RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra by RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra

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RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2013–2014 SEASON

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RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2013–2014 SEASON

Inside cover design:Layout 1

25/04/2013

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Page 1

YELLOW BALCONY K

CONTENTS

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL SEATING PLAN

2 3 H1 2 3 G1 2 3 F1 H H EHH H DH H H CH H H BH 3

8 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 H 5 7 8 6 8 H 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 H 5 6 7 5 4

11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 12 13 11 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10

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 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 23 23

23 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

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 H 26 27 24 25 H 26 27 24 25 H 26 27 28

K 29 J 29 30 31 29 30 H 31 29 30 G 31 F 29 30 31 E H H HD H H H C H H H B 29

BAND D

BAND E

48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

9 10 11 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 0 9 1 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 0 1 9 11 12 13 0 9 1 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10

21 22 23 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 21 22 23 26 24 25 21 22 23 26 24 25 21 22 23 26 24 25 21 22 26 23 24 25 26 21 22 23 24 25 26 21 22 23 24 25 26 21 22 23 24 25 26 21 22 23 24 25 26

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

STAGE

STALLS ROW B–D CHOIR BALCONY SEATS CHOIR BALCONY 136 SEATS UNRESERVED

27 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29

30 31

30 31 W 30 31

V U T 30 31 S 30 31 R 30 31 Q 30 31 P 30 31 N 30 31 M 30 31 L 30 31 K 30 31 J 30 31 H 30 31 G 30 31 F 30 31 E 30 31 D 30 31 C 30 B 30 31 30 31

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

STALLS ROWS E–F SIDE BALCONY SEATS 1–18

7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 6 5 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 6 5 7 8 6 5 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 6 5 7 8 5 6

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

STALLS ROWS G–H SIDE BALCONY SEATS 19–57

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

BAND C

4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3

49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19

STALLS ROWS J–K & V-Y BALCONY ROWS G–K

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

BAND B

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

RED SIDE BALCONY

STALLS ROWS L–U BALCONY ROWS A–F

GREEN SIDE BALCONY

BAND A

46 47 48 40 41 42 43 44 45 30 29 28 36 35 34 33 32 31

WHAT’S THE STORY? A MESSAGE FROM HELENA WOOD A MESSAGE FROM ALAN BURIBAYEV AT A GLANCE THE CONCERTS CONCERT PACKAGE OPTIONS SUBSCRIBER REWARDS & DISCOUNTS CONCERT PACKAGE PRICES SUBSCRIBER CARD HOW & WHEN TO BOOK RTÉ NSO MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION

03 04 05 06 10 54 55 56 58 59 60

8 39 3

PAGE

RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2013–2014 SEASON Patron: Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland Principal Conductor: Alan Buribayev

A season of Orchestral Tales and Legends DUBLIN

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

CASTLEBAR

CORK

KILKENNY

THE ABBEY THEATRE

LIMERICK

NAVAN

TULLAMORE

RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra Main Season concerts, Horizons and other selected concerts are broadcast on RTÉ lyric fm

WATERFORD

WELCOME

RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

WHAT’S THE STORY?

AN OVERVIEW OF THE SEASON BY DECLAN McGOVERN, GENERAL MANAGER, RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Welcome to the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra’s 2013–2014 season of concerts. Orchestral tales and legends are featured throughout this season including the Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz, Tchaikovsky’s enchanting Sleeping Beauty, Prokofiev’s vivid portrayal of Lieutenant Kijé, and Stravinsky’s colourful ballet Petrushka which opens our season (13 September). As a further reflection of the storytelling theme, we are particularly delighted to collaborate with Ireland’s national theatre to celebrate Shakespeare in Music (15 December) at the Abbey Theatre. A number of anniversaries are marked throughout this season: Benjamin Britten’s centenary is celebrated in October and November; Verdi’s bicentenary is marked with a performance of his Requiem (27 September) with the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir; and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss provides a perfect opportunity to hear Irish soprano Celine Byrne perform his Four Last Songs (30 May) in our closing concert. Five new Irish works will be premiered this season: a new commission on opening night, and a new work in each of the

Horizons lunchtime concerts in January/February. In March, thanks to a new collaboration with the Music Composition Centre at Trinity College Dublin, the orchestra looks forward to welcoming the iconic composer Harrison Birtwistle (7 March) to work with the RTÉ NSO for the first time, as part of New Music Dublin. Some fifteen nationalities from around the world are represented in the orchestra and many of our musicians work in developing the musicians of the future. One such example is the mentoring scheme for advanced music students which culminates with their participation in the Russian Tales concert (22 November). If you are coming to our concerts for the first time don’t miss our Taster Concert (6 September), and for families there’s our film concert (24 May) with Paul Rissmann. Finally, we look forward to meeting our audiences outside Dublin as we go ‘out and about’ with two outstanding international soloists: violinist Nicola Benedetti in December and trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger in March. Enjoy the season! WELCOME

A MESSAGE FROM

HELENA WOOD LEADER, RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

I’m delighted to be joining the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra for my first season as Leader. I’m looking forward to performing Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre (28 February) – always great fun to play – and to welcoming some truly outstanding international soloists to our season including the amazing Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey (29 November), the fabulous young Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud (7 February), Swedish trumpet supremo Håkan Hardenberger (12–14 March) and the ever popular pianist and conductor Barry Douglas (4 October and 11 April). I look forward to seeing you at our concerts!

WELCOME

A MESSAGE FROM

ALAN BURIBAYEV

PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR, RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA I look forward to celebrating with you some of the greatest stories ever told in classical music this season: Mussorgsky’s A Night on the Bare Mountain (7 February) Bartok’s vivid score for The Miraculous Mandarin (2 May), Stravinsky’s magnificent ballet fantasy Petrushka (13 September), and Barber’s beautifully evocative Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (4 April). I’ll also be continuing my Prokofiev symphony cycle (7 February), and conducting symphonies by Dvorák (4 April), Brahms (30 May) and Beethoven, getting ‘inside the score’ of his Symphony No. 5 (3 November). I look forward to conducting music which will excite the imagination and stir the heart! v

WELCOME

AT A GLANCE DATE

TIME

FRI 6 SEP FRI 13 SEP TUE 17 SEP FRI 20 SEP FRI 27 SEP FRI 4 OCT FRI 18 OCT FRI 25 OCT SUN 3 NOV FRI 8 NOV FRI 22 NOV FRI 29 NOV WED 4 DEC THUR 5 DEC FRI 6 DEC SAT 7 DEC TUE 10 DEC SUN 15 DEC TUE 17 DEC THUR 19 DEC WED 1 JAN FRI 3 JAN FRI 10 JAN TUE 14 JAN

8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 3pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 1.05pm 3 & 5pm 1.05pm 3.15 & 8pm 2.30 & 6pm 8pm 8pm 1.05pm

FUND YOUR EVENT

SEPTEMBER 2013 – JANUARY 2014

VENUE

NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH Tullamore Castlebar Kilkenny Navan NCH Abbey Theatre NCH NCH NCH Cork NCH NCH

TITLE

The Story Begins! New Beginnings The Alma Fetish Eroica Dawn Soul Music Heavenly Life Britten & America Mozart's Violin Inside the Music Carnival Dance Russian Tales Saint Nicolas Nicola Benedetti on Tour Nicola Benedetti on Tour Nicola Benedetti on Tour Nicola Benedetti on Tour Unwrapping Christmas Shakespeare in Music Christmas Favourites Three Sopranos Christmas Gala Strauss & Co.: New Year Gala Strauss & Co.: New Year Gala Gershwin’s Genius Horizons: Catching Fire

COMPOSER(S)/PROGRAMME

Taster Concert: 2013–2014 Season Highlights Ed Bennett, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky A new opera by Raymond Deane Beethoven, Schumann Verdi Britten, Mahler Bernstein, Britten, Copland Mozart Beethoven, Hindemith Dvorák, Falla, Brahms Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Khachaturian Britten J. Adams, Bruch, Marquez, Stravinsky J. Adams, Bruch, Marquez, Stravinsky J. Adams, Bruch, Marquez, Stravinsky J. Adams, Bruch, Marquez, Stravinsky Tchaikovsky, Lehár, Delius, Prokofiev Celebrating the works of Shakespeare with words & music Leroy Anderson and more Operatic and Christmas favourites Strauss family & operatic favourites Strauss family & operatic favourites Adams, Gershwin, Sibelius Rhona Clarke, Gerald Barry, Pascal Dusapin v

