunday Times) virtuoso David Pyatt
bridges the Classical sprightliness of Mozart and late-Romantic ardour of
Richard Strauss. Tchaikovsky’s ravishing Serenade and Shostakovich’s satirical
First Symphony begin and end an evening of playfulness, romance and drama.
FREE Concert Pipeworks: David Adams, organ. See p.59.
Soundings In Conversation / David Pyatt & Vladimir Altschuler
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
51
MAIN SEASON
Vivid journeys
from dark despair
to buoyant
optimism
Finghin Collins
Dissonance & Resolution
Friday 8 May / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Finghin Collins
Gerry Murphy
Good Friday–Belfast: 10-4-98 [10’]
Prokofiev
piano
Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor [31’]
Alan Buribayev
Brahms
conductor
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor [44’]
Accented by tunes from Northern Ireland’s Green and Orange traditions,
Gerry Murphy’s Good Friday–Belfast: 10-4-98 evocatively recalls the
through-the-night drama that led to the signing of the Good Friday
Agreement. In markedly different but equally virtuosic ways, Prokofiev’s
melancholic Seventh Symphony and Brahms’ monumental First Piano
Concerto also offer vivid journeys from dark despair to bouyant optimism.
Soundings In Conversation / Finghin Collins
52
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
MAIN SEASON
‘The music world
is taking note of
Mr. Khozyainov’s
stunning virtuosity...
quite a talent.’
New York Times
Nikolay Khozyainov
Approaching Night
Friday 15 May / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Nikolay Khozyainov
piano
Gerhard Markson
Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat [32’]
Mahler
Symphony No. 9 in D [81’]
conductor
2012 Dublin International Piano Competition winner Nikolay
Khozyainov returns for Mozart’s virtuoso Piano Concerto No. 22,
shot through with the darker colours of the woodwind. Former
RTÉ NSO Principal Conductor Gerhard Markson reunites with the
orchestra for Mahler’s tempestuous meditation on – and anguished
response to – approaching death.
Soundings In Conversation / Nikolay Khozyainov & Gerhard Markson
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
53
B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N
Great Symphonies Close Up
with Charles Hazlewood
Presented by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the National Concert Hall
Takes place as part of FORTE! The RTÉ NSO’s Musical Discovery Programme
Tuesday 19 May / Concert 1.05pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Brahms
Charles Hazlewood
Symphony No. 3 in F [36’]
conductor/presenter
Mellow, subtle and precise, Brahms’ Third Symphony is one of the
most original and demanding symphonies of the 19th century. It
borrows the epic sense of scale of the First Symphony and the pastoral
charm of the Second in the creation of a work of autumnal melancholy,
elemental intensity and an unwavering sense of purpose.
Charles Hazlewood
54
Charles Hazlewood’s revealing
ear-opening series examining
how five composers created
five legendary symphonies
concludes with Charles
discussing, exploring and
conducting excerpts from
Brahms’ Third Symphony
before a full performance of
the work.
ALL TICKETS €10
EXCLUSIVE OFFER for RTÉ NSO 2014–2015 Full Subscription Package buyers / SEE P.63
MAIN SEASON
Elijah:
a masterpiece
of epic
proportions
Celine Byrne
Chariot of Fire
Choral
Friday 22 May / Concert 8pm
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Darren Jeffrey
(Elijah) bass
Mendelssohn
Elijah [131’]
Celine Byrne
(The Widow) soprano
Imelda Drumm
mezzo-soprano
Mark Wilde
tenor
RTÉ Philharmonic
Choir
chorus master: Mark Hindley
Paul Daniel
As dramatic as a Hollywood blockbuster,
Mendelssohn’s magnificent oratorio
contains some of his most beautiful and
dramatic music. With sublimely rich
choral writing and a remarkable hero –
the prophet Elijah rescues Israel from
pagan idolatry before fleeing his enemies
on a flaming chariot sent from heaven –
it’s a masterpiece of epic proportions.
