tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54944926947416870432023-11-15T17:49:39.254+00:00Dublin Arts Eventsrapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-86391669369670285172014-09-26T08:26:00.000+01:002014-09-26T08:26:19.963+01:00Talk the TalkCheck out who I've been talking to <a href="http://dublinterviews.blogspot.ie/">here</a>rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-66895608635075583642012-04-04T19:06:00.001+01:002012-04-05T10:16:59.289+01:00The House Keeper<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Busy times for Rough Magic, what with Neil Simon’s <i>Plaza Suite</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> at the Gaiety in February, Arthur Riordan’s <i>Improbable Frequency</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> at the same venue in March, and now the world premiere of <i>The House Keeper,</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> a new play by Morna Regan which previews at Project from 19 April and opens on Tue 24. Light-hearted comedy is put on the back burner in this psychological thriller, a darkly humorous drama exploring the nature of possession, entitlement and inheritance. Directed by Lynne Parker and featuring Cathy Belton, Ingrid Craigie and Robert O’Mahoney, it follows the plight of a desperate young woman who, threatened with homelessness, breaks into the house of a wealthy woman, but before long realises that she has disturbed a hornet’s nest of unimagined proportions. Runs til 12 May. <a href="http://www.roughmagic.ie/">www.roughmagic.ie</a> <a href="http://www.projectartscentre.ie/">www.projectartscentre.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-15474134864462835472012-04-04T18:40:00.001+01:002012-04-04T18:42:25.187+01:00reJOYCED!<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Donal O’Kelly’s <i>JOYCED!</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> is back in town, playing at Bewleys (lunchtime) until Sat 28 April, in conjunction with One City One Book which this year is James Joyce’s <i>Dubliners</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">. A one-woman tour de force performed by Katie O’Kelly, this whirlwind journey through 1904 Joycean Dublin – later immortalised in <i>Ulysses</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> – depicts some of the most important people in Joyce’s life, his father John Stanislaus Joyce and his cronies, Oliver St. John Gogarty, the tenor John McCormack, Alfred Hunter (the man who would later become Bloom) and of course the one and only Nora Barnacle. </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.bewleyscafetheatre.com">www.bewleyscafetheatre.com</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-73152386506085993062012-04-04T18:27:00.001+01:002012-04-05T10:19:03.750+01:00Turn Around @ Project<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">ABSOLUT Fringe and Project Arts Centre are teaming up for <i>Turn Around</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, a season of previous Fringe favourites performed in repertory over a 3 week stretch with a diverse line up of theatre, dance, puppetry, spoken word and music-theatre dating from 2009-2011. So you get a second chance to see Ger Clancy’s <i>Waterworn<b>, </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">p</span></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">uppets, projections and live music in a captivating story inspired by Hemmingway and <i>Moby Dick</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">; <i>The Spinner</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, a delicate yet ruthless dance piece performed by DISH, an exciting group of emerging international dance artists; <i>Threshold, </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">originally <i>When Irish Hearts are Praying </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">a darkly comic, intense and gritty play in a newly revised production<b>; </b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><i>Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About<b> </b></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">by performance poets Colm Keegan, Kalle Ryan and Stephen James Smith,<span style="color:#2C4A78;"> </span>talking life, love and feelings – different histories, same shit; and Brian Fleming’s<i> Gis a Shot of Your Bongos Mister, </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">the world through a drummer's ears from inner city Dublin to the suburbs of Senegal. Runs at Project from 12- 28 April, and you can buy all 5 shows for just 50 quid, which seems like a bargain. <a href="http://www.projectartscentre.ie/">www.projectartscentre.