CONDUCTOR

Robert Houlihan Alan Buribayev Fergus Sheil Gerhard Markson Kenneth Montgomery Christian Arming Garry Walker Baibe Skride Alan Buribayev Jonathan Schiffman Alan Buribayev Matthew Halls Fergus Sheil Fergus Sheil Fergus Sheil Fergus Sheil Malcolm Yuen Gavin Maloney Christopher Bell John Finucane Robert Houlihan Robert Houlihan Jayce Ogren Gavin Maloney

SOLOISTS

Freddy Kempf M. Cullagh, B. Polegato, G. Dandy Torléif Thedeen RTÉ Philharmonic Choir, M. Murphy, I. Drumm, M. Best Barry Douglas, Mary Nelson Marie-Luise Neunecker, Andrew Staples Baibe Skride Alan Smale, Stephen Johnson (presenter) Antti Siirala Artur Pizarro Pieter Wispelwey, John Mark Ainsley, RTÉ Choirs Nicola Benedetti Nicola Benedetti Nicola Benedetti Nicola Benedetti Actors from the Abbey Theatre Christopher Bell (presenter) Claudia Boyle, Regina Nathan, Cara O'Sullivan Cara O'Sullivan Cara O'Sullivan Michael McHale Bernard Clarke (presenter)

ADDITIONAL CONCERT INFORMATION

PAGE

BEYOND THE SEASON MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS BEYOND THE SEASON MAIN SEASON EARLY EVENING CONCERTS MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS

LATE NIGHT CONCERT

MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS BEYOND THE SEASON FORTE! MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS

FORTE!

MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS

LATE NIGHT CONCERT

BEYOND THE SEASON BEYOND THE SEASON BEYOND THE SEASON BEYOND THE SEASON BEYOND THE SEASON BEYOND THE SEASON BEYOND THE SEASON BEYOND THE SEASON MAIN SEASON

MAIN SEASON EARLY EVENING CONCERT BEYOND THE SEASON COMPOSERS IN CONVERSATION WORLD PREMIERE

FIND YOUR EVENTS

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 22 22 22 23 24 25 26 27 27 28 29

AT A GLANCE DATE

TIME

FRI 17 JAN TUE 21 JAN FRI 24 JAN TUE 28 JAN FRI 31 JAN TUE 4 FEB FRI 7 FEB THUR 13 FEB FRI 21 FEB TUES 25 FEB FRI 28 FEB FRI 7 MAR WED 12 MAR THU 13 MAR FRI 14 MAR MON 17 MAR FRI 4 APR FRI 11 APR FRI 18 APR FRI 2 MAY FRI 16 MAY FRI 23 MAY SAT 24 MAY FRI 30 MAY

8pm 1.05pm 8pm 1.05pm 8pm 1.05pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 10.30am & 12.15pm 8pm 1.05pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 3.30pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 3pm 8pm

FUND YOUR EVENT

JANUARY – MAY 2014 VENUE

NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH Limerick Waterford NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH NCH

TITLE

London Calling Horizons: Coloured Time Rhapsodies & Fairytales Horizons: Six Objects in a Concert Hall Scottish Fantasy Horizons: Mavericks and Unicorns Bare Mountain Hamlet’s Fantasy Hollywood Heroes Leaving Cert: Symphonie Fantastique Fantastique! Birtwistle in Dublin Trumpet on Tour! Trumpet on Tour! Trumpet on Tour! The Music of Shaun Davey Lieutenant Kijé The Emperor Easter Glory Hungarian Stories Hiawatha's Wedding The Sea Family Film Favourites Idyllic Leavetakings

COMPOSER(S)/PROGRAMME

Walton, Vaughan Williams Marion Ingoldsby, Webern, Takemitsu Copland, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, Ravel Seán Clancy, J. Cutler, Mic. Walton, E. Bennett, H. Skempton Arnold, Bruch, Beethoven Brian Irvine, Ives, Frank Zappa Mussorgsky, Sibelius, Prokofiev Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov Music from James Bond, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List… Berlioz Saint-Saëns, Liszt, Berlioz Birtwistle: Earth Dances Haydn, Prokofiev, Planel, Ravel Haydn, Prokofiev, Planel, Ravel Haydn, Prokofiev, Planel, Ravel The Brendan Voyage, Granuaile Prokofiev, Barber, Dvořák Mozart, Beethoven Bach Brahms, Liszt, Kodály, Bartók Stanford, Elgar, Coleridge-Taylor Berlioz, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Debussy Music from Fantasia, Star Wars, Harry Potter… Wagner, R. Strauss, Brahms

CONDUCTOR

John Wilson Gavin Maloney Andrew Gourlay Gavin Maloney Eugene Tzigane Gavin Maloney Alan Buribayev Alan Buribayev David Arnold Patrik Ringborg David Atherton Håkan Hardenberger Håkan Hardenberger Håkan Hardenberger Gavin Maloney Alan Buribayev Barry Douglas Roy Goodman Alan Buribayev David Hill Olari Elts Stephen Bell Alan Buribayev

SOLOISTS

Guy Johnston Bernard Clarke (presenter) Joanna MacGregor Bernard Clarke (presenter) Stefan Jackiw Bernard Clarke (presenter) Henning Kraggerud Ivan Monighetti Dave Fanning (presenter) Paul Rissmann (presenter) Nareh Arghamanyan Håkan Hardenberger Håkan Hardenberger Håkan Hardenberger Rita Connolly, Liam O'Flynn Anna Devin Barry Douglas S. Power, P. Murrihy, J. Gilchrist, M. George & choir Nikolai Demidenko Kim Begley, RTÉ Philharmonic Choir Boris Giltburg Paul Rissmann (presenter) Celine Byrne

ADDITIONAL CONCERT INFORMATION

PAGE

MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS BEYOND THE SEASON COMPOSERS IN CONVERSATION WORLD PREMIERE MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS

LATE NIGHT CONCERT

BEYOND THE SEASON COMPOSERS IN CONVERSATION WORLD PREMIERE MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS BEYOND THE SEASON COMPOSERS IN CONVERSATION WORLD PREMIERE MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS BEYOND THE SEASON BEYOND THE SEASON FORTE! MAIN SEASON EARLY EVENING CONCERT BEYOND THE SEASON

MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS BEYOND THE SEASON MAIN SEASON EARLY EVENING CONCERT MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS BEYOND THE SEASON MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS

LATE NIGHT CONCERT

MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS MAIN SEASON SOUNDINGS BEYOND THE SEASON FORTE! MAIN SEASON EARLY EVENING CONCERT

FIND YOUR EVENTS

30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 42 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 6 SEPTEMBER

THE STORY BEGINS! With so much on offer in our new season, here’s the perfect opportunity to sample the treats that lie ahead as we celebrate the art of storytelling through the world’s greatest music. We’ve put together for you a packed programme of highlights including magical moments from Mussorgsky’s fantastical A Night on the Bare Mountain, Tchaikovsky’s enchanting Sleeping Beauty, the spectacle of Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé, the vitality of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the gripping drama of Britten’s Peter Grimes.

ROBERT HOULIHAN conductor

8pm

ends approx. 9.50pm

BEYOND THE SEASON

TICKETS: €10, €15 BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

2013–2014 TASTER CONCERT

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER

NEW BEGINNINGS 8pm

ED BENNETT New Work RTÉ commission [10’]

WORLD PREMIERE

RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor [33’]

ST RAVINSKY Petrushka (1947) [35’]

ends approx. 9.50pm

FREDDY KEMPF piano ALAN BURIBAYEV conductor SOUNDINGS In Conversation: Freddy Kempf & Ed Bennett

7pm

Our season begins with a new piece by one of Ireland’s most talented young composers, Ed Bennett, and two masterpieces exalting the adventure and opportunity of new beginnings. Rachmaninov’s optimistic Second Piano Concerto boasts one soaringly beautiful melody after another, Stravinsky’s Petrushka is a bright, brash, bold portrait of a puppet suddenly brought to life.

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

FREDDY KEMPF

MAIN SEASON

TUESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

PRESENTED BY WIDE OPEN OPERA IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

The Alma Fetish A NEW OPERA BY RAYMOND DEANE (MUSIC) AND GAVIN KOSTICK (TEXT) (CONCERT PERFORMANCE)

Following the breakup of his relationship with Alma Mahler, artist Oskar Kokoschka’s only path from spiralling despair is to commission a life-size doll of Alma to be made by the finest Parisian makers. He lives with the doll; eating meals, going to the opera, taking a ride in the park, until one day he ‘murders’ her, discarding the ‘body’ in the street. Concert performance of a new opera based on a true story, by Raymond Deane and Gavin Kostick. 8pm MAJELLA CULLAGH (Alma) BRETT POLEGATO (Kokoschka) GRAEME DANBY (Russian Soldier) CHORUS OF WIDE OPEN OPERA FERGUS SHEIL conductor ends approx. 10.10pm Self portrait with Alma by Oskar Kokoschka

BEYOND THE SEASON

TICKETS: €25 (full), €20 (OAPs), €15 (Student) BOOKING (no fees): 01 4170000 | www.nch.ie

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER

CULTURE NIGHT

CULTURE NIGHT 100 FREE TICKETS Available from August. See www.rte.ie/nso

EROICA DAWN 8pm

BEETHOVEN Prometheus Overture

[5’]

SCHUMANN Cello Concerto in A minor [25’]

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 in E flat ‘Eroica’ [47’] +surprise extra!

ends approx. 9.55pm

TORLÉIF THEDEEN cello GERHARD MARKSON conductor FREE CONCERT

The cathedral-like dimensions of Beethoven’s mighty and majestic Third Symphony announced the dawn of Romanticism and put 19th-century audiences through the emotional wringer. Its potency and power remains undiminished in a journey of compelling energy and excitement. No less fiery is his Prometheus Overture while Schumann’s concerto exults in the poetic and the sublime. TORLÉIF THEDEEN

6.10pm

Pipeworks Organ Recital: David Adams. See p.52.

FREE CONCERT RTÉ Cór na nÓg in the John Field Room

7pm TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

MAIN SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER

VERDI ANNIVERSARY

SOUL MUSIC

VERDI Requiem [84’]

Every bit as intense, fervent, vital and dramatic as his operas, Verdi’s Requiem shouts out from pulpit and pew with a passion guaranteed to stir head, heart and soul. A thrilling, terrifying, tumultuous blend of orchestra, chorus and soloists, it offers the perfect tribute in the bicentenary year of the composer’s birth.

8pm ends approx. 9.35pm

MIRIAM MURPHY soprano IMELDA DRUMM mezzo soprano BRUCE SLEDGE tenor MATTHEW BEST bass RTÉ PHILHARMONIC CHOIR chorus master Mark Hindley

KENNETH MONTGOMERY conductor SOUNDINGS In Conversation: Mark Hindley & Kenneth Montgomery

MAIN SEASON

7pm RTÉ PHILHARMONIC CHOIR

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NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 4 OCTOBER

BIG ON BRITTEN

HEAVENLY LIFE 8pm

BRITTEN Piano Concerto [34’]

MAHLER Symphony No.4 in G [54’]

ends approx. 10pm

BARRY DOUGLAS piano MARY NELSON soprano CHRISTIAN ARMING conductor SOUNDINGS SPECIAL

7pm

Britten’s only Piano Concerto boils with anguish, torment and poignancy in a bravura display of youthful passions while the sunniest of Mahler’s symphonies teems over with smiling good humour and effervescent joy before culminating in a glorious, resounding finale that revels in a child’s irresistibly blissful vision of Heaven.

Barry Douglas explores the score of Britten’s Piano Concerto on the main stage.

THE LATE NIGHT Barry Douglas performs music by Brahms

BARRY DOUGLAS

10.15pm TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) LATE NIGHT FREE with 8pm ticket or €5 for Late Night only BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

MAIN SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER

BIG ON BRITTEN

BRITTEN & AMERICA 8pm

BERNSTEIN

On the Town: Three Dance Episodes [11’]

BRITTEN Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings [25’]

BRITTEN Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes [16’]

CO PLAND Appalachian Spring [24’] ends approx. 9.50pm

MARIE-LUISE NEUNECKER horn ANDREW STAPLES tenor GARRY WALKER conductor SOUNDINGS In Conversation:

GARRY WALKER

7pm

Marie-Luise Neunecker, Andrew Staples & Garry Walker

MAIN SEASON

Bursting with pizzazz and showmanship, Bernstein’s On the Town celebrates New York in irresistible style while Copland’s gorgeous, melody-filled ballet score is as ripe, romantic and ravishing as the American dream that captivated Benjamin Britten, whose shadow-lit, spiritual song cycle and operatically vivid invocations of the sea are high-water marks of 20th century music.

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER

SOLOIST DIRECTS

MOZART’S VIOLIN Mozart’s violin concertos are wonders of youthful invention with the First boasting a brilliantly witty finale, the Second exuberantly extrovert and virtuosic, and the fleet-footed Third (popularised in the Russell Crowe film Master and Commander) memorably borrowing a French folk tune. The athletic, adrenalinpacked Paris Symphony delivers entertainment at full throttle.

8pm

MOZART

Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat [21’] Violin Concerto No. 2 in D [21’] Symphony No. 31 in D ‘Paris’ [17’] Violin Concerto No. 3 in G ‘Strasbourg’ [24’] ends approx. 9.55pm

BAIBA SKRIDE violin/director SOUNDINGS

7pm

In Conversation: Baiba Skride BAIBA SKRIDE

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MAIN SEASON

SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER , 3PM

FORTE! CONCERT

THE RTÉ NSO’S MUSICAL DISCOVERY PROGRAMME

INSIDE THE MUSIC 3pm

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C minor [31’]

HINDEMITH Violin Concerto (1939) [30’]

ends approx. 5pm

ALAN SMALE violin STEPHEN JOHNSON presenter ALAN BURIBAYEV conductor

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

BEYOND THE SEASON

Music presenter and writer Stephen Johnson explores the scores of two contrasting works by two German-born composers from different eras: Beethoven’s ever popular Symphony No. 5, dating from the first decade of the nineteenth century and Hindemith’s Violin Concerto, composed in the late 1930s. Illustrative excerpts from each work will be presented prior to a complete performance by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Leader Emeritus and soloist Alan Smale and Principal Conductor Alan Buribayev.

TICKETS: €10, €15, €20 (Conc. €9, €13.50, €18) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

ALAN SMALE

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER

CARNIVAL DANCE Dvorák’s feisty Carnival Overture heralds a programme of fun, frolics and vivacious music with Falla’s ballet suites from The Three-Cornered Hat deliciously witty and surging with rhythmic energy and Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto by turns infectiously rhapsodic, hauntingly beautiful and hugely entertaining. V

8pm

DVORÁK Carnival Overture [10’]

FALLA The Three Cornered Hat Suites 1 & 2 [24’]

BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat [44’] ends approx. 9.40pm

ANTTI SIIRALA piano JONATHAN SCHIFFMAN conductor SOUNDINGS

7pm

In Conversation: Jonathan Schiffman

JONATHAN SCHIFFMAN

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

MAIN SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 22 NOVEMBER

MENTORING SCHEME

RUSSIAN TALES

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV

8pm

The Tsar’s Bride Overture [7’]

TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 2 in G [37’]

KHACHATURIAN Gayane Ballet (selection) [38’] + surprise extra!

ends approx. 10.05pm

ARTUR PIZARRO piano ALAN BURIBAYEV conductor with 2013 Mentoring Scheme Participants SOUNDINGS In Conversation: Deborah Kelleher with 2013 Mentoring Scheme Participants

MAIN SEASON

THE RTÉ NSO’S MUSICAL DISCOVERY PROGRAMME

7pm

Three magnificent examples of Russian music at its lyrical best: Rimsky-Korsakov’s sparkling Overture and Khachaturian’s dramatic Gayane Ballet (selection) gleefully plundering folk melodies with virtuosic flourishes that deliver time and again where it matters, with pulse-quickening drama and lush melodies aplenty while Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto is no less inventive, involving and brilliant. TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

ARTUR PIZARRO

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER

BIG ON BRITTEN

SAINT NICOLAS 8pm

BRITTEN Soirées Musicales (after Rossini)

[10’]

Symphony for cello and orchestra [34’] Saint Nicolas [50’]

ends approx. 10.10pm

PIETER WISPELWEY cello JOHN MARK AINSLEY tenor RTÉ CÓR NA nÓG choral director Mary Amond O’Brien

Few British composers of the last century were as articulate, eloquent or intoxicating as Britten. Evidence of such can be found in his youthfully joyous re-working of themes by Rossini, the mature and masterful blending of cello and orchestra, and the enchanting, deliciously eclectic portrait of the patron saint of Christmas.

RTÉ PHILHARMONIC CHOIR chorus master Mark Hindley MATTHEW HALLS conductor

PIETER WISPELWEY

7pm

SOUNDINGS In Conversation: Matthew Halls

THE LATE NIGHT

10.20pm

Britten Cello Suite No. 3 with Pieter Wispelwey

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) LATE NIGHT FREE with 8pm ticket or €5 for Late Night only BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

MAIN SEASON

WEDNESDAY 4 – S AT U R DAY 7 DECEMBER

CASTLEBAR • KILKENNY • NAVAN • TULLAMORE

WIDE OPEN MUSIC AND THE RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENT

NICOLA VIOLIN

BENEDETTI

Four high-octane concerts with virtuosic and colourful symphonic repertoire. Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, a rhythmic and colourful classical interpretation of Scotland’s sights and sounds and Stravinsky’s ballet suite The Firebird deploying the full orchestral resources to depict a celebrated Russian fairytale. Coupled with these, two more recent works, Danzón No. 2, an infectiously joyous Latin American dance by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez and the improbable dance of Chairman Mao from John Adams’ opera Nixon in China. Conducted by Fergus Sheil.

ON TOUR

JOHN ADAMS

8pm

The Chairman Dances [12’]

BRUCH Scottish Fantasy [30’]

MÁRQUEZ Danzón No. 2 [10’]

ST RAVINSKY L’oiseau de feu (The Firebird) Suite (1919) [21’] ends approx. 9.45pm

WED 4 DEC TULLAMORE Tullamore Court Hotel 057 934 6666

THU 5 DEC CASTLEBAR Theatre Royal 0818 300 000 or 094 902 3111 • www.theroyal.ie

FRI 6 DEC KILKENNY St Canice’s Cathedral 056 776 1674 • www.watergatetheatre.com

SAT 7 DEC NAVAN Solstice Arts Centre 046 909 2300 • www.solsticeartscentre.com

BEYOND THE SEASON

TICKETS: €16 (€14 conc.) Booking fees may apply.

NICOLA BENEDETTI

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER

LUNCHTIME CONCERT

UNWRAPPING CHRISTMAS BIG ON

PROGRAMME INCLUDES

1.05pm

TCHAIKOVSKY The Nutcracker: Petite Overture; March and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

LEHÁR Gold and Silver Waltz

DELIUS Sleigh Ride

PROKOFIEV Lieutenant Kijé, ‘Troika’

Can’t wait for Christmas? You don’t have to! Indulge in the festive delights of a Sleigh Ride with Delius, climb aboard Prokofiev’s sleighbell-adorned ‘Troika’, treat yourself to an elegant Gold and Silver Waltz with Lehár and wallow in the warmth, wonder and charm of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker in the enchanting company of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

ends 2pm

MALCOLM YUEN conductor

TICKETS: All seats €10 BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

BEYOND THE SEASON

SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER

THE ABBEY THEATRE

RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE ABBEY THEAT RE PRESENT

Shakespeare in Music Ireland’s national theatre and national orchestra join forces for two performances at the Abbey Theatre celebrating the works of William Shakespeare with words and music. The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gavin Maloney, performs excerpts from orchestral works by Sibelius, Prokofiev, Berlioz and Mendelssohn and will join Abbey actors reciting some well-known monologues from plays that inspired this music including Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

ACTORS FROM THE ABBEY THEATRE GAVIN MALONEY conductor

BEYOND THE SEASON

3pm & 5pm Duration: 1 hour approx

TICKETS: From €20 (conc. from €15) BOOKING: 01 87 87 222 www.abbeytheatre.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER

LUNCHTIME CONCERT

CHRISTMAS FAVOURITES PROGRAMME INCLUDES

1.05pm

ANDERSON A Christmas Festival and Sleigh Ride

TCHAIKOVSKY Dance of the Cygnets (Swan Lake)

LANE Sleighbell Serenade

TRAD (arr Willcocks) Good King Wenceslas

Treat yourself to an early Christmas present with this bumper selection of sparkling seasonal delights including the charming Sleighbell Serenade, exquisite Christmas Festival and effervescent Sleigh Ride. Time also to count down The Twelve Days of Christmas and to sing along to your favourite traditional carols.

TRAD (arr Doughty) The Twelve Days of Christmas

ends 2pm

CHRISTOPHER BELL conductor & presenter TICKETS: All seats â&#x201A;Ź10 BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

BEYOND THE SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER

RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE JOHN MURRAY SHOW, RTÉ RADIO 1 PRESENT

THE

THREE SOPRANOS

CHRISTMAS GALA

CLAUDIA BOYLE REGINA NATHAN CARA O’SULLIVAN JOHN FINUCANE conductor • Presented by JOHN MURRAY RTÉ Radio 1

CLAUDIA BOYLE

BEYOND THE SEASON

REGINA NATHAN

CARA O’SULLIVAN

TICKETS: €15, €29, €38, €45 (Conc. €13.50, €26, €34, €40.50) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

3.15pm & 8pm

Back by popular demand, the Three Sopranos Christmas Gala, with its festive and winning mix of operatic favourites, seasonal carols, Christmas songs and orchestral music.

Rising star Claudia Boyle, whose international career sees her working with artists including Joseph Calleja, Ricardo Muti and James Conlon, joins firm favourites Regina Nathan and Cara O’Sullivan, the full forces of the RTÉ NSO under conductor John Finucane and RTÉ Radio 1 presenter John Murray for another fun-filled run up to Christmas including Silent Night, O Holy Night, favourite operatic arias and Christmas-inspired orchestral treats.

WEDNESDAY 1 JANUARY

2.30pm & 6.30pm

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 3 JANUARY CORK

BIG ON BRITTEN

STRAUSS & CO.

NEW YEAR GALA CELEBRATION Greet the New Year in style with Viennese elegance and glamour and sparkling vocal gems from the worlds of opera and operetta. Polkas, marches and waltzes from the Strauss family include the evergreen Blue Danube, the intoxicating Champagne Polka and the rousing Vienna Blood alongside ravishing arias by Gounod, Offenbach and Lehár with the sensational Cork soprano Cara O’Sullivan. An unforgettable celebration of glamour, glitter and gaiety to start your new year with a smile.

CARA O’SULLIVAN

CARA O’SULLIVAN soprano ROBERT HOULIHAN conductor NCH TICKETS: €12, €21, €27, €33, €38 (Conc. €11, €19, €24, €30, €34) CORK TICKETS: See www.rte.ie/nso BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

MAIN SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 10 JANUARY

GERSHWIN’S GENIUS Gershwin’s pulsating piano concerto thrillingly celebrates American pluralism with a rollercoaster ride blending Dixieland rhythms, Blues melancholy and popular Yiddish themes. Its energy and colour is echoed in John Adams’ feisty foxtrot fantasy and the epic and elemental Second Symphony by Sibelius.

8pm

JOHN ADAMS The Chairman Dances [12’]

GERSHWIN Piano Concerto in F [31’]

SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2 in D [43’]

ends approx. 10pm

MICHAEL McHALE piano JAYCE OGREN conductor FREE CONCERT

6.45pm

Pipeworks Organ Recital: David Leigh. See p.52. MICHAEL McHALE

MAIN SEASON

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

TUESDAY 14 JANUARY

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FREE CONCERT

FEATURED COMPOSER

RHONA CLARKE CATCHING FIRE Catching Fire refers to the way one creative idea ignites another. This programme features the glorious orchestral sonorities and contained energies in Go by contemporary French composer Pascal Dusapin, and Gerald Barry’s La Jalousie Taciturne, a provocative and forceful piece for strings. These are combined with two of my orchestral works, including a new piece commissioned by RTÉ. RHONA CLARKE

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SERIES 1.05pm

RHONA CLARKE Where the clouds go (1995) [9’]

GERALD BARRY La Jalousie Taciturne for string orchestra (1996) [12’]

PA SCAL DUSAPIN Go, Solo No. 1 for orchestra (1992) [8’]

RHONA CLARKE* New Work (2014) (RTÉ commission) [15’]

WORLD PREMIERE

ends 2pm

Rhona Clarke

COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION

12.30pm

in association with Contemporary Music Centre CMC Director Evonne Ferguson with composer Rhona Clarke.

GAVIN MALONEY conductor Presented by BERNARD CLARKE RTÉ lyric fm Concert will be broadcast on Nova on RTÉ lyric fm (Sunday 19 January, 8–10pm)

*Rhona Clarke talks through selected excerpts on stage prior to the premiere TICKETS: FREE TICKETED EVENT BOOKING: 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

BEYOND THE SEASON

FRIDAY 17 JANUARY

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

LONDON CALLING VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Three richly expressive composers come together to showcase English music at its most elegant, eloquent and exuberant. Walton’s Cello Concerto boasts a passionate heart wrapped in wistfully moving melodies, Vaughan Williams’ tuneful Wasps Overture is hugely entertaining and his evocative symphony – premiered a century ago – pays tribute to the people and places of an historic city.

8pm

The Wasps Overture [9’]

WALTON Cello Concerto [30’]

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Symphony No. 2 in G ‘A London Symphony’ [44’] ends approx. 9.55pm

GUY JOHNSTON cello JOHN WILSON conductor SOUNDINGS

7pm

In Conversation: John Wilson

GUY JOHNSTON

MAIN SEASON

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

TUESDAY 21 JANUARY

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FREE CONCERT

FEATURED COMPOSER

MARIAN INGOLDSBY COLOURED TIME My music for orchestra is visual, with an emphasis on colour. Having a lifelong interest in art, I think of music in terms of ‘coloured time’, and this is an apt title for my exploration of the rich palette of orchestral sound, in this everfascinating medium, exemplified by works by Takemitsu and Webern as well as three of my own works, new and old. Marian Ingoldsby

12.30pm

in association with Contemporary Music Centre CMC Director Evonne Ferguson with composer Marian Ingoldsby.

*Marian Ingoldsby talks through selected excerpts on stage prior to the premiere

1.05pm

MARIAN INGOLDSBY Overture (1994) [10’]

WEBERN Variations for Orchestra (1941) [8’]

MARIAN INGOLDSBY The Heron by the Weir (2008) [7’]

TAKEMITSU How slow The Wind (1991) [11’]

MARIAN INGOLDSBY* New Work (2014) [6’]

MARIAN INGOLDSBY

COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SERIES

WORLD PREMIERE

ends 2pm

GAVIN MALONEY conductor Presented by BERNARD CLARKE RTÉ lyric fm Concert will be broadcast on Nova on RTÉ lyric fm (Sunday 26 January, 8–10pm) TICKETS: FREE TICKETED EVENT BOOKING: 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

BEYOND THE SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 24 JANUARY

RHAPSODIES & FAIRYTALES BIG ON

CO PLAND

The romance of America’s Wild West and tamed cityscapes is brilliantly captured in Copland’s gloriously colourful Billy the Kid and the jazzy excitement and energy of Gershwin’s ravishing Rhapsody. Tchaikovsky’s ballet score is a deliciously sweet, sugary concoction full of fantasy and wonderment, Ravel’s exquisitely glittering Mother Goose full of feathery fun.

8pm

Billy the Kid Suite [21’]

GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue [16’]

TCHAIKOVSKY Sleeping Beauty Suite [23’]

RAVEL Mother Goose (Ma mère l’oye): 5 pièces enfantines [16’]

ends approx. 10pm

JOANNA MacGREGOR piano ANDREW GOURLAY conductor SOUNDINGS

7pm

In Conversation: Andrew Gourlay

THE LATE NIGHT Joanna MacGregor performs American-inspired piano works

MAIN SEASON

10.15pm

JOANNA MacGREGOR

TUESDAY 28 JANUARY

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FREE CONCERT

FEATURED COMPOSER

BRIAN IRVINE

MAVERICKS AND UNICORNS A collection of musical enigmas in which a bunch of urban misfits discuss life at a 6am downtown jam session, a lady and a unicorn embark on a medieval exploration of the senses, a cosmic landscape asks a curious question and Big Daddy, Lemmy and the Dali Lama learn to dance with horses and sing like Ruby Murray. Brian Irvine

BRIAN IRVINE

COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION

12.30pm

in association with Contemporary Music Centre CMC Director Evonne Ferguson with composer Brian Irvine.

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SERIES 1.05pm

BRIAN IRVINE Big Daddy, Motorhead (2009) [10’]

IVES Unanswered Question (1946) [5’]

BRIAN IRVINE * À mon seul désir (2014) (RTÉ commission) [20’]

WORLD PREMIERE

FRANK ZAPPA Dupree’s Paradise (1979) [7’]

ends 2pm

GAVIN MALONEY conductor Presented by BERNARD CLARKE RTÉ lyric fm Concert will be broadcast on Nova on RTÉ lyric fm (Sunday 2 February, 8–10pm)

*Brian Irvine talks through selected excerpts on stage prior to the premiere TICKETS: FREE TICKETED EVENT BOOKING: 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

BEYOND THE SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 31 JANUARY

SCOTTISH FANTASY BIG ON

8pm

ARNOLD Tom O’Shanter Overture [8’]

BRUCH Scottish Fantasy [30’]

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 in A [36’]

ends approx. 9.50pm

STEFAN JACKIW violin EUGENE TZIGANE conductor SOUNDINGS

7pm

In Conversation: Stefan Jackiw and Eugene Tzigane

The romance of Scotland’s wild landscape and fantastical folk legends rings out with tartanTechnicolor brilliance in Malcolm Arnold’s setting of Robbie Burns’ tall tale and Bruch’s richly atmospheric Fantasy. Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is no less dramatic: a sweeping, searing, overwhelming experience fully deserving of Wagner’s description of it as the ‘apotheosis of the dance’. EUGENE TZIGANE

MAIN SEASON

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

TUESDAY 4 FEBRUARY

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FREE CONCERT

FEATURED COMPOSER

SEÁN CLANCY

SIX OBJECTS IN A CONCERT HALL CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SERIES The majority of my compositional output for the past number of years has dealt with the concept of artistic intervention, or reimagining pre-existing art/materials in new contexts. This concert presents two works of my own alongside those of the composers who have been most fundamental to my artistic thought, not only as teachers and colleagues at Birmingham Conservatoire, but also as friends. Seán Clancy

COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION

12.30pm

in association with Contemporary Music Centre CMC Director Evonne Ferguson with composer Séan Clancy

*Seán Clancy talks through selected excerpts on stage prior to the premiere

JOE CUTLER Ulf

1.05pm

(2006) [5’]

SEÁN CLANCY Changing Rates of Change (2012) [8’]

MICHAEL WALTON Spring Symphony [16”]

ED BENNETT New Work (2013) (RTÉ commission) [10’]

HOWARD SKEMPTON Lento (1991) [13’] SE ÁN CLANCY* New Work (2014) [10’] WORLD PREMIERE ends 2pm

GAVIN MALONEY conductor Presented by BERNARD CLARKE RTÉ lyric fm Concert will be broadcast on Nova on RTÉ lyric fm (Sunday 9 February, 8–10pm) TICKETS: FREE TICKETED EVENT BOOKING: 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

BEYOND THE SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 7 FEBRUARY

BARE MOUNTAIN 8pm

MUSSORGSKY A Night on the Bare Mountain [10’]

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto [31’]

PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor [45’] ends approx. 9.55pm

HENNING KRAGGERUD violin ALAN BURIBAYEV conductor SOUNDINGS

Menace, magic, mystery and melancholy irresistibly combine with Mussorgsky’s riotously sinister depiction of witches in wild mountainside revels, the hauntingly beautiful and yearning Violin Concerto by Sibelius shot through by dark, dangerous undercurrents and Prokofiev’s heartfelt Sixth Symphony, a grief-stricken elegy for the victims of war.

7pm HENNING KRAGGERUD

In Conversation: Henning Kraggerud

MAIN SEASON

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

THURSDAY 13 FEBRUARY

HAMLET’S FANTASY BIG ON BRITTEN

8pm

TCHAIKOVSKY Hamlet Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare [18’]

SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat [30’]

RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 1 in D minor [42’] ends approx. 10.05pm

IVAN MONIGHETTI cello ALAN BURIBAYEV conductor SOUNDINGS In Conversation:

Three master composers revel in the tumultuous emotional intensity of the Russian heart and soul: Tchaikovsky’s setting of Shakespeare a compelling drama in miniature; Shostakovich’s concerto an urgent and powerful working out of a profound internal struggle; Rachmaninov’s First Symphony overflowing with youthful passions anchored to a dangerously dark undertow.

7pm

ALAN BURIBAYEV

Alan Buribayev & Ivan Monighetti TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

MAIN SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARY

Hooray for the romance, thrills, spills, menace and magnificence of Hollywood as we celebrate cinema’s greatest heroes – real and fictional – with some of the most evocative, emotional and exciting music from Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Robin Hood, Gladiator, Schindler’s List and majestic themes from the James Bond, Rocky Balboa and Batman blockbusters. DAVID ARNOLD conductor Presented by DAVE FANNING RTÉ 2FM

BEYOND THE SEASON

8pm

TICKETS: €15, €25, €32, €40 (Conc. €13.50, €22.50, €29, €36) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

DAVE FANNING

TUESDAY 25 FEBRUARY

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

THE RTÉ NSO’S MUSICAL DISCOVERY PROGRAMME

RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE NATIONAL CONCERT HALL PRESENT A LEAVING CERTIFICATE GUIDE TO

FORTE! CONCERT

BERLIOZ’S

SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE WITH FULL ORCHESTRA , COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY AND VISUALS Students

10.30am & 12.15pm

Duration:1 hour

Presented by PAUL RISSMANN Following last year’s Leaving Certificate Guide to Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet with the RTÉ NSO, we turn to Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique in this tailor-made concert presentation for Leaving Certificate music students. Working with the full forces of the orchestra and using computer technology to provide a visual guide to the music, Rissmann will pull Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique apart to uncover the curriculum concepts and provide clear listening posts for the students. This hour-long visual presentation will give students a deeper understanding of the piece and will end with a concert performance of three movements from this epic work.

HECTOR BERLIOZ

Hear the full work in Friday’s Main Season concert. See p.40. TICKETS: €10 per student. Complimentary for teachers. BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 | www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

BEYOND THE SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 28 FEBRUARY

FANTASTIQUE! BIG ON

8pm

S A I N T-S A Ë N S Danse Macabre

[8’]

LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2 in A [21’]

BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique [49’] ends approx. 10pm

NAREH ARGHAMANYAN piano PATRIK RINGBORG conductor FREE CONCERT

6.45pm

Proof that the Devil may well have the best tunes comes in three demonically delirious works that showcase Death’s talents on the violin and dancing skeletons (Saint-Saëns’ wickedly wonderful Danse Macabre), a dazzling series of fiery transformations of mood in Liszt’s Second Piano Concerto, and a witches’ sabbath in the blistering Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz.

Pipeworks Organ Recital: Mark Duley. See p.53.

MAIN SEASON

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

NAREH ARGHAMANYAN

FRIDAY 7 MARCH

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

BIRTWISTLE IN DUBLIN

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MUSIC COMPOSITION CENTRE, TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

HARRISON BIRT WIST LE 1.05pm Earth Dances [40’] ends 2.15pm

In this, his 80th birthday year, the distinctive, radical and uncompromising internationally acclaimed composer Harrison Birtwistle pays a rare visit to Dublin to celebrate one of his most iconic works. Earth Dances (1985/6) is a study of orchestral texture – it is conceived in strata, like layers of rock. HARRISON BIRTWISTLE

DAVID ATHERTON conductor AS PART OF NEW MUSIC DUBLIN

‘Through seismic shifts in sound, the layers have been fractured but they are still identifiable, rather like a sandwich where the tomatoes and cucumber have got above the bread, but they are still clearly maintaining their identity, their colour, flavour and texture’. Harrison Birtwistle

The composer will talk through a live analysis of his work on stage with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra before a full performance of the 40 minute work is given. TICKETS: All seats €10 BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

BEYOND THE SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 14 MARCH

SOLOIST DIRECTS

ON TOUR

WEDNESDAY 12 MARCH LIMERICK THURSDAY 13 MARCH WATERFORD

TRUMPET ON TOUR! 8pm

HAYDN Concerto for Trumpet in E flat [13’]

PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1 in D (‘Classical’) [15’]

PLANEL Concerto for Trumpet and String Orchestra [16’]

RAVEL Le tombeau de Couperin [17’] +surprise extra!

ends approx. 9.40pm

HÅKAN HARDENBERGER trumpet/director

Trumpet virtuoso Håkan Hardenberger looks to the past in style – Haydn’s lyrical, exuberant concerto, Prokofiev’s exhilarating homage to Haydn and Mozart, Ravel’s elegant and elegiac borrowing of Classical dance rhythms paying tribute to friends killed in battle – and showcases a modern marvel in Robert Planel’s exhilaratingly tuneful and atmospheric concerto. HÅKAN HARDENBERGER

SOUNDINGS

7pm

In Conversation: Håkan Hardenberger

MAIN SEASON

NCH TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) TOUR TICKETS: See www.rte.ie/nso BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

MO NDAY 17 MARCH

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

8pm

I N C E L E B R AT I O N O F S T P AT R I C K ’ S D AY with RITA CONNOLLY singer & LIAM O’FLYNN uilleann pipes Back by popular demand following the 2013 sell-out with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, The Brendan Voyage makes a welcome return to the National Concert Hall. Shaun Davey’s powerful music drama, vividly depicting St Brendan’s journey from Ireland to the New World in a tiny leather boat, will be performed once again by master uilleann piper Liam O’Flynn. The powerful double bill also features the incomparable singing of Rita Connolly in Granuaile, Davey’s ‘wild and magnificent’ (The Observer) song cycle based on the life of Grace O'Malley, the 16th century Irish woman chieftain, and includes the classic ‘Ripples in the Rockpools’.

GAVIN MALONEY conductor TICKETS: €15, €27, €35, €42.50 (conc. €13.50, €24, €31.50, €38) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

ends approx. 9.45pm

BEYOND THE SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 4 APRIL

LIEUTENANT KIJÉ 8pm

PROKOFIEV Lieutenant Kijé Suite [20’]

B A RBE R Knoxville: Summer of 1915 [15’] V

DVORÁK Symphony No. 7 in D minor [35’] ends approx. 9.40pm

ANNA DEVIN soprano ALAN BURIBAYEV conductor FREE CONCERT

Prokofiev’s glorious satire on a soldier’s fictional life and death boasts colour-saturated orchestrations and melodies and rhythms that ring out with brilliance and bite. Barber’s nostalgic reminiscence of a small-town childhood is a soul-stirring masterpiece in miniature, while Dvorák’s serene and stirring Seventh Symphony is a hymnal to lost loved ones and homeland.

6.45pm

Pipeworks Organ Recital: David Leigh. See p.53.

MAIN SEASON

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

ANNA DEVIN

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 11 APRIL

SOLOIST DIRECTS

THE EMPEROR Emotions will run high with two mighty masterpieces in the shape of Mozart’s final symphony and Beethoven’s last piano concerto. With music of pulsequickening energy and a cascade of memorable themes framing its supremely elegant middle movement, the Jupiter ’s majesty is matched by the heroic muscularity and robust poetry of the Emperor.

8pm

MOZART Symphony No. 41 in C, ‘Jupiter’ [31’]

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, ‘Emperor’ [38’] +surprise extra!

ends approx. 9.50pm

BARRY DOUGLAS piano/director SOUNDINGS

7pm

In Conversation: Barry Douglas

BARRY DOUGLAS

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

MAIN SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

GOOD FRIDAY 18 APRIL

3.30pm

J . S. B AC H Easter Oratorio [38’]

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G [10’] Cantata No. 11: Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen,‘Ascension Oratorio’ [28’]

SARAH POWER soprano PAULA MURRIHY mezzo soprano JAMES GILCHRIST tenor MICHAEL GEORGE bass RTÉ PHILHARMONIC CHOIR chorus master Mark Hindley ROY GOODMAN conductor

Bach’s deep-rooted faith gives his music a depth of feeling that overwhelms the senses with its richness of expression and sublime sincerity, the Easter festival drawing from him two of his most moving creations: the exquisite Easter and joyous Ascension oratorios. The delectable Third Brandenburg Concerto is a spry, bubbling orchestral tour de force.

ends approx. 5.30pm

BEYOND THE SEASON

TICKETS: €10, €20, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €18, €27, €31.50) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 2 MAY

HUNGARIAN STORIES BIG ON

8pm

BRAHMS Hungarian Dances (selection) [15’]

LISZT Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat [21]

KODÁLY Dances of Galánta [15’]

B A RTÓ K The Miraculous Mandarin Suite [19’] ends approx. 9.40pm

NIKOLAI DEMIDENKO piano ALAN BURIBAYEV conductor SOUNDINGS

NIKOLAI DEMIDENKO

7pm

In Conversation: Nikolai Demidenko

THE LATE NIGHT Nikolai Demidenko performs a series of Russian Nocturnes

A selection of vivacious Hungarian Dances by Brahms ushers in an evening lit by the glow of gypsy campfires. Kodály’s Dances of Galánta pays atmospheric homage to childhood folk songs, while Liszt’s powerful concerto and Bartók’s punchy Miraculous Mandarin surge with restless energy, high drama and the promise of sensual abandon.

10pm

MAIN SEASON

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 16 MAY

HIAWATHA’S WEDDING BIG ON

8pm

STANFORD Song of the Soul [18’]

EUROPEAN PREMIERE

ELGAR Enigma Variations [30’]

CO LERIDGE-TAYLOR The Song of Hiawatha [30’] ends approx. 9.45pm

KIM BEGLEY tenor RTÉ PHILHARMONIC CHOIR chorus master Mark Hindley DAVID HILL conductor SOUNDINGS In Conversation: David Hill & Prof. Jeremy Dibble (Stanford’s biographer)

MAIN SEASON

A choral rarity, Stanford’s vivid and vital Song of the Soul, rediscovered and receiving its European premiere almost a century after it was composed. Elgar’s cryptic but endlessly compelling Enigma Variations, a musical gallery of anonymous portraits gloriously inked in with one memorable melody after another – usher in the neglected gem of Coleridge-Taylor’s exotic, dramatic and richly colourful Song of Hiawatha.

7pm TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

KIM BEGLEY

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 23 MAY

BIG ON THE SEA 8pm

BERLIOZ Le corsaire [8’]

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 [34’]

MENDELSSOHN Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage [12’]

DEBUSSY La mer [23’]

ends approx. 9.50pm

BORIS GILTBURG piano OLARI ELTS conductor

The unpredictable power and liquid poetry of the sea is brilliantly conjured in Berlioz’s atmospheric postcard from the Bay of Nice, the swelling drama of Mendelssohn’s journey from becalmed threat to buoyant safety, and Debussy’s evocative images of wind and sea while high emotion flows through Beethoven’s powerful concerto with compelling tidal force. BORIS GILTBURG

SOUNDINGS

7pm

In Conversation: Boris Giltburg & Olari Elts TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.54.

MAIN SEASON

S AT U R DAY 24 MAY

FORTE! CONCERT

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

THE RTÉ NSO’S MUSICAL DISCOVERY PROGRAMME

FAMILY FILM FAVOURITES

Presented by PAUL RISSMANN • STEPHEN BELL conductor

3pm

Join the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra for an action packed family concert featuring some of the greatest music from the big screen. Explore a galaxy far, far, away, discover the art of witchcraft and wizardry but beware of shark infested waters. Movie classics old and new will be performed with images projected above the orchestra and lots of opportunities to join in with the action on stage.

WITH BIG SCREEN ANIMATION MUSIC FROM STAR WARS, HARRY POTTER, JAMES BOND, JAWS, WALLACE & GROMIT, FANTASIA AND KING KONG !

ends approx. 5pm

BEYOND THE SEASON

TICKETS: €10 child | €15 adult | €40 for family of 4 (to include 1 adult) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 | www.nch.ie

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

FRIDAY 30 MAY

IDYLLIC LEAVETAKINGS BIG ON

8pm

WAGNER Tannhäuser Overture [13’]

RICHARD ST RAUSS Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs) [24’]

BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 [40’]

ends approx. 9.45pm

CELINE BYRNE soprano ALAN BURIBAYEV conductor FREE CONCERT

Depicting love soft, sensuous and seductive, Wagner’s hypnotic Tannhäuser Overture ushers in the heart-aching Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, his rapturous and deeply moving leave-taking of life, love and music. Brahms’ Second Symphony is an idyllic pastoral poem glowing with summer warmth and radiant good spirits.

6.45pm

Pipeworks Organ Recital: David Adams. See p.53. CELINE BYRNE

TICKETS: €10, €18, €24, €30, €35 (Conc. €9, €16, €22, €27, €32) BOOKING (no fees): 01 417 0000 www.nch.ie | www.rte.ie/nso SAVE 5–30% with a package, see p.56.

MAIN SEASON

RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE NATIONAL CONCERT HALL PRESENT

PIPEWORKS

FREE PRE-CONCERT ORGAN RECITALS LINKED TO MAIN SEASON PROGRAMMES FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER, 6.10pm

FRIDAY 10 JANUARY, 6.45pm

DAVID ADAMS ORGAN

DAVID LEIGH ORGAN

LISZT Orpheus [8’]

GILES SWAYNE Riff Raff [18’]

SCHUMANN Studien & Skizzen für den Pedal-Flügel: Nicht schnell & sehr markiert Innig Lebhaft [12’] LISZT (arr. Guillou) Prometheus [14’] The ‘heroic’ theme of the evening’s main concert (see p.13) is heralded in this preceding event through the presence of two great figures from Greek myth. Schumann is not known as an organist, but like Brahms owned a piano with pedalboard attachment; it was for this instrument he wrote tonight’s works. Duration: 35 min approx

BEYOND THE SEASON

JOSEPH JONGEN Sonata Eroica [16’] Like many of the Pipeworks recitals, tonight’s programme includes an organ work of symphonic scale in the form of Jongen’s magnum opus for the instrument, mirroring the Sibelius symphony later in the evening’s main concert (see p.28). Swayne’s jazz-inspired set of variations also links with Sibelius in its organic development of small motifs.

Duration: 35 min approx

FRIDAY 28 FEBRUARY, 6.45pm

FRIDAY 4 APRIL, 6.45pm

FRIDAY 30 MAY, 6.45pm

MARK DULEY ORGAN

DAVID LEIGH ORGAN

DAVID ADAMS ORGAN

GUY BOVET Hamburger Totentanz No. 3 [5’]

REGER Symphonic Fantasia and Fugue ‘The Inferno’ [20’]

FRANCK Grand Pièce Symphonique [27’]

DAN LOCKLAIR Rubrics – A Liturgical Suite for Organ [15’]

WAGNER (arr. A W Gottschalg) Prelude (Tristan und Isolde) [8’] BRAHMS Three preludes (Elf Choralvorspiele) [6’] STRAUSS (arr. David Adams) Morgen No. 4 [5’] BRAHMS Two preludes (Elf Choralvorspiele) [4’] WAGNER (arr. Edwin Lemare) Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Overture [12’]

The organ lends itself to gothic phantasmagoria: Bovet’s skeletal rattlings are every bit as convincing as those in Saint Saëns’ Danse Macabre, heard later in the evening’s main concert (see p.40). The contribution to symphonic form made by Berlioz in his Symphonie fantastique, heard later in the evening’s main concert (see p.40) is mirrored in Franck’s seminal work which paved the way for the great symphonies of Widor and Vierne. Duration: 35 min approx

I: ["The ancient praise-shout,] 'Hallelujah,' has been restored..." II: "Silence may be kept" III: "...and thanksgivings may follow." IV: The Peace may be exchanged" V: The people respond - Amen!"

Barber’s Knoxville (heard later in the evening’s main concert – see p.44) owes its inspiration to literature, and the two works presented here by Pipeworks are similarly inspired by the printed word: Dante’s Inferno and the American Book of Common Prayer, respectively. Duration: 35 min approx

Brahms’ eleven chorale preludes for organ are a kind of swansong, looking towards the composer’s death and sharing sentiments with Strauss’ Four Last Songs, heard later in the evening’s main concert (see p.51). Framing them are Wagner and Strauss transcriptions which demonstrate the organ’s ability to create the soundscape of lush orchestral writing.

Duration: 35 min approx

BEYOND THE SEASON

RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2013–2014 SEASON MAIN SEASON CONCERT PACKAGE OPTIONS BUY AS YOU GO

Concerts from €10. Top price still €35. Late Nights free with 8pm ticket.

GET BETTER VALUE

BUY A MAIN SEASON (3-12 CONCERT) PACKAGE Savings up to €63 | Packages from €28.50 | Discounts from 5–15%

GET THE BEST VALUE

UPGRADE TO THE FULL MAIN SEASON (24 CONCERT) PACKAGE 30% discount | 24 concerts for the price of 16 | Save up to €252.90

REMEMBER

When you buy a Main Season concert package, you become an RTÉ NSO Subscriber giving you exclusive benefits & discounts. See page opposite for details.

PACKAGE OPTIONS

PLUS a priority booking period ahead of public booking for the 2014–2015 Season.

PLUS an exclusive early booking period for the 2014–2015 Season.

MAIN SEASON SUBSCRIBER REWARDS & DISCOUNTS WHEN YOU SHOW YOUR RTÉ NSO SUBSCRIBER CARD*

WHAT YOU GET

WITH A FULL MAIN SEASON (24 CONCERT) PACKAGE ✔ Exclusive early booking period for RTÉ NSO 2014–2015 Season ✔ Keep the same seat from one season to the next We will hold your current seat during the exclusive early booking period

✔ Invitations to free selected open rehearsals for you and a friend WITH A MAIN SEASON (3–12 CONCERT) PACKAGE ✔ Priority booking period for RTÉ NSO 2014–2015 before public booking opens ✔ Invitations to free selected open rehearsals for you and a friend

How to receive your RTE NSO Subscriber Card? See p.58.

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 2013–May 2014 at the National Concert Hall. Offer excludes the RTÉ CO New Year’s Eve concert. Limited to 2 per person. Subject to availability. *Terms & Conditions apply. Details on booking.

SUBSCRIBER REWARDS

MAIN SEASON PACKAGE PRICES FULL MAIN SEASON CONCERT PACKAGE (24 concerts) With one New Year’s Day concert included as part of your package BUY

Package price Saving

SAVE

BAND A

BAND B

BAND C

BAND D

BAND E *

30%

€590.10 €252.90

€506.10 €216.90

€405.30 €173.70

€304.50 €130.50

€169.40 €72.60

BAND E *

MAIN SEASON CONCERT PACKAGES† (3–7 concerts) BUY

Package price Saving

SAVE

BAND A

BAND B

BAND C

BAND D

€99.75 €5.25

€85.50 €4.50

€68.40 €3.60

€51.30 €2.70

€28.50 €1.50

€133.00 €7.00

€114.00 €6.00

€91.20 €4.80

€68.40 €3.60

€38.00 €2.00

10%

€157.50 €17.50

€135.00 €15.00

€108.00 €12.00

€81.00 €9.00

€45.00 €5.00

10%

€189.00 €21.00

€162.00 €18.00

€129.60 €14.40

€97.20 €10.80

€54.00 €6.00

10%

€220.50 €24.50

€189.00 €21.00

€151.20 €16.80

€113.40 €12.60

€63.00 €7.00

See Seating Plan on inside back cover for price band breakdown

PACKAGE PRICES

MAIN SEASON CONCERT PACKAGES† (8–12 concerts) BUY

Package price Saving Package price Saving

Package price Saving

SAVE

BAND E *

BAND A

BAND B

BAND C

BAND D

10%

€252.00 €28.00 €283.50 €31.50

€216.00 €24.00 €243.00 €27.00

€172.80 €19.20 €194.40 €21.60

€129.60 €14.40 €145.80 €16.20

€72.00 €8.00 €81.00 €9.00

15%

€297.50 €52.50

€255.00 €45.00

€204.00 €36.00

€153.00 €27.00

€85.00 €15.00

15%

€327.25 €57.75

€280.50 €49.50

€224.40 €39.60

€168.30 €29.70

€93.50 €16.50

15%

€357.00 €63.00

€306.00 €54.00

€244.80 €43.20

10% 9

€183.60 €32.40

€102.00 €18.00

* 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 (3–12) concert package

Beyond the Season concerts

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 (not exceeding €3) depending on the seat band and package size chosen.

Beyond the Season concerts, Late Night✦ concerts and FORTE events are individually priced and are not part of the Main Season concert packages. ✦

If there is a Late Night concert on the night you are attending a Main Season concert, entry is free to you.

PACKAGE PRICES

THE RTÉ NSO MAIN SEASON SUBSCRIBER CARD THE CARD THAT SAVES YOU MONEY! HOW TO GET YOUR CARD # RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2013–2014 SEASON SUBSCRIBER CARD

Valid from: 09/2013 • Expires: see reverse

To enjoy your exclusive discounts and benefits, you need to register for the RTÉ NSO Main Season Subscriber Card. Start saving immediately!

Simply choose from the options below. Tell the National Concert Hall • By phone/in person: At the time of booking instruct the box office to pass your contact information onto RTÉ so your Subscriber Card can be sent to you directly • In writing: Tick the consent box on the Ticket Order Form. You can download this from www.rte.ie/nso

OR Tell RTÉ directly • You can call or email RTÉ directly to request your Card and we will send it to you. Tel: 01 208 2530 | Email: rtensosubscribers@rte.ie # PLEASE NOTE: 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. As the RTÉ NSO Main Season Subscriber Card has to be issued by RTÉ directly, it is important that you choose one of the options outlined in order to receive the card which saves you money.

SUBSCRIBER CARD

HOW & WHEN TO BOOK WHEN TO BOOK

WHEN ORDERING

CONDITIONS OF SALE

Public package & single concert booking opens Saturday 18 May 2014. Booking opens at 10am.

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.

Once purchased, tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded. Programme and artist details are subject to change.

HOW TO BOOK Telephone booking Tel: 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). Online booking www.nch.ie • No booking fees 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).

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 your RTÉ subscriber card and further information on other performances by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. For in-person bookings Tick the CONSENT box on the TICKET ORDER FORM, indicating your wish to receive your RTÉ subscriber card and further information on other performances by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra.

*CONCESSIONS 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.

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

METHODS OF PAYMENT Credit & debit card Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Laser Cheque/postal order/bank draft Please make crossed cheques/postal orders/ bank drafts payable to the National Concert Hall.

Please note Ticket order forms are available from the NCH box office.

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. BOOKING

RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA General Manager: Declan McGovern Marketing & Communications Manager: Assumpta Lawless Marketing & Communications Assistant: Maria Buckley Orchestra Manager: Debbra Walters Planning & Projects Administrator: Jane Davy Acting Librarian: Susan Brodigan Librarian: Niamh O’Connor Orchestra Administration Assistant: Norma O’Connor Senior Orchestral Assistant: Liam Hennessy Orchestral Assistant: Andy Dunne

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Pictured: Francis Magee, Tuba, RTÉ NSO with 7-year-old Noah Mullen of Scoil Chaitríona, Baggot St, Dublin at a performance marking the launch of RTÉjr’s new dedicated digital children's channel on TV, radio, online and mobile and RTÉjr Tots, Tweens and Teens Week.

ADMINISTRATION

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YELLOW BALCONY K

CONTENTS

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL SEATING PLAN

2 3 H1 2 3 G1 2 3 F1 H H EHH H DH H H CH H H BH 3

8 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 H 5 7 8 6 8 H 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 H 5 6 7 5 4

11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 12 13 11 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 9 10

23 23 23

23 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

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 H 26 27 24 25 H 26 27 24 25 H 26 27 28

K 29 J 29 30 31 29 30 H 31 29 30 G 31 F 29 30 31 E H H HD H H H C H H H B 29

BAND D

BAND E

48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

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

STAGE

STALLS ROW B–D CHOIR BALCONY SEATS CHOIR BALCONY 136 SEATS UNRESERVED

27 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29 27 28 29

30 31

30 31 W 30 31

V U T 30 31 S 30 31 R 30 31 Q 30 31 P 30 31 N 30 31 M 30 31 L 30 31 K 30 31 J 30 31 H 30 31 G 30 31 F 30 31 E 30 31 D 30 31 C 30 B 30 31 30 31

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

STALLS ROWS E–F SIDE BALCONY SEATS 1–18

7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 6 5 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 6 5 7 8 6 5 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 6 5 7 8 5 6

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

STALLS ROWS G–H SIDE BALCONY SEATS 19–57

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

BAND C

4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3

49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19

STALLS ROWS J–K & V-Y BALCONY ROWS G–K

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

BAND B

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

RED SIDE BALCONY

STALLS ROWS L–U BALCONY ROWS A–F

GREEN SIDE BALCONY

BAND A

46 47 48 40 41 42 43 44 45 30 29 28 36 35 34 33 32 31

03 04 05 06 10 54 55 56 58 59 60

8 39 3

PAGE

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RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2013–2014 SEASON

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RTÉ NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2013–2014 SEASON