conductor
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
55
MAIN SEASON
‘A festival of colour
and a personal
touch with the
dances from my
great-grandfather's
opera’ Alan Buribayev
Alan Buribayev
Russian Rites
Friday 29 May / Soundings 7pm / Concert 8pm
Mussorgsky
RTÉ National
Symphony Orchestra
Alan Buribayev
conductor
(arr. Ravel)
Pictures at an Exhibition [35’]
Zhubanov & Hamidi
Folk Dances from Abai [7’]
Irish premiere
Stravinsky
The Rite of Spring [33’]
Principal Conductor Alan Buribayev takes the helm for a Russian
spectacular with the magical impressionism of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at
an Exhibition and Stravinsky’s powerful and still provocative depiction
of a pagan Rite of Spring. And Buribayev’s great-grandfather Achmed
Zhubanov offers a vivacious homage to the traditional music of their
native Kazakhstan with the Folk Dances from his tragic opera Abai.
Soundings In Conversation / Alan Buribayev
56
CONCERT TICKETS FROM €12 / SEE P.60
Rosalind Brown, violin (left) & Magda Kowalska, violin, RTÉ NSO
57
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the National Concert Hall present
Pipeworks
Free Pre-concert Organ Recitals*
Friday 28 November
6.45pm
*Linked to Main Season
programmes of the same evening
Karg Elert
Symphony in F sharp minor, Op. 143 [31’]
David Leigh
organ
Beethoven’s symphonic legacy remains one of the chief influences in western music right up
to our own time, evident also in the development of large-scale symphonic forms for organ
during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Pipeworks continues its spotlight on such
works with the only example from the German tradition to actually call itself a symphony.
In that it is a symphony for one player, it also pays homage to the concerto with its focus
on individual virtuosity.
Friday 16 January
6.45pm
JS Bach
Mark Duley
Messiaen
organ
Prelude in E flat BWV 552i [9’]
Combat de la mort et de la vie (Le Corps Glorieux) [16’]
JS Bach
Fugue in E flat BWV 552ii [7’]
A mystical take on the theme of Strauss’ Tod und Verklärung (to be heard in the 8pm symphony
concert) can be found in Olivier Messiaen’s monumental meditation on the battle between
life and death. Framing it is one of JS Bach’s most exultant works linking the human and the
divine, the prelude an earthly dance transfigured and the fugue a heavenly glimpse of the Trinity.
58
Friday 20 February
6.45pm
David Adams
organ
Arr. David Adams after Henri Camer (1844)
Potpourri sur ‘Fidelio’ based on Beethoven’s Fidelio, Op. 72 [12’]
R Strauss
from Schlichte Weisen Op. 21/3 (arr. David Adams) [3’]
Reger
from Schlichte Weisen Op. 76/52 (arr. David Adams) [3’]
Reger
Phantasie über den Choral Halleluja,
Gott zu loben bleibe meine Seelenfreud Op. 52/3 [15’]
This programme explores the link between Richard Strauss and Max Reger, two nearcontemporaries who had an interesting relationship within the context of the Neudeutsche
Schule. Reger, accepted neither by the conservatives nor within the new movement, was
nonetheless courted by Strauss and encouraged to “make the final step” and join the
progressives.
Friday 20 March
6.45pm
Cochereau
David Leigh
Duruflé
organ
Boléro Improvisée [13’]
Suite [22’]
Works by Poulenc and Ravel to be heard in the RTÉ NSO’s 8pm concert are alluded to
both implicitly and explicitly in this recital. The French music scene of the first half of the
twentieth century is encapsulated in Duruflé’s Suite, which pays homage to Paul Dukas
through many quotations from the latter’s music. The legendary improviser Pierre Cochereau’s
take on Ravel’s Boléro consists of an extended and virtuosic crescendo-diminuendo, and features
a snare drum obbligato.