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-5705976543906747702012-04-04T18:09:00.001+01:002012-04-04T18:11:17.508+01:00Pan Pan: A Doll House<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Pan Pan follow the huge success of <i>The Rehearsal: Playing the Dane </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">and Beckett’s <i>All That Fall</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> with <i>A Doll House</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, a new take on the Henrik Ibsen classic, and given that it’s Pan Pan you can expect the unexpected. Director Gavin Quinn says: ‘Pan Pan's new version of Ibsen's <i>A Doll House</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, (the world's first great prose drama which at the time exploded like a bomb into contemporary life) will be the opening show of the ‘new’ Smock Alley Theatre. Smock Alley was originally a theatre in the 17th century and hosted the Irish Premiere of <i>Hamlet</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">. This version of <i>A Doll House</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> will examine the like- and unlike-ability of these famous Ibsen characters and how they can still connect to today's supposedly restless age.’ Design is by Aedín Cosgrove, costumes by Bruno Schwengl and the fine cast includes Áine Ní Mhuirí, Charlie Bonner, Daniel Reardon, Dermot Magennis, Judith Roddy and Pauline Hutton. Previews until Mon 9 and runs from 10 -28 April. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><a href="http://www.panpantheatre.com">www.panpantheatre.com</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-76925836637577673332012-03-31T10:10:00.005+01:002012-04-04T17:40:48.914+01:00More Hugh Lane<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Some more great free music at the Hugh Lane Gallery, with an extra treat for the next 3 Saturdays (1.05pm) when the 3 Irish pianists selected to participate in the 2012 <i>Dublin International Piano Competition</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> (which runs from May 4-15) showcase their programmes. On Sat 31 you can hear Ben Shaffrey play Beethoven, Brahms and Liszt; on Sat 7 April Nadene Fiorentini plays Berg, Ravel, Granados and Chopin; and on Sat 14 Marie Carroll plays Ravel, Messiaen and Chopin. Meanwhile back in the Sundays @ Noon slot<i> Duos for Harp and Cello </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">sees NSO veterans Andreja Malir and Martin Johnson team up for works by Ravi Shankar, Jane O’Leary and Tedeschi, while on Sun 8 pianist Peter Tuite continues his joint survey of the <i>Complete Haydn Piano Sonatas.</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> A concert featuring contemporary composers <i>Jennifer Walshe </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">and<i> Alessandro Bosetti</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> on Sun 15 promises to be something quite different: ‘both local artists and composers that have been exploring the uncharted territory between music, speech and noise in a variety of forms ranging from experimental radio play, opera, instrumental music and performance, making use of an extremely broad palette of unconventional sounds. Alessandro Bosetti's approach is close to sound anthropology and incorporates social, behavioral and sociological aspects while in Jennifer Walshe's work a big role is played by text, narratives and mischievous humor.' <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">And on Sun 22 Paul Hillier conducts the National Chamber Choir in <i>An Irish Colloquy</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, including Tarik O’Regan’s <i>The Spring, </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Arvo Pärt’s <i>The Deer’s Cry, </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> Nicholas Maw’s <i>Five Irish Songs, </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">excerpts from Piers Hellawell’s <i>Isabella’s Banquet </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>and works by Enda Bates, David Fennessy and Frank Corcoran.</span><a href="http://www.hughlane.ie/">www.hughlane.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-42865888797942485422012-03-31T09:03:00.002+01:002012-03-31T09:20:20.172+01:00More MusicalNext up is <i>Alice in Funderland</i><span style="font-style:normal">, brainchild of the ever-energetic <a href="http://thisispopbaby.com/">thisispopbaby</a>, which has just begun previews at the Abbey and opens on Wed 4 April. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Directed by Wayne Jordan, the first musical to be produced at the Abbey in over 20 years is a big show fielding a 15-strong cast, with book and lyrics by Phillip McMahon, music by Raymond Scannell, and choreography by Liz Roche’. Inspired by both the Lewis Carroll classic and the cadence and rhythm of Irish city life, this combination of biting social and sexual satire, contemporary musical numbers, rich language, high design and a philosophy of hope and courage is a modern day fairy tale for a tender and bruised nation: ‘Unlucky in love, Corkonian Alice is all set for her sister’s wedding when a chance encounter with delivery boy Warren sends her spiralling through the Dublin night. In an epic pursuit for meaning on the strangest night of her life, Alice tumbles through the broken city, bombarded by grinning politicians, pyjama-clad bowsies, egg heads on the edge, twisted scissor sisters, and Delores – The Queen of Hartstown.’