The Irish Chamber Orchestra is back on the road with DEATH AND THE MAIDEN visiting St. Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick on Wednesday 16 May, to coincide with the cathedral’s 850th Anniversary celebrations. From there, the ICO heads west, visiting Cultúrlann Sweeney, Kilkee, Co. Clare on Thursday 17 May. Newport Church in Mayo celebrates its Centenary with a visit from the ICO on Friday 18 May followed by a return visit to the Garage Theatre, Monaghan on Saturday 19 May.
Virtuosic, innovative and creative, the ICO blazes a trail with its unique collaborative approach and its rich relationships with an array of creative partners. Under the leadership of Katherine Hunka, the orchestra is one of Ireland’s busiest touring ensembles, both nationally and internationally.
Revel with the ICO in the opulence of the baroque court. Vivaldi’s rhythmic vivacity and harmonic clarity inspired Bach in his summation of Baroque. Vivaldi enhanced his reputation as The Red Priest with L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, a collection of twelve brilliant violin concerti. His Concerto for 4 Violins and Cello in D-major from this collection will be performed by Katherine Hunka, Diane Daly, André Swanepoel, Cliodhna Ryan (Violin) and Christian Elliott (Cello). Here the soloists interact to great effect with the themes moving seamlessly between the instruments. Vivaldi’s gem is exhilarating, with a vitality that will delight audiences.
Bach’s Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor or Double Violin Concerto, is one of his most popular and best-loved works. With ICO’s Katherine Hunka and Nicola Sweeney, on an equal footing, this concerto amply deserves its position as one of Bach’s masterworks. Its celebrated slow movement is the melodic highlight of his output.
Schubert’s Death and the Maiden is one of his finest works and a cornerstone of the repertoire. It is an expressive, romantic and dramatic work written in death’s shadow. Mahler’s arrangement for string orchestra emphasizes the music’s dramatic element, which was a powerful statement from Schubert.
From old to new, ICO’s double bass player Malachy Robinson demonstrates his compositional skills with a cinematic new work Dream of the Green Men, inspired by Purcell’s The Fairy Queen.
Don’t miss the ICO in Limerick, Kilkee Co Clare, Newport Co. Mayo and Monaghan 16-19 May. Tickets on www.irishchamberorchestra.com
The Irish Chamber Orchestra is resident at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. It is funded by The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.
For further information/photographs contact charlotte.eglington@ul.ie
Irish Chamber Orchestra
Katherine Hunka Director/Violin
Nicola Sweeney Violin
DEATH AND THE MAIDEN
Vivaldi Concerto for 4 Violins and Cello in D-major, Op. 3 No. 1 (RV 549)
Malachy Robinson Dream of the Green Men
JS Bach Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, BWV 1042
Schubert String Quartet No. 14 D 810 (Death and the Maiden)
(arr. Mahler for string orchestra)
Wednesday 16 May St. Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick @ 8pm (850th Anniversary Programme)
€25, €22 and €10 students www.irishchamberorchestra.com
Thursday 17 May Cultúrlann Sweeney, Kilkee, Co. Clare @ 8pm
065 9060769 www.culturlannsweeney.ie €25
Friday 18 May Newport Church, Newport, Co, Mayo @ 8pm(Centenary Celebration)
www.eventbrite.ie €20 (plus booking fee)
Saturday 19 May The Garage Theatre, Monaghan @ 8pm 047 39777 www.garagetheatre.com
€20, €15