Friday 1 May
6.45pm
David Adams
organ
Mozart
Overture in C, K399 [5’]
Mozart
Andante in F, K616 [8’]
Stravinsky (arr. Niek van der Meij)
Symphonies of Wind Instruments [10’]
Mozart
Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K546 [9’]
This programme pairs the classic with the neo-classic, and alludes to the influence of
Stravinsky evident in Shostakovich’s first symphony (to be heard in the 8pm concert).
Transparent, chamber-like sonorities link the two Russian composers with Mozart, whilst
this Pipeworks programme also explores the organ’s unique congruity as a vehicle for
Mozart’s extraordinary counterpoint.
59
Single Concert Ticket Prices
at the National Concert Hall
Main Season concerts
ZONE A
ZONE B
ZONE C
ZONE D
ZONE E *
Main Season concerts
€35.00
€32.00
€26.00
€20.00
€12.00
Concessions
€31.50
€28.80
€23.40
€18.00
€10.00
See Seating Plan on inside back cover for price band breakdown
New Year’s Day
ZONE A
ZONE B
ZONE C
ZONE D
ZONE E *
New Year’s Day concert
€40.00
€35.00
€30.00
€24.00
€15.00
Concessions
€36.00
€31.50
€27.00
€22.60
€13.50
See Seating Plan on inside back cover for price band breakdown
Early Evening concerts
Friday 19 September
RTÉ Cór na nÓg
FREE ▲
Friday 28 November
Pipeworks: David Leigh
FREE ▲
Friday 16 January
Pipeworks: Mark Duley
FREE ▲
Friday 20 February
Pipeworks: David Adams
FREE ▲
Friday 20 March
Pipeworks: David Leigh
FREE ▲
Friday 1 May
Pipeworks: David Adams
FREE ▲
* Zone E: for selected performances the Choir Balcony and Rows B & C in the Stalls will be excluded from sale.
▲ Free
60
events: pre-booking advised.
Waldemar Kozak, double bass, RTÉ NSO
Beyond the Season concerts
€10
Friday 5 September
2014–2015 Season Favourites
Tuesday 16 September
Great Symphonies Close Up: Dvorák
€10
Tuesday 30 September
Great Symphonies Close Up: Tchaikovsky
€10
Tuesday 9 December
Love in a Cold Climate
€10
Thursday 11 December
The Enchanted Muse
€10
Tuesday 16 December
Christmas is Coming
€10
v
Thursday 18 December
PRICE 1
PRICE 2
PRICE 3
PRICE 4
Celine Byrne Christmas Gala
€42.50
€34.00
€27.00
€15.00
Concessions
€38.00
€31.00
€24.00
€13.50
Tuesday 13 January
Horizons 2015: Gráinne Mulvey
FREE
Tuesday 20 January
Horizons 2015: David Coonan
FREE
Tuesday 27 January
Horizons 2015: Philip Hammond
FREE
Tuesday 3 February
Horizons 2015: John Buckley
FREE
▲
▲
▲
▲
Tuesday 17 February
Great Symphonies Close Up: Haydn, Prokofiev
€10
Tuesday 24 February
Leaving Certificate Guide to
Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique
€10 student
Teachers complimentary
Friday 3 April
PRICE 1
PRICE 2
PRICE 3
PRICE 4
The Easter Passion
€35.00
€32.00
€22.00
€12.00
Concessions
€31.50
€28.80
€19.80
€10.00
Tuesday 19 May
▲
Great Symphonies Close Up: Brahms
€10
Free events: pre-booking advised.
61
Sinéad Farrell, piccolo & Catriona Ryan, flute, RTÉ NSO
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 2014–2015 Season
Main Season Concert Package Options
Buy as you go
Concerts from €12.
Top price still €35 for all Main Season concerts, excluding New Year’s Day.
Concert ticket includes free early evening concerts and pre-concert talks.
Get better value
BUY A MAIN SEASON PACKAGE (3-15 CONCERTS)
Savings up to €78
Packages from €34
Discounts from 5–15%
Priority booking period ahead of public booking for the 2015–2016 Season.
Scheduled payment options available.
