The season’s strong Russian thread includes a special focus on Tchaikovsky, with all four of the composer’s works for piano and orchestra performed over two days – an extraordinary feat to be undertaken by Barry Douglas, marking the anniversary of his famous win in the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow thirty years ago. In a special presentation in conjunction with the National Concert Hall’s Russian Music Season, the RTÉ NSO will perform with star violinist Maxim Vengerov who will play Sibelius’ Violin Concerto and conduct Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, Pathétique.
The RTÉ Philhamonic Choir will join the orchestra to perform the world premiere of Humiliated and Insulted by RTÉ Composer-in-Residence Gerald Barry, co-commissioned by RTÉ and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Other choral works include Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius and two works within a concert focusing on Arvo Pärt’s music, Salve Regina and Adam’s Lament. The choir will give its own first performance of Handel’s Messiah on 6 January and return to Bach’s St Matthew Passion on Good Friday, 14 April. The recent spotlight on outstanding singers continues with performances of two of Mahler’s greatest song cycles, Kindertotenlieder (Patricia Bardon) and Rückert-Lieder (Dietrich Henschel); the elegiac Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss (Orla Boylan) and the exquisite Les nuits d’été by Berlioz (Ailish Tynan).
Extraordinary repertoire from the second half of the twentieth century includes Messiaen’s iconic Turangalîla-Symphonie, highly charged works for violin and orchestra by Peteris Vasks (Distant Light), Sofia Gubaidulina (Offertorium in its Irish premiere) and Witold Lutoslawski (Partita for Violin and Orchestra); the amazing clarinet concerto of Magnus Lindberg and key works by significant Irish figures, John Kinsella (Elegy for Strings), Donnacha Dennehy (Crane), Seóirse Bodley (A small white cloud drifts over Ireland) and Brian Boydell (In Memoriam Mahatma Ghandi) on the occasion of his 100th anniversary.
The orchestra will be led by a range of outstanding conductors some of whom are returning, including Nicholas Collon, James Feddeck, Cristian Macelaru and Nathalie Stutzmann, and some new faces including Daniel Blendulf, Alexander Vedernikov, Michal Nesterowicz and Erik Nielsen. Included amongst the season’s many exceptional solo instrumentalists are new faces Daniel Hope (violin), Kari Kriikku (clarinet) and Vadim Gluzman (violin) and returning favourites Stephen Hough and Nikolay Khozyainov (piano).
Over 25 Irish/Ireland based artists will take part. In addition to the aforementioned Patricia Bardon, Barry Douglas, Orla Boylan and Ailish Tynan, they include pianists John O’Conor, in a 70th birthday celebration, and Finghin Collins; conductors David Brophy and Gavin Maloney; the young violinist Patrick Rafter; singers Paula Murrihy and Gavin Ring and the RTÉ Contempo Quartet.
The Music of Our Time series of free lunchtime concerts returns with three concerts in the January to April period, each presenting recent music by a significant international figure alongside new and recent Irish work. The series will include new works commissioned by RTÉ from Ann Cleare and by RTÉ lyric fm from its Composer-in-Residence Sebastian Adams alongside works by Stephen Gardner (Lament), Andrew Hamilton (C), Julian Anderson (The Discovery of Heaven), Wolfgang Rihm (Verwandlung 4) and Detlev Glanert (Insomnium), those by Anderson, Rihm and Detlev being Irish premieres
Pipeworks, the free series of organ recitals, returns with four programmes, each linked to the Main Season concert that evening. Organists will be David Adams, Fergal Caulfield, Mark Duley and David Leigh. Pipeworks is presented in association with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the National Concert Hall with funding from The Arts Council and Dublin City Council.
All Main Season concerts will be broadcast live by RTÉ lyric fm and all but the New Year’s Day concert will be presented on stage by RTÉ lyric fm’s Paul Herriott.
Single tickets: Main Season tickets (excluding New Year’s Day) start at €15. Student stand-by tickets of €5 and discounts for senior citizens, students and the unwaged continue to be available, subject to availability.
Packages: Discounts of up to 30% are available for customers buying concert packages with a saving of up to €268 available when buying all concerts in the Main Season.
Free events: The majority of Main Season concerts are preceded by either Soundings, the pre-concert talks with soloists and/or conductors and guest interviewers, or a Pipeworks organ recital linked to the Main Season programme.
Booking: Priority booking for current Full Season subscribers is now open. Full public booking opens on Friday 10 June.
