Conducting the Bergen: ‘You’re a little bit traffic cop, a little bit Rasputin’Andrew Litton, who is in Dublin for one of his final appearances as conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, explains the job he has obsessed about since the age of 10Thu Aug 27 2015 - 06:00
Three global orchestras make Irish debuts in new concert season | ClassicalThe new season is strong on singing and orchestral debuts, and composers from Sibelius to MahlerWed Aug 26 2015 - 06:00
The mysteries of Bach unwrapped at Kilkenny Arts FestivalKilkenny’s 10-day immersion in Bach was a box-office success and provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunityWed Aug 19 2015 - 06:00
Wartime Consolations: Linus Roth | Album ReviewWartime ConsolationsLinus Roth (violin), Württemberg CO Heilbronn/Ruben Gazarian, José Gallardo (piano)Challenge Classics CC 736804Fri Aug 14 2015 - 00:00
A bumpy journey through Bach masterpieces at Kilkenny Arts FestivalA performance of JS Bach’s Mass in B Minor was the real highlight of the arts festival’s first weekendWed Aug 12 2015 - 01:00
‘Bach demands that you give it the best part of yourself’This year the Kilkenny Arts Festival’s music strand focuses on the great composer. Here, five renowned interpreters reflect on his workThu Aug 06 2015 - 06:00
Out on a Lim: the crazy abandon of a Korean maverickClassical music: The problem with HJ Lim’s in-your-face style is that, when nothing is normal, you can get to the point where nothing is abnormal eitherWed Aug 05 2015 - 01:00
Donnacha Dennehy: ‘I thought opera was a ridiculous art form’Happily, the composer has got over his anxieties, and his second collaboration with Enda Walsh, ‘The Last Hotel’, is shaping up to be a non-stop 80-minute roller coaster rideTue Aug 04 2015 - 05:00
Diabelli’s Variations and the Hugh Lane’s mysterious moving pianoThe original theme lacked grandeur, but such portmanteaus can be a source of creativityWed Jul 29 2015 - 01:00
Total recall: musical feats of memoryThe intriguing role of memory in musical performance has been a hot topic latelyWed Jul 22 2015 - 01:00
After their rift, maybe it’s time RTÉ and Kees Bakels made upAn NCH concert hinted at what might have been had the plans of the 1990s not unravelledWed Jul 15 2015 - 01:00
Christian Blackshaw: Mozart: Piano Sonatas Volume 3 | Album ReviewMozart: Piano Sonatas Vol 3 Christian BlackshawWigmore Hall Live WHLive 0076/2 (2 CDs)4Thu Jul 09 2015 - 11:30
West Cork Chamber Music Festival searches for a new Bantry homeThe festival needs its own dedicated venue, and its director’s pursuit of one might be about to bear fruitWed Jul 08 2015 - 01:00
Dvorak: New World Symphony; Varèse: Amériques Seattle Symphony/ Ludovic Morlot | ReviewDvorak: New World Symphony; Varèse: AmériquesSeattle Symphony/Ludovic MorlotSeattle Symphony Media SSM 10065Fri Jul 03 2015 - 00:00
The gloss and gutsiness of West Cork Chamber Music FestivalIn Bantry, musical depth was lost in the Cremona Quartet’s approach, whereas Alina Ibragimova did Bach justiceWed Jul 01 2015 - 01:00
Valery Gergiev: Ninth Symphony and First Violin Concerto by Shostakovich| Album ReviewShostakovich: Symphony No 9; Violin Concerto No 1Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Mariinsky Orchestra/Valery GergievMariinsky MAR 05243Fri Jun 26 2015 - 00:00
‘You can never be relaxed’: the Borodin Quartet’s high wire actThe Russian quartet have been performing in various incarnations for 70 years, which is no mean feat: it isn’t easy to find new players who can keep up with the demandsThu Jun 25 2015 - 03:00
The devil in the detail of RTÉ’s orchestral cutbacksA heavily redacted report on RTÉ’s orchestras gives the lie to the Government’s claims about transparencyWed Jun 24 2015 - 01:00
A Yeatsian balancing act between music and wordsYeats might well have appreciated the wordiness of William Brooks’s Everlasting Voices, which revisits the poet’s ideals of ‘chaunting’Wed Jun 17 2015 - 01:00
The spine-tingling gift of Dundalk mezzo soprano Tara ErraughtHaving silenced a clutch of male critics, Erraught showed she has the X factor on stage at the NCHWed Jun 10 2015 - 01:00
The unpredictable sounds of an American Wolff in DundalkThe composer Christian Wolff, of the New York School, was central to a memorable night in LouthWed Jun 03 2015 - 01:00
Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Britten Sinfonia/James MacMillan: Vaughan Williams, MacMillan – Oboe Concertos | Album ReviewWed May 27 2015 - 18:27
Is the Dublin International Piano Competition lagging behind?The technical standard at this year’s competition has been high, but other shortcomings have become apparentWed May 27 2015 - 01:00
Comparing notes at the Dublin International Piano competitionIn the opening round, 63 young players were whittled down to 24. My verdict often diverged from the jury’sWed May 20 2015 - 05:10
Review: RigolettoMarina Carr’s new translation puts Rigoletto in the ring: can the formidable back room team whip it into shape for a knockout?Mon May 18 2015 - 12:57
Brahms & Schumann: Ann Murray and Malcolm Martineau | Album ReviewBrahms & SchumannAnn Murray (mezzo soprano), Malcolm Martineau (piano)Linn Records CKD 4434Wed May 13 2015 - 19:00
Kirkos invite their audience into the twilight zoneClassical music round-up: The young ensemble played Messiaen’s dark music – which he composed as a POW – in near-darknessWed May 13 2015 - 01:00
Liszt is dead, long live the piano recitalClassical Music round-up: Recitals by John O’Conor, Marino Formenti and Philip Glass ranged from the masterful to the radicalWed May 06 2015 - 11:02
Surprise pairings help revive Sibelius and Nielsen in StockholmWhat better excuse for a symphonic festival than the 150th anniversaries of two Scandinavian composers?Wed Apr 29 2015 - 01:00
Opera review: a routine Madama Butterfly that lacks heartA few revivalist tweaks can’t hide the age of the Moscow State’s Opera’s tired ButterflyThu Apr 23 2015 - 18:38
Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas; Piano Pieces Op 118/ Lorenzo Coppola (clarinet), Andreas Staier (piano) | Album ReviewThu Apr 23 2015 - 16:30
The New York Philharmonic introduce Dublin to the daughter of chaosThe orchestra’s appearance at the NCH kept things contemporary, unorthodox and sensualWed Apr 22 2015 - 09:48
Kirkos Ensemble are drawn to the dark sideClassical Music: The ensemble is to give a series of concerts in the dark; elsewhere, street opera proves a slippery businessWed Apr 15 2015 - 05:45
Good Friday has become a time for musical celebrationHoly Week used to be quiet in the musical calendar, but no more. This year RTÉ’s music division stepped up with Bach’s St Matthew PassionWed Apr 08 2015 - 01:00
The Rising centenary gives RTÉ a chance to rescind its one-time offersRTÉ tends to give new Irish music just one airing in concert, so its plans to celebrate the past century of Irish music is a very valuable ideaWed Apr 01 2015 - 01:00
Schumann: Violin Concerto; Piano Trio No 3 | Album ReviewSchumann: Violin Concerto; Piano Trio No 3Isabelle Faust (violin), Freiburger Barockorchester/Pablo Heras-Casado, Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Alexander Melnikov (piano)Harmonia Mundi HMC 9021965Thu Mar 26 2015 - 20:30