Get the best value
UPGRADE TO THE FULL MAIN SEASON (30 CONCERT) PACKAGE
30% discount
30 concerts for the price of 14
Save up to €316
Exclusive priority booking period for the 2015–2016 Season.
Scheduled payment options available.
Remember! When you buy a Main Season concert package, you become an
RTÉ NSO Subscriber giving you exclusive benefits & discounts. See page 63 for details.
62
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 2014–2015 Season
Main Season
Subscriber Rewards & Discounts
What you get when you show your
RTÉ NSO Subscriber Card*
WITH A FULL MAIN SEASON (30 CONCERT) PACKAGE
Scheduled payment facility over three consecutive months to make payments
more manageable. Terms and conditions apply. See p.67.
Keep the same seat from one season to the next.
Exclusive priority booking period for RTÉ NSO 2015–2016 Season.
We will hold your current seat during the exclusive early booking period.
One free ticket per Full Main Season Concert Package purchased to one
Great Symphonies Close Up event of your choice.
Priority invitation to studio broadcast events for you and a friend.
Invitations to selected open rehearsals for you and a friend.
WITH A MAIN SEASON (3–15 CONCERT) PACKAGE
Scheduled payment facility over three consecutive months to make payments
more manageable. Terms and conditions apply. See p.67.
Priority booking period for RTÉ NSO 2015–2016 Season.
Invitations to free selected open rehearsals for you and a friend.
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS WITH ALL MAIN SEASON CONCERT PACKAGES
RTÉ NSO season concert programmes: €1 off regular price.
10% discount at: • The Terrace Café (NCH) • Alex Restaurant (The Conrad Hotel)
• The Music Box (NCH)
5% discount on tickets: Selected evening concerts presented by the RTÉ NSO
& the RTÉ CO June 2014–May 2015 at the National Concert Hall.
Offer excludes the RTÉ CO New Year’s Eve concert. Limited to 2 per person. Subject to availability.
* RTÉ NSO Subscriber Card: terms and conditions apply. Details on booking.
How to receive your RTÉ NSO Subscriber Card? See p.66.
63
Fintan Sutton, clarinet, Matthew Billing, clarinet & Michael Jones, bassoon, RTÉ NSO
Main Season Package Prices
Full Main Season Concert Package (30 concerts)
With one New Year’s Day concert included as part of your package
BUY
Package price
Save
SAVE
30
30%
ZONE A
ZONE B
€738.50 €674.10
€316.50 €288.90
ZONE C
ZONE D
ZONE E *
€548.80
€235.20
€422.80
€181.20
€254.10
€108.90
See Seating Plan on inside back cover for price band breakdown
Main Season Concert Packages † (3–8 concerts)
BUY
Package price
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3
Package price
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4
Package price
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5
Package price
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6
Package price
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7
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8
SAVE
ZONE A
ZONE B
ZONE C
ZONE D
ZONE E *
5%
€99.75
€5.25
€91.20
€4.80
€74.10
€3.90
€57.00
€3.00
€34.20
€1.80
5%
€133.00 €121.60
€7.00
€6.40
€98.80
€5.20
€76.00
€4.00
€45.60
€2.40
10%
€157.50 €144.00
€17.50
€16.00
€117.00
€13.00
€90.00
€10.00
€54.00
€6.00
10%
€189.00 €172.80
€21.00
€19.20
€140.40
€15.60
€108.00
€12.00
€64.80
€7.20
10%
€220.50 €201.60
€24.50
€22.40
€163.80
€18.20
€126.00
€14.00
€75.60
€8.40
10%
€252.00 €230.40
€28.00
€25.60
€187.20
€20.80
€144.00
€16.00
€86.40
€9.60
See Seating Plan on inside back cover for price band breakdown
64
Main Season Concert Packages † (9–15 concerts)
BUY
Package price
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9
Package price
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10
Package price
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11
Package price
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12
Package price
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13
Package price
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14
Package price
Save
15
SAVE
ZONE A
ZONE B
ZONE C
ZONE D
ZONE E*
10%
€283.50 €259.20
€31.50
€28.80
€210.60
€23.40
€162.00
€18.00
€97.20
€10.80
15%
€297.50 €272.00
€52.50
€48.00
€221.00
€39.00
€170.00
€30.00
€102.00
€18.00
15%
€327.25 €299.20
€57.75
€52.80
€243.10
€42.90
€187.00
€33.00
€112.20
€19.80
15%
€357.00 €326.40
€63.00
€57.60
€265.20
€46.80
€204.00
€36.00
€122.40
€21.60
15%
€386.75 €353.60
€68.25
€62.40
€287.30
€50.70
€221.00
€39.00
€132.60
€23.40
15%
€416.50 €380.80
€73.50
€67.20
€309.40
€54.60
€238.00
€42.00
€142.80
€25.20
15%
€446.25 €408.00
€78.75
€72.00
€331.50
€58.50
€255.00
€45.00
€153.00
€27.00
See Seating Plan on inside back cover for price band breakdown
* Zone E: for selected performances the Choir Balcony and Rows B & C in the Stalls will be excluded from sale.