</span><div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">And there's s</span>omething really special at the Abbey on Mon 9 April when legendary artists Patti Smith and Sam Shepard get together for an intimate evening of readings and music.</div><!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--> <div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><a href="http://www.abbeytheatre.ie/">www.abbeytheatre.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--></div>rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-57283340797377498592012-03-16T09:43:00.001+00:002012-03-16T09:43:59.879+00:00Theatre<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">So what’s in the air theatre-wise these days? Music, that’s what, with not one but two Irish musicals taking to the stage. Rough Magic revive their delightful show <i>Improbable Frequency</i><span style="font-style:normal"> at the Gaiety until 24 Mar. An unlikely (improbable?) hit when first staged back in 2004, this delicious satire on our beloved neutrality from writer Arthur Riordan and composers Bell Helicopter is set in Dublin during the Second World War. Teaming with intrigue and subterfuge, and performed almost entirely in rhyming couplets, the terrific cast of six sing and dance their way through a storyline that brings together John Betjeman, Myles na gCopaleen, Schrodinger, the Hun-loving IRA and a couple of cruciverbalist spies. <a href="http://www.roughmagic.ie">www.roughmagic.ie</a> </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-39129800713787737082012-03-10T12:22:00.001+00:002012-03-10T12:24:23.067+00:00Sundays@ Noon<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Lots of good stuff in the Hugh Lane’s Sundays@ Noon series. On Sun 10 a Words & Music session with clarinetist <i>Paul Roe</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> and actor/storyteller <i>Nuala Hayes</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> includes Tom Johnson’s Bedtime Stories as Gaeilge and the intriguing prospect of a new work by Stephen Gardner, Quiet, based on a verbal exchange in the Dail between John O'Donohoe and Michael Ring. Music for Mandolin and Guitar on Sun 18 features Italian duo <i>Roberto Bascia & Giovanni Calo</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> in a journey through the Italian musical tradition, with works by everyone from Vivaldi to Morricone. <i>Ensemble Avalon</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> on Sun 25 play piano trios by Haydn and Laoibhse Griffin and Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello. <a href="http://www.hughlane.ie">www.hughlane.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-17542884298516048972012-03-10T09:05:00.003+00:002012-03-10T11:24:03.423+00:00Music<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Haven't been here for a while, so the easiest thing is just to jump right in. So in no particular order, ie whatever comes to hand first, here's some stuff worth checking out. The AML are keeping up the good work with a visit from the celebrated Czech string quartet the</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Prazak Quartet</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> on Sun 25 March @3.15 in George's Hall Dublin Castle. It's the Prazak's 27th visit since 1982 and their programme this time around includes Mozart's Hunt Quartet, Janacek's 'Initmate Letters' and Schubert's fab 'Death and the Maiden'.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A fundraising </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tsunami Anniversary Concer</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">t at the Peppercannister on Sun 11 @3.30 features rising Japanese soprano Mari Moriya, pianist Takeshi Moriuchi and counter-tenor Daichi Fujiki. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Pipeworks team up with the RTE NSO and the NCH for a free organ recital on Fri 16 March @6.15. As a precursor to the NSO’s 8pm programme (Wagner, Bruckner’s 7th Symphony, R Strauss’ Horn Concerto) </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">David Adams</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> plays Langlais’ apocolyptical ‘La cinquieme trompette’ and Reger’s monumental 2nd Sonata op 60. </span><a href="http://www.nch.ie/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">www.nch.ie</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Note Productions present leading young jazz pianist Michael Wollny in a solo recital at the NCH John Field Room on Wed 14 March. Classically trained, his influences range from Bach, Schubert and Messiaen to Bjork, Keith Jarrett and Ligeti. Sounds good. </span><a href="http://www.note.ie/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">www.note.ie</span></a></div> <!