Irish Songmakers 2020/2021 Season at The National Concert Hall, Dublin
[CANCELLED due to COVID-19]
Ballads [CANCELLED due to COVID-19]
The first concert in Irish Songmakers’ 2020/2021 Season is an exploration of the Ballad, in various incarnations across several centuries: from folk-ballads, to the “Murder-ballads” sung by street singers, epic poetic ballads of Keats, and “torch-songs” in the Cabaret style.
Ballads, defined as a story narrated through short verses, have captured the imaginations of listeners for centuries, often being passed from generation to generation and without a definitive authorship. Either in spoken verse or song, the Ballad has evolved constantly. In this recital, we present folk-ballads, like the “Erlking” set to music by Loewe, Kurt Weill & Bertold Brecht’s chilling opening ballad from The Threepenny Opera, Stanford’s setting of Keats’ epic “La Belle Dame Sans Merci”, and a modern-day ballad, or “torch-song”, of unrequited love by Fascinating Aïda’s Dillie Keane & Adèle Anderson, plus several others. A truly eclectic programme, yet unified at the same time, this recital will be a revelation of the Ballad in all its forms.
Susie Gibbons, soprano
Andrew Gavin, tenor
Niall Kinsella, piano
Friday 23rd April 2021, 1:05pm
National Concert Hall, Dublin
Tickets €15 | Concessions €12
Ballads, defined as a story narrated through short verses, have captured the imaginations of listeners for centuries, often being passed from generation to generation and without a definitive authorship. Either in spoken verse or song, the Ballad has evolved constantly. In this recital, we present folk-ballads, like the “Erlking” set to music by Loewe, Kurt Weill & Bertold Brecht’s chilling opening ballad from The Threepenny Opera, Stanford’s setting of Keats’ epic “La Belle Dame Sans Merci”, and a modern-day ballad, or “torch-song”, of unrequited love by Fascinating Aïda’s Dillie Keane & Adèle Anderson, plus several others. A truly eclectic programme, yet unified at the same time, this recital will be a revelation of the Ballad in all its forms.
Susie Gibbons, soprano
Andrew Gavin, tenor
Niall Kinsella, piano
Friday 23rd April 2021, 1:05pm
National Concert Hall, Dublin
Tickets €15 | Concessions €12
Le Petit Parisien: French Mélodies [CANCELLED due to COVID-19]
Songs by Satie, Poulenc, Hahn and others, including Poulenc’s La Dame de Monte Carlo.
Renowned soprano Sandra Oman performs a programme of French art-songs in a recital that is sure to transport you to the Paris of bygone years. Embracing her love of French music, Sandra, with pianist Niall Kinsella, explore songs by Reynaldo Hahn, Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc and others. Focusing particularly on early 20th-Century French songs, the programme showcases the melting pot of musical influences at this time, which combined older musical traditions with new sounds and modes of expression.
Sandra Oman, soprano
Niall Kinsella, piano
Friday 23rd July 2021, 1:05pm (Rescheduled from 3rd April 2020)
National Concert Hall, Dublin
Tickets €15 | Concessions €12
Tickets here.
Renowned soprano Sandra Oman performs a programme of French art-songs in a recital that is sure to transport you to the Paris of bygone years. Embracing her love of French music, Sandra, with pianist Niall Kinsella, explore songs by Reynaldo Hahn, Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc and others. Focusing particularly on early 20th-Century French songs, the programme showcases the melting pot of musical influences at this time, which combined older musical traditions with new sounds and modes of expression.
Sandra Oman, soprano
Niall Kinsella, piano
Friday 23rd July 2021, 1:05pm (Rescheduled from 3rd April 2020)
National Concert Hall, Dublin
Tickets €15 | Concessions €12
Tickets here.
Haydn in London [CANCELLED due to COVID-19]
In 1791, Austrian composer Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was already greatly admired in England. Having just been released from his service to the court of Esterházy, Haydn made the first of two trips to London, where he enjoyed many months being celebrated by musical society, lucrative commissions, and most notably, the famous 12 ‘London’ Symphonies. Taking advantage of a huge market in domestic music making, Haydn composed two sets of songs, or ‘canzonettas’, to English texts, and several piano trios and chamber works in various combinations, including three delightful trios for flute, cello and piano.
Haydn in London features songs and chamber music from Haydn’s London visits, performed by some of Ireland’s finest musicians.
Pauline Graham, soprano
Julie Maisel, flute
Roisin Ní Bhriain, flute
Ailbhe McDonagh, cello
Niall Kinsella, piano
Thursday 19th August 2021, 1:05pm
National Concert Hall, Dublin
Tickets €15 | Concessions €12
Tickets here.
Haydn in London features songs and chamber music from Haydn’s London visits, performed by some of Ireland’s finest musicians.
Pauline Graham, soprano
Julie Maisel, flute
Roisin Ní Bhriain, flute
Ailbhe McDonagh, cello
Niall Kinsella, piano
Thursday 19th August 2021, 1:05pm
National Concert Hall, Dublin
Tickets €15 | Concessions €12
Tickets here.
Pauline Viardot and her Circle: A 200th Anniversary Celebration
[CANCELLED due to COVID-19]
The French singer of Spanish-descent Pauline Viardot-Garcia was one of the most revered operatic mezzo-sopranos (and sopranos!) of her day. Often described as the “Maria Callas of the 19th Century”, Viardot was also a prolific composer, a noted voice teacher, and a muse to many writers and composers.
Her social and professional circle included, among others, Gounod, Saint-Säens, Fauré, the Schumanns and Brahms, many of whom dedicated works to Pauline. Frederic Chopin accompanied her in London recitals and even authorized her arrangements of his Nocturnes as vocal works, and Franz Liszt proclaimed her as a composer of genius. Novelist George Sand modeled the title role of her novella Consuelo on Pauline, and a tumultuous love affair with the Russian poet Ivan Turgenev lead to a prolific artistic collaboration between the two.
This concert marking the 200th Anniversary year of Viardot’s birth features songs by Rossini, Viardot’s sister Maria Malibran, Fauré, Liszt, Chopin and of course, Pauline Viardot, along with a background to her life and times.
Maria McGrann, soprano
Sarah Richmond, mezzo-soprano
Niall Kinsella, piano
Thursday (NB!) 3rd September 2021, 1:05pm
National Concert Hall, Dublin
Tickets €15 | Concessions €12
Tickets here.
Her social and professional circle included, among others, Gounod, Saint-Säens, Fauré, the Schumanns and Brahms, many of whom dedicated works to Pauline. Frederic Chopin accompanied her in London recitals and even authorized her arrangements of his Nocturnes as vocal works, and Franz Liszt proclaimed her as a composer of genius. Novelist George Sand modeled the title role of her novella Consuelo on Pauline, and a tumultuous love affair with the Russian poet Ivan Turgenev lead to a prolific artistic collaboration between the two.
This concert marking the 200th Anniversary year of Viardot’s birth features songs by Rossini, Viardot’s sister Maria Malibran, Fauré, Liszt, Chopin and of course, Pauline Viardot, along with a background to her life and times.
Maria McGrann, soprano
Sarah Richmond, mezzo-soprano
Niall Kinsella, piano
Thursday (NB!) 3rd September 2021, 1:05pm
National Concert Hall, Dublin
Tickets €15 | Concessions €12
Tickets here.