† Excluding New Year’s Day.
To include New Year’s Day with your (3–15) concert package
If you wish to purchase New Year’s Day as part of a Main Season Concert Package (3–12
concerts) please note that due to the slightly higher ticket prices for New Year’s Day, there
will be a small additional cost – and a greater relative saving – depending on the seat band
and package size chosen.
Beyond the Season concerts
Beyond the Season concerts/events are individually priced and are not part of the
Main Season concert packages.
65
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 2014–2015 Season
How to get your
Main Season Subscriber Card
The card that will save you money!
For the 2014–2015 Season your card can be obtained
directly from the National Concert Hall box office:
at time of booking in person at the National Concert Hall
or
by post with your tickets, if and as required.
How to hear about additional RTÉ NSO benefits and events
At the time of booking, please instruct the box office to pass your contact
information on to RTÉ so that RTÉ can contact you directly in order to advise
you of additional benefits and/or other RTÉ NSO events.
If using the ticket order form please tick the consent box to give your
information to RTÉ on the Ticket Order Form.
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 2003, information provided to the National
Concert Hall at the time of booking cannot be passed onto RTÉ without your permission.
How to get the ticket order form
From the National Concert Hall box office
Download from www.rte.ie/nso
RTÉ National
SYMPHONY
Orchestra
2014–2015 Season
Subscriber card
Valid from: 09/2014 / Expires: see reverse
66
How & when to book
FULL PUBLIC BOOKING
CONCESSIONS
Packages & single concerts
Friday 13 June 2014, 10am.
Limited concessions available for students, unwaged
and senior citizens. Early booking advisable.
ID required. One concession ticket per person.
Concessions not requested at the time of booking
cannot be applied later.
HOW TO BOOK
Telephone booking 01 417 0000
Fax: 01 417 0078 • Box office opening hours:
10am–6pm Monday–Saturday (open 2 hours
prior to concerts on Sundays/Bank Holidays).
Please note: Tickets purchased by phone can be
posted directly to you with a charge of €1 for postage
& packing
Online booking www.nch.ie
Please note: Packages can be booked online
but same seat renewal option is not available.
In person
Booking in person at the National Concert Hall
box office, Monday–Saturday, 10am–6pm (open 2
hours prior to concerts on Sundays/Bank Holidays).
METHODS OF PAYMENT
Credit & debit card
Visa, Mastercard and American Express
Cheque/postal order/bank draft
Please make crossed cheques/postal orders/
bank drafts payable to the National Concert Hall.
WHEN ORDERING
Indicate your preferred seat location and your second
preference. Every effort will be made to accommodate
your request. In the event of neither of your preferred
locations being available you will be allocated the
nearest available seat(s) in your selected price bracket.
For telephone bookings
If buying an RTÉ NSO Main Season concert
package, please advise the National Concert Hall
box office that your contact information may be
passed on to RTÉ in order to receive information
on additional benefits and/or other RTÉ NSO
events.
For in-person bookings
Tick the CONSENT box on the TICKET
ORDER FORM so that that your contact
information may be passed on to RTÉ in order
to receive information on additional benefits
and/or other RTÉ NSO events.
Please note:
Ticket order forms are available from the NCH box office
or can be downloaded from www.rte.ie/nso
CONDITIONS OF SALE
Once purchased, tickets cannot be exchanged or
refunded. Programme and artist details are subject
to change without notification.
STUDENT STAND-BY
€5 tickets available from one hour before
performance. Subject to availability. ID required.
One stand-by ticket per person.
GROUP BOOKING
Discounts available when booking for 5 people
or more. Please contact NCH Group Booking
on 01 408 6793 or email: [email protected]
SPECIAL ASSISTANCE
Wheelchair/accessible seating
Seating is available for wheelchair users and their
companions. Early booking is advisable. Please
contact the National Concert Hall box office. For
those who are hard of hearing please indicate this
when booking your seats with the box office to
benefit from the National Concert Hall’s induction
loop system.
SCHEDULED PAYMENTS:
Terms and conditions
1. Scheduled payment option applies to
subscription packages only.
2. Payments will be scheduled over three monthly
instalments.
3. Payments will be collected from Debit or Credit
Cards only.
4. The National Concert Hall will automatically
debit the same card used to pay the initial
payment.
5. Credit or Debit Card must not expire before
09/2014.
6. In the event that the card is lost/stolen or is
otherwise de-activated during the payment
period, it is the responsibility of the customer to
advise The National Concert Hall before the
next payment date.
7. In the event of default on a payment the customer
must make payment directly to The National
Concert Hall within 5 working days. If payment is
not received within this time, any payments made
to date will be refunded and the order will be
deemed void. An administration charge of €50.00
will be deducted from any refunds.
8. No tickets will be issued until receipt of final
payment.
9. The date of the final scheduled payment must
not be later than 12 August 2014.
67
Francis Magee, tuba, RTÉ NSO
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
he RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra plays a central role in classical
music in Ireland through year-long programmes of live performances,
schools and educational projects, broadcasts, recordings and new
commissions.
T
Past seasons have included complete cycles of Mozart and Beethoven piano concerti,
the complete cycles of Mahler, Shostakovich, Bruckner, Prokofiev, Beethoven and
Schumann symphonies, Brahms piano concerti, a Brahmsfest, a Stravinsky retrospective,
the orchestral song-cycles of Mahler, Rachmaninov’s complete works for piano and
orchestra, world premieres of works by many Irish composers, participation in the first
Dublin performances of Rain Falling Up, acclaimed performances of Tristan and Isolde,
a performance of Harrison Birtwistle’s Earth Dance in the presence of the composer,
the world premiere of Raymond Deane’s concert-staged opera The Alma Fetish and
performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with community choirs in Carlow,
Drogheda and Greystones.
The orchestra has been critically acclaimed at home and abroad for its recordings across
a variety of labels including Naxos, Claves and the RTÉ lyric fm label. Recordings on
the latter include Finghin Collins: Mozart Piano Concertos; the Composers of Ireland series,
a landmark recording project funded by RTÉ and The Arts Council which, to date, has
recorded works by Gerald Barry, Raymond Deane, Seóirse Bodley, Deirdre Gribbin, Ian
Wilson, John Kinsella, Stephen Gardiner and Kevin O’Connell, and selected orchestral
works by Aloys Fleischmann, Frederick May and Seán Ó Riada.
Find out more, see: www.rte.ie/nso
68
/rtenso
/rte_nso
National Concert Hall Seating Plan
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra Main Season concerts
YELLOW BALCONY
K
J
48 47 46 45 44 43
42 41
28 29 30 31 32 33
34 35 36
A
21 22
23 24
25 26
27
24 25
26 27
28
24 25
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
26 27
24 25
28
21 22 23
26 27
24 25
28
21 22 23
26 27
24 25
28
21 22 23
26 27
24 25
28
21 22
26 27
23 24
28
25 26
21 22
23 24
27 28
25
21 22
26 27
23 24
28
25 26
21 22
23 24
27 28
25 26
21 22
23 24
27 28
25 26
27 28
21 22 23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Y
29 30
31
X
29 30
31
29 30 W
31 V
29 30
31 U
29 30
31 T
29 30
31
S
29 30
31 R
29 30
31 Q
29 30
31 P
29 30
31 N
29 30
31
29 30 M
31
L
29 30
31 K
29 30
31 J
29 30
31 H
29 30
31 G
29 30
31
F
29 30
31
E
29 30
31 D
29 30
31
C
29 30
B
STAGE
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
9 10
11
9 10
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
0
1
9
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
0
9 1
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
0
1
9
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
0
9 1
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
0
9 1
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
0
1
9
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
0
9 1
11 12 13
9 10
11 12 13
0
1
9
11 12 13
9 10
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
7 8
5 6
7 8
5 6
7 8
6
5
7 8
5 6
7 8
5 6
7 8
6
5
7 8
5 6
7 8
5 6
8
7
5 6
7 8
5 6
8
7
5 6
7 8
5 6
7 8
5 6
7 8
5 6
7 8
5 6
8
7
5 6
7 8
6
5
7 8
6
5
7 8
5 6
7 8
5 6
7 8
5 6
7 8
6
5
RED SIDE BALCONY
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
3
2
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
3
2
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
3
2
4
2 3
4
2 3
4
3
2
4
2 3
4
3
2
11 12 13
11 12 13
27 28
K
27 28
29 J
27 28
29 30
27 28
31
29 30 H
27 28
31
29 30 G
27 28
31 F
29 30
27 H
31 E
H H
27 H
HD
H H
27 H
H C
H H
27 28
H B
29
49 50 51 52 53 54
55 56 57
27 26 25 24 23 22
21 20 19
57
A
11 12 13
11 12 13
11 12 13
11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24
25 26
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24
25 26
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
26
24 25
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
26
24 25
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
26
24 25
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
26
23 24
25 26
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24
25 26
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
26
23 24
25 26
46 47 48
40 41 42 43 44 45
30 29 28
36 35 34 33 32 31
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
H H
H H
H H
3
11 12 13
11 12 13
11 12 13
11 12 13
37
Y
X 1
W1
V 1
U1
T1
S 1
R1
Q1
P 1
N1
M1
L 1
K1
J 1
H1
G1
F 1
E 1
D1
C1
B
2 3
2 3
2 3
H H
10
8 9
10
8 9
0
1
8 9
10
8 9
10
9
8
10
8 9
10
8 9
0
1
8 9
10
8 9
0
1
8 9
8
39 3
GREEN SIDE BALCONY
H1
G1
F1
EH
DH
CH
BH
3
6 7
4 5
6 7
4 5
6 7
4 5
7
6
4 5
6 7
4 5
6 7
5
H
6 7
H 5
6 7
4 5
7
6
H 5
6 7
4 5
CHOIR BALCONY
136 SEATS UNRESERVED
ZONE A
ZONE C
ZONE E
STALLS ROWS L–U
BALCONY ROWS A–F
STALLS ROWS G–H
SIDE BALCONY
SEATS 19–57
STALLS ROW B–D
CHOIR BALCONY SEATS
ZONE B
STALLS ROWS J–K & V-Y
BALCONY ROWS G–K
ZONE D
STALLS ROWS E–F
SIDE BALCONY
SEATS 1–18
Please note: the zones detailed above apply to RTÉ NSO Main Season concerts only.
Zone E: for selected performances the Choir Balcony and Rows B & C in the Stalls will be excluded from sale.
69
RTÉ National
SYMPHONY
Orchestra
2014–2015 Season
www.rte.ie/nso
/rtenso
/rte_nso