Hippolyte et Aricie Suite/Symphonie fantastique review: Masters of orchestral soundRAMEAU: HIPPOLYTE ET ARICIE SUITE; BERLIOZ: SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUESwedish Radio SO/Daniel Harding ****Harmonia Mundi HMC 902244Wed Oct 19 2016 - 16:15
‘Composing the Island’ was a landmark and there is no going backThe event highlighting a neglected repertoire from Irish composers should happen every yearWed Oct 05 2016 - 06:00
Don Giovanni review: Roddy Doyle’s translation is sharp, singable and to the pointDublin Theatre Festival: Opera Theatre Company shifts the action from 16th-century Spain to Dublin now, and the audience engagement is palpableFri Sept 30 2016 - 12:30
Exceptional ‘Composing the Island’ surveys last 100 years of music in IrelandBiggest ever celebration of Irish composers ends at the National Concert HallWed Sept 28 2016 - 06:00
Composing the Island: Starting with the best works is never wiseThe celebration of 100 years of Irish composition hits mid-century, revealing a dark age for orchestral musicWed Sept 21 2016 - 01:00
Andrew Hamilton: ‘I used to get upset when people said my music was fun’When the composer was younger, he would get very annoyed when people laughed in concerts of his ‘playful music’ – but now he embraces that reputationTue Sept 20 2016 - 06:00
In praise of Composing the Island - lost Irish treasures unearthedThe festival unearthed fine compositions that were sadly neglected in the past 100 yearsWed Sept 14 2016 - 06:00
Opera funding seems arbitrary and unaccountableOpera has been particularly badly treated over the past 10 years and the latest reforms offer little hopeWed Sept 07 2016 - 01:00
George Gershwin - An American in Paris: a breath of fresh airGershwin: An American in Paris; Concerto in FLincoln Mayorga (piano), Harmonie Ensemble/New York/Steven RichmanHarmonia Mundi HMU 9076585Thu Sept 01 2016 - 15:32
Dutch orchestra assumes three identities for the price of oneThe Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Daniele Gatti delivered everything you could have asked forWed Aug 31 2016 - 01:00
The challenge of a lifetime: Schumann’s Cello ConcertoCellist Sol Gabetta, who will play with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Dublin, now appreciates why her teacher didn’t want her to learn the tricky concerto until she was 30Thu Aug 25 2016 - 06:00
One plan, one vote: the Dutch way of choosing a conductorThe Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra took a democratic path to choosing Daniele Gatti as chief conductorWed Aug 24 2016 - 01:00
Sergey Malov - Hommage à Paganini album review: the spirit of Paganini is alive and wellThu Aug 18 2016 - 15:30
The unusual final year of Mozart’s life gets an airing in KilkennyThe Mozart programme at Kilkenny Arts Festival featured compositions for mechanical organ and glass harmonicaWed Aug 17 2016 - 01:00
Tchaikovsky: Symphonies, Nos 1, 2, 5 – Royal Liverpool PO/Petrenko album reviewThu Aug 11 2016 - 10:52
Christian Blackshaw takes Mozart to places others cannot reachMozart is the focus of this year’s Kilkenny Arts Festival, and the English performer’s approach is unconventionalWed Aug 10 2016 - 01:00
James MacMillan - Since it was the day of Preparation album reviewJames MacMillan: Since it was the day of Preparation…Brindley Sherratt (bass), Synergy Vocals, Hebrides EnsembleDelphian DCD 341684Thu Aug 04 2016 - 15:30
Brexit poses major challenges for music performers and the publicYou might think that Brexit will not have much effect for music in Ireland. If onlyWed Aug 03 2016 - 01:00
Fabrizio Chiovetta (piano) - Bach: Keyboard Suites (BWV809, 825, 831) album reviewFabrizio Chiovetta (piano) - Bach: Keyboard Suites (BWV809, 825, 831)album reviewThu Jul 28 2016 - 09:46
Can music really change the world?And what does a composer have to do around here to get one of his works banned?Wed Jul 27 2016 - 01:00
Richard Boothby - William Lawes Complete Music for Solo Lyra Viol album reviewRichard Boothby - William Lawes Complete Music for Solo Lyra Viol album reviewFri Jul 22 2016 - 11:29