--EndFragment--> <div><br /></div>rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-47142713102524107352012-02-02T17:17:00.000+00:002012-02-02T17:18:15.218+00:00Sacred SymphoniesRenowned choir <i>Resurgam</i><span style="font-style:normal"> are presenting a mini festival celebrating the 400th anniversary of the death of the great Venetian composer Giovanni Gabrieli. </span><i>Sacred Synphonies </i><span style="font-style:normal">explores different aspects and periods of his work in a ‘surround-sound’ format in the spectacular circular space of City Hall, and the choir will be joined by string players from the </span><i>Irish Baroque Orchestra</i><span style="font-style:normal">, the sackbuts and cornetts of the period wind ensemble</span><i> QuintEssential</i><span style="font-style:normal">, and </span><i>Malcolm Proud</i><span style="font-style:normal"> on organ. The first concert on Sun 4 Feb focuses on Gabrieli’s early vocal style; Sun 11 includes music from the 1597 </span><i>Symphoniae Sacrae</i><span style="font-style:normal">, with 8 voices and 4 each of string and brass; while the whole shebang comes together on Sun 18 for large-scale works from the </span><i>Symphoniae Sacrae liber secundus </i><span style="font-style:normal">of 1615 and the 33 part </span><i>Magnificat</i><span style="font-style:normal">. <a href="http://www.resurgam.ie">www.resurgam.ie</a> <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-30816579029818689832012-02-02T16:49:00.004+00:002012-02-14T10:41:31.019+00:00Sundays@ Noon<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Where else would you be of a Sunday@ Noon but at the Hugh Lane Gallery for some fab free music. Sun 5 Feb sees violinist <i>Maria Ryan</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> team up with <i>Una Hunt</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> on piano for a fascinating programme of Mozart’s Violin Sonata K301, Arvo Part’s Fratres and Szymanovski’s Violin Sonata Op 9. On Sun 12 the <i>Ensemble Blumina</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, a trio of oboe, piano and bassoon, play works by Jean Francaix, Andre Previn and Francis Poulenc. Sun 19 sees the start of a major new series, with pianists <i>Fionnuala Moynihan</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> and <i>Peter Tuite</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> performing the <i>Complete Piano Sonatas of Haydn</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> in a series of 12 recitals over the next 2 years. The first concert features Sonatas in E flat major, C minor, C major and E minor. On Sun 26 there's music by Vivaldi and Handel with soprano Deirdre Moynihan, Laoise O'Brien on recorders, Kate Hearne on cello and David Adams on harpsichord. Afterwards you can head up to the Unitarian Church on Stephens Green for another free concert (bucket collection for the organ restoration fund) featuring young baritone Benjamin Russell and pianist David O'Shea. </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.hughlane.ie/">www.hughlane.ie</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-64478952592372130982012-01-27T12:22:00.002+00:002012-01-27T12:24:31.806+00:00RTE HorizonsMissed the boat a bit on the RTE <i>Horizons</i> series – free contemporary music concerts at the NCH featuring the RTE NSO; there was some great stuff including Kevin Volans and Ronan Guilfoyle, but there’s still time to catch the final concert next Tue (1.05pm) when the focus is on <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Garrett Sholdice. World premieres of two new works composed especially for this concert by Sholdice (<i>Fall and Disappear</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">) and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, arrangements by Sholdice of the Bach chorale <i>Ach wie nichtig, ach wie flüchtig</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> for string orchestra, brass ensemble and full orchestra, and Feldman’s <i>Madame Press Died Last Week At Ninety.</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> And you can hear the Composer in Conversation at 12.30pm <span style="color:#001FF0;"><a href="http://www.rte.ie/nationalsymphonyorchestra">www.rte.ie/nationalsymphonyorchestra</a></span></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-47787067274670739132012-01-19T13:32:00.002+00:002012-01-19T13:33:31.481+00:00MusicAnother New Year, another New Year’s Resolution: I will update my blog at least once a week; I will update my blog at least once a week… A bit late I know but life and other mysteries have a habit of intervening. In the meantime, some nice music happening around the place. The Irish Composers Collective presents <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">new works for soprano and viola at the NCH’s John Field Room tonight (Thur 19 Jan), including a jazz-inspired waltz (Shades of Meaning), a musical plea for ‘Organ Donation’, settings of Dickinson and Yeats, and a piece of aural hallucination. At the same venue on 31 Jan pianist and ICC member David Bremner and soprano Elizabeth Hilliard perform</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;font-family:ArialMT;font-size:13.0pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Garett Sholdice's <i>Three Lieder after Franz Schubert</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, also written especially for the duo, as well as Bremner's own <i>The bright kids (logic ballad), </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Webern's <i>Vier Lieder </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">and Schubert's from <i>Schwangesang</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">.</span><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Renowned clarinettist Michael Collins celebrates his 50<sup>th</sup> birthday in style with a lovely concert at St Patrick’s Church in Dalkey on Tue 24 Jan. Presented by the indefatigable John Ruddock of the AML, it features the magnificent Vogler Quartet playing Beethoven’s Quartet in A minor op 132 and, with Collins, the Brahms Clarinet Quintet. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-81414806249763065852011-12-16T14:39:00.000+00:002011-12-16T14:41:45.534+00:00The Government Inspector<div>review Abbey Theatre</div>It must have seemed like a great idea: take Gogol’s snappy satire on the petty corruption of small town officials in Czarist Russia, transpose it to an Irish idiom and let the resonances and parallels role. In the capable hands of the observant and ever-witty Roddy Doyle and director Jimmy Fay, a man with proven comic sensibilities, what could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a lot actually – the most basic problem being that for much of the time it just isn’t funny enough. There are some real gems in there – the scene where the mistaken ‘Government Inspector’, invited to sup at the mayor’s house, is by turn slobbered over by a bevy of fawning sycophants and a lusty and highly competitive mother and daughter combo, is a sheer delight – but they only serve to highlight the lack of spark elsewhere. An over-reliance on slapstick <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>mightn’t be to everyone’s taste, but if it’s done well it can really work; here, alas, it’s just a bit tedious.<div>Despite the large cast it’s all a tad underwhelming, and even some of the old reliables aren’t always up to scratch – Don Wycherley’s Mayor, for example, is all shouts and growls, although Marion O’Dwyer and Liz Fitzgibbon as his wife and daughter are a much better match. Conor Murphy’s complicated revolving set works best when the bare bones are exposed – stairs going nowhere and doors opening into nowhere else, but what’s with all the plastic sacks? As for the Irishness, a fair few brown envelopes work their way into the equation, but we’re still dealing with a confusing profusion of Ivanoviches and Alexandroviches along with a mishmash of costumes – why not go the whole hog and give us a proper bit of paddywhackery. All in all, the proverbial curate’s egg, good in parts. <!--EndFragment--> </div>rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-71696274578829867072011-11-29T22:07:00.001+00:002011-11-29T22:10:15.975+00:00Sundays@ Noon & Saturday@ Dublin Castle<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Coming up at the Hugh Lane Gallery, the widely-acclaimed <i>ConTempo String Quartet </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">celebrate Romanian National Day on Sun 4 Dec as part of the free Sundays @ Noon series. They play Mozart’s ‘Hunt’ Quartet, Bartok’s Six Romanian Dances and are joined by clarinetist <i>Claudio Mansutti</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> for Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. On Sun 11 <i>Ensemble Avalon</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> play Beethoven’s Violin Sonata no 5 in F major and Piano Trio in C minor. <a href="http://www.hughlane.ie">www.hughlane.ie</a></span><div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><a href="http://www.hughlane.ie"></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">And on Sat 3 Dec you can catch Ukrainian wunderpianist <i>Alexei Gorlatch</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, winner of the 2009 Dublin International Piano Competition among many other prizes, in a Music Network recital at Dublin Castle. He plays Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms and Bill Whelan’s ‘The Currach’. <a href="http://www.musicnetwork.ie">www.musicnetwork.ie</a></span> <!--EndFragment--> </div>rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-19232992627341665742011-11-29T22:06:00.001+00:002011-11-29T22:07:52.335+00:00The Making of ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Siren Productