The Irish Chamber Orchestra has been making a point of working with a wide range of string specialists. The orchestra's current tour is under Gunter Pichler (right) - best-known to the world at large as the leader of the Alban Berg String Quartet, his previous programme with the orchestra won golden opinions. The current tour programme includes what you might paradoxically call a compact Everest, Beethoven's near-insurmountable Grosse Fuge, plus a symphony by Haydn (No 44, the Mourning Symphony), a Divertimento by Mozart (K251) and the Nocturne by John Kinsella. The remaining concerts in the tour are in Dublin, Kilkenny, Fethard, Limerick and Tuosist, a varied line-up of destinations which emphasises just how the ICO is transforming access to live orchestral music.
