Great Music in Irish Houses Festival 12th - 17th June

You would never guess from looking out the window that it's the summer.  Nevertheless, many planned summer events are going ahead and Great Music in Irish Houses is just one of them, starting next Tuesday.

Chamber music to me seems a perfect fit for big houses.  I like to imagine the same scenes 200 years before with awesome Regency outfits and card parties going on in the background.  Venues featured this year include the newly-refurbished Rathfarnham Castle, the Mansion House, Smock Alley, Killruddery House and Castletown House (the last two technically not in Dublin but we'll overlook it JUST THIS ONCE).  The Doric Quartet, Xuefei Yang, shown below, Carol McGonnell and Henning Ruhe are just some of the performers involved.  Clever cross-marketing means all booking can be done through the National Concert Hall's website.  I like this - no use of evil ticketmaster required and just as well because the actual festival website could be better - it's fiddly and hard to find exactly what you're looking for.

The final event of the festival will actually be held in the National Concert Hall -  a performance of Steve Reich's "Drumming" by the Colin Currie Group, which is about as far away from chamber music as you can get but pretty cool anyway.

The Market House EP

Robin James Hurt, the Scottish-Irish folk musician, is launching his new CD The Market House on Sunday 12th June in the Ivy House in Drumcondra. The EP combines folk influences from Ireland, Scotland and England and also features original compositions.

I'm no expert on folk (or music in general) but I know what I like, and I like this sample over on youtube:
www.youtube.com/robinjameshurtm

French Choral Music in St. Stephen’s Pepper Canister Church

The DIT Chamber Choir are performing in St. Stephen’s Pepper Canister Church, Dublin 2 on Wednesday 30th March. The event is free and is organised by Alliance Francaise.

Programme:
Berlioz - La mort d’Ophélie
Saint-Saëns - Quam dilecta Op. 148
Fauré - Tantum ergo Op. 55
Fauré - Requiem Op. 48

Although admission is free the Alliance Francaise website requests that you RSVP.

Irish Baroque Orchestra - season launch

The Irish Baroque Orchestra have launched their new Dublin concert season.

The first concert is called "Ireland 1750" and will be held in Christ Church Cathedral on 18th September:

Our first concert of the season is “Ireland 1750”, offering an invitation to travel back in time to the music halls of 18th-century Ireland. Featuring 5 works that were performed in Dublin during the mid-1700s, including Purcell's King Arthur and Handel’s Il pastor fido, it's also a rare opportunity to hear music by German-born Johann Sigismund Kusser, who settled in Dublin when he became Chappel-Master of Trinity College.

Christ Church is a good choice of venue, a beautiful and atmospheric setting.

Ladies are requested to attend without skirt-hoops, and gentlemen without swords.