A strange forum for Irish composers whose noses are out of jointDave Flynn’s Burren venture is an alternative to the massive 1916 centenary survey – but the fine print is bewilderingWed Jul 20 2016 - 01:00
Frank Almond (violin), William Wolfram (piano) - A Violin’s Life Vol 2 album reviewThu Jul 14 2016 - 11:33
A vocal masterclass lifts West Cork Chamber Music FestivalMark Padmore’s singing is riveting, with an exceptional sense of intimacy and adaptabilityWed Jul 13 2016 - 01:00
Phantasm, Elizabeth Kenny - Dowland: Lachrimae album review: a gripping performanceDowland: LachrimaePhantasm, Elizabeth KennyLinn Records CKD 5275Wed Jul 06 2016 - 17:30
Irish composers unveil devilish and gripping new works in BantryWest Cork Chamber Music Festival heard pieces by Deirdre Gribbin and Seán DohertyWed Jul 06 2016 - 01:00
Celebration of Irish composers neglects women and living composers under 30Composing the Island festival is huge, but it neglects women and living composers under 30Wed Jun 29 2016 - 01:00
Chamber Choir Ireland, Crash Ensemble/Paul Hillier: Barry Meets Beethoven album reviewStephen Richardson (bass), Chamber Choir Ireland, Crash Ensemble/Paul Hillier Barry Meets BeethovenWed Jun 22 2016 - 16:50
Is silence golden? Welcome to ‘the last frontier of music’Ten years after I first heard of Wandelweiser, Louth Contemporary Music Society has brought it to IrelandWed Jun 22 2016 - 01:00
Goeyvaerts String Trio: Whispers of Titans review - intense music-makingWhispers of TitansGoeyvaerts String TrioChallenge Classics CC 727134Thu Jun 16 2016 - 15:30
Classical Music: Choir of 16 voices in the GPO sounds larger than lifeWhile no longer strictly in houses, the Great Music in Irish Houses festival has found good new homesWed Jun 15 2016 - 01:00
Classical music: A musical storm blows in from Brussels, and Mozart is reborn in a stableThe Brussels Philharmonic made a stylish debut at the NCH, but Mozart at Lismore Music Festival needed a lighter touchWed Jun 08 2016 - 01:00
Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos 1 & 4 (Italian) / Jörg Widmann: Ad absurdum album reviewThu Jun 02 2016 - 16:54
Changing of the guard at RTÉ orchestras presents an opportunityAs the principal conductors of the NSO and the CO finish up, the question arises: how best to deal with their succession?Wed Jun 01 2016 - 01:00
Irish Baroque Orchestra: Concerti Bizarri - luscious colours and deep sonoritiesThu May 26 2016 - 15:30
Classical music: Printed programmes are a convention worth keepingA high proportion of composers do not like writing about their work but listeners find such context invaluableWed May 25 2016 - 01:00
Airs & Dances from Dublin Castle: Spackling Band review - comes across with a steady efficiencyAirs & Dances from Dublin CastleSpackling BandAtoll ACD 9153Thu May 19 2016 - 15:30
The strange funding gulf between Opera Theatre Company and WexfordIn the past 10 years, the grant to Wexford has crept up but OTC's has fallen fast. What’s the rationale?Wed May 18 2016 - 01:00
Ingrid Fliter – Schumann: Piano Concerto; Mendelssohn: Fair Melusine album reviewSchumann: Piano Concerto; Mendelssohn: Fair Melusine Overture; Piano Concerto No 1Ingrid Fliter (piano), Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Antonio MéndezLinn Records CKD 5554Wed May 11 2016 - 13:36
A strong Russian accent at the NCH international seriesGreat Music in Irish Houses, Killaloe Chamber Music Festival and Cork Chamber Music Festival also reveal their programmesWed May 11 2016 - 01:00
Adrien La Marca and Thomas Hoppe - English Delight: stylish poise and broad tasteThu May 05 2016 - 15:30
The truth emerges when Beethoven is turned upside-downThe Vanbrugh Quartet’s unusual approach played up the contrast between early and late BeethovenWed May 04 2016 - 01:00
RTÉ takes a fresh approach to new musicCan the Music of Our Time series at the NCH remedy the weaknesses of the national broadcaster’s long-standing approach to new music?Wed Apr 27 2016 - 01:00
