RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 2014-2015 Season Brochure by RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra

RTÉ National SYMPHONY

Orchestra 2014–2015 Season

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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

Helena Wood, Leader, RTĂ&#x2030; NSO

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.

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

Alan Buribayev, Principal Conductor, RTĂ&#x2030; NSO

Alan Buribayev Principal Conductor, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra

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.

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

Choral selection for children’s voices Linda Buckley, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov

Strauss Family and Viennese vocal favourites

All performances take place in the National Concert Hall, Dublin with the exception of

Thurs 9 Oct, Galway.

Ma in S eas on So con und cer ing ts s/ Ear Co mp ly e ose ven r in ing Bey Co con ond nve cer rsa the ts tion Sea Wo son rld pre mie Iris re( hp s) rem iere FO (s) RT EM usi cal Dis cov ery

PAGE

CONDUCTOR

SOLOIST(S)

Gavin Maloney Alan Buribayev Charles Hazlewood

Pekka Kuusisto -

Mary Amond O’Brien Gavin Maloney Stefan Blunier Charles Hazlewood

Gabriela Montero, RTÉ Philharmonic Choir Leon McCawley -

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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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 -

Ma in S eas on So con und cer ing ts s/ Ear Co mp ly e ose ven r in ing Bey Co con ond nve cer rsa the ts tion Sea Wo son rld pre mie Iris re( hp s) rem iere FO (s) RT EM usi cal Dis cov ery

CONDUCTOR

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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.

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

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’]

conductor/presenter

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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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

TICKETS FROM €15 / SEE P.61

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.

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

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)

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

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)

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

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)

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

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)

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

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‘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

B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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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

B E YO N D T H E S E A S O N

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

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

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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, RTĂ&#x2030; NSO

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.

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

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

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.

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 Save

SAVE

ZONE A

ZONE B

ZONE C

ZONE D

ZONE E *

€99.75 €5.25

€91.20 €4.80

€74.10 €3.90

€57.00 €3.00

€34.20 €1.80

€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 Save

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.

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

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: groups@nch.ie

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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