Trio Mediaeval’s Irish Tour

Trio Mediaeval performing last night in St Audoen’s Church, Cornmarket, Dublin. Photograph – Maeve Murphy

The Norwegian vocal ensemble Trio Mediaeval could hardly have picked a more suitable venue than St. Audoen’s in Dublin last night. It’s the oldest parish church in the city and was founded right in the middle of the medieval era in 1190. Music has resonated over its stones for nearly a thousand years and it’s a special place to hear choral music of the highest calibre. Trio Mediaeval, an all female ensemble, were founded in Oslo in 1997. Since then they’ve released five critically acclaimed albums on the influential ECM label. Scholarship says that women in nunneries would have ignored St Paul’s request to keep silent in church. Luckily for us there are no obstacles to Trio Mediaeval’s repertoire. A Worcester Ladymass (England C13/14) with Credo and Benedicamus Domino written especially by Gavin Bryars, and a selection of folk songs featured on the night.

The Trio Mediaeval tour continues throughout Ireland until Monday. Details online at the Music Network website.

Artbeat 20/03/2013 | Arvo Pärt’s Passio; 10 Days in Dublin festival

In recent years it’s become impossible to turn on late night eclectic radio shows without hearing Arvo Pärt’s compositions. This Estonian composer’s work has become shorthand for a sense of escape from modernity’s aural overload. Born near Tallinn in 1935 he witnessed the Soviet occupation of his country. His early work was often at odds with the Soviet system; he became the first Estonian to use Schoenberg’s famous 12 tone technique. Becoming more overtly religious in his output, Pärt retreated and developed his own version of plainsong: ’Tintinnabulation’, music based on the sound of bells, where the melody and voice are one. Passio, written after Pärt’s exodus to Berlin, is based on St John’s text. Conducted by a leading expert on Pärt’s work, Paul Hillier; the concert also features Theatre of Voices, Denmark and YXUS Ensemble, Estonia. Artbeat’s Des FitzGerald spoke with Christina Whyte of the National Chamber Choir about the upcoming performance of Passio.

Arvo Pärt’s Passio – National Chamber Choir of Ireland
Tuesday 26 March, 8pm Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Tickets: €20/€15 (Conc) – Bookings through the National Concert Hall Box Office: 01 417 0000 or nch.ie

10 Days in Dublin, Ireland’s only open-format festival, is back for its third year and is currently open for registration to artists of any discipline who want to take part. Joining Des on Artbeat to talk about the festival is Co-founder Robert Kearns. Registrations will remain open until April 5th and interested acts can find more information plus a registrations guide on the website.

Listen back to this programme in full here.

Iarla Ó Lionáird

The last time this writer saw sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird was in the company of 1200 punters at the National Concert Hall in 2011. That night saw Ó Lionáird join forces with, among others, Martin Hayes to form a new type of traditional supergroup named The Gloaming. The man from the Cork Gaeltacht townland of Cúil Aodha has travelled the world collaborating with artists across the musical spectrum. Familiar to many for performing with Peter Gabriel and the Afro Celt Sound System, his own work is of a more introspective nature. For this intimate concert Ó Lionáird is joined by Cleek Schrey and Ivan Goff. Schrey’s fiddle playing fuses Irish stylings with the old-time music of Virginia. All-Ireland champion piper and fellow New York resident Ivan Goff who’s played with Cathie Ryan and Lúnasa completes this very interesting combination.

Tuesday 19th March, Dublin
The Grand Social, 8 pm
Tickets €15 / €10 / €40 (Family)
Booking Tel. No. 01 6719429 / http://www.musicnetwork.ie

Artbeat 27 February 2013 | harpsichordist Lars Ulrik Mortensen and artist Alana Richards

Handel was arguably the first classical music showman with a personality to boot. He became an overnight sensation coming to London in 1710 from his native Germany. As well as being one of the greatest composers of the 18th Century he also excelled as a harpsichordist of some renown. Handel’s Concerti Grossi are a form of music in which the material is passed between a small group of soloists and full orchestra in a musical conversation complete with harpsichord continuo. The Irish Baroque Orchestra will be led from the harpsichord by Lars Ulrik Mortensen in three of these works. The Dane is one of the world’s leading baroque keyboard players and current artistic director of Concerto Copenhagen. The concert will be complemented by two of Handel’s finest arias, Salve Regina and Gloria, performed by Northern Ireland guest soprano Mary Nelson.

7.30pm Thursday 28 February 2013
Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin
All tickets 16/12euro (unreserved seating)
Booking: Tel 01-4023518 or online at irishbaroqueorchestra.com

7:30pm Saturday 2nd March, Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford
Tickets: EU16, EU12 (conc) from Garter Lane Box Office (051)855 038
In association with Symphony Club of Waterford

Suzanne Parker talked to artist Alana Richards from her home in Berlin. From her own website: “Born in 1985, Alana Richards’ paintings are based on dark emotions – both experienced and imagined. After leaving her hometown of Cork, Ireland, at an early age, Alana has wandered, studied and lived – always impulsively.”

Listen back to this edition of Artbeat here.

Artbeat 30/01/2013

On this week’s Artbeat Frank Black spoke to Thomas Huth. Thomas, an actor in teNtheatre Berlin theatre group which brings a new interpretation of James Joyce’s life and works to the Dublin stage. Thomas discussed the multilingual and international cast which will provide glimpses of the troubled life of Joyce’s daughter Lucia, who suffered from schizophrenia, as well as Joyce’s worsening blindness and his frustration when writing his novel Finnegans Wake with its special language. The cycle concludes with Ulysses, focusing on Leopold Bloom’s internal monologue and fantasies while walking through Dublin. All plays are colourful, emotional, comical, sometimes sad and full of live music. Yes, enjoyce!

James Joyce Cycle information:

Parts 1 & 2: Samuel Beckett Theatre, 6-9 February

Part 3: O’Reilly Theatre, 13-16 February

Part 2 and 4: Lucia Joyce- La Macchina della Famiglia & Irishirisirischmurmelquietsch
Samuel Beckett Theatre 6-9 February 2013 7.30pm
Admission: 21/ 16 euro
Bookings through: Samuel Beckett Theatre Box office 01-896 1334

Part 5 Ulysses or the Cyclops and his Rhinoceroses
O’Reilly Theatre 13-16 February 2013 7.30pm
Admission: 26 / 21 euro
Bookings through http://www.entertainment.ie
Combi ticket to all three performances: 34 euro

Artbeat 16 January 2013 | Anneke Scott, horn player with the Irish Baroque Orchestra; Jim Carroll of the Irish Times on the collapse of HMV

Anneke Scott, natural horn player with the Irish Baroque Orchestra. Photo: John Croft

This week’s edition of the programme featured an interview with Anneke Scott, horn player with the Irish Baroque Orchestra ahead of their week long Mozart series at St Finian’s Lutheran church. This year’s focus is on Mozart’s numerous and varied chamber pieces. The IBO’s artistic director Monica Huggett will direct works including the Clarinet Quintet in A major, KV581; Flute Quartet in D major KV285; Oboe Quartet in F, KV370 and the Horn Quintet in E flat major, KV407. Soloists during the series include Eric Hoeprich (historical clarinet); Katy Bircher (flute) and IBO principals Malcom Proud (fortepiano); Andreas Helm (oboe) and Anneke Scott (natural horn). Each concert lasts an hour with no interval. The orchestra will also be running Boutique Baroque at the National Concert Hall. This series of workshops and school events will explore the music featured in Masterworks.

Des FitzGerald also spoke with Jim Carroll of the Irish Times about the collapse of HMV and what this means for the future of music retail in Ireland.

You can listen back to (and download) the programme here.

Artbeat 21/11/2012

Pictured: Sarah Halpin (double bass), Kevin Brady (drums) and Claire Duff (violin and IBO orchestral leader) Photo: Paul McCarthy

Imagine the sound of jazz percussion coupled with that of a baroque orchestra using original instruments from the period. In 1999, Monica Huggett, artistic director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra, met Oregonian jazz violinist Hollis Taylor. Out of their creative collaboration came ‘Groove Theory’, a work that marries baroque music with jazz, folk and the scientific concept of String Theory. Joining Huggett for a short Irish tour is drummer Kevin Brady, a stalwart of the Irish jazz scene who’s worked extensively with others and his own successful trio featuring pianist Bill Carrothers. The lunchtime performance features a post show discussion with the musicians. Dr Tristan McLoughlin from Trinity Maths Dept will chat about String Theory itself. The evening concert (on the 24th) includes works by 18th century Hungarian and Romani composers.

Thu 22 Nov @ 1pm – Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Limerick (Groove Theory only)
Thu 22 Nov @ 8pm – The Ballroom at Seapoint, Salthill, Galway (Groove + full concert)
Fri 23 Nov @ 1pm – Project Arts Centre (Groove Theory only)
Sat 24 Nov @ 8pm – Civic Theatre Tallaght (Groove Theory + full concert)

Listen back to Des FitzGerald’s interview with Kevin Brady here.

YAM.ie (Your Arts Map), a new website which maps out arts and cultural events across Dublin was launched in October by Dublin City Council. The website is aimed at 13 to 25 year olds giving them an event guide of events in Dublin city. The service is free to promote events and is linked with google maps. Emma Creedon of Your Arts Map joined Suzanne Parker to tell Artbeat more about the project. Listen back to the interview here.

Artbeat 14/11/2012

Exchange Dublin is a collective Arts centre run entirely by young volunteers. It is a space that actively encourages dynamic engagement with contemporary Dublin through discussions, music, visual arts and performance. Most of the work on displayed at Exchange Dublin is a product of the various autonomous groups that use the space as their creative hub. Artbeat’s Frank Black spoke with Niamh Murphy, one of the organisers and artist/performers involved with Dublin Live Art Festival.

exchangedublin.ie

Listen back to the interview here.

The fifth Dublin Book Festival is underway at its new venue in Smock Alley Theatre until Sunday. Julianne Mooney of Dublin Book Festival Programme Director came on the programme to talk about this year’s lineup.

Artbeat 07/11/2012

Frank Black spoke to a volunteer from Exchange Dublin Co-operative. Exchange Dublin is a collective Arts centre run entirely by young volunteers. It’s a space that actively encourages dynamic engagement with contemporary Dublin through discussions, music, visual arts and performance. Most of the work on displayed at Exchange Dublin is a product of the various autonomous groups that use the space as their creative hub.

Discussion revolved around previous events held at Exchange, most recently, the Dublin Live Art Festival. (As a follow up to that discussion Frank will be interviewing one of the organisers and artist/performers involved with Dublin Live Art Festival on Artbeat next week).

Dympna Cullen spoke with Sabina Wasik co-ordinator of Kinopolos Polish Film Festival which was held recently at the IFI. The film festival is now in its seventh year. Opening on November 8th, the programme’s key strand focused on ‘the dark side of the Polish soul’, as represented by the work of director Wojciech Smarzowski, whose films include Rose (this year’s award-winning opening film).

sonic.art Saxophone Quartet at the Goethe Institut

When the Belgian Adolphe Sax invented his eponymous instrument in the 19th Century, he envisioned it as a powerful member of the orchestra. But musical history points to a very different path for the saxophone, especially its adoption by jazz titans like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. In the liner notes for their latest album, the sonic.art Saxophone Quartet talk about taking a very different musical path from many of their peers. Formed in 2005, this German based group’s energies are firmly placed on what new music composition can bring to the saxophone. Philip Glass’s String Quartet No.3, arranged for sonic.art, is on the Dublin programme and is a fine example of how minimalist sound informs their playing. Other works featured include Irish composer David Fennessy’s Björk influenced piece, Neon, and György Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles.

Tuesday 6th November, 8pm
Goethe Institut, 37 Merrion Sqare East
Tickets €15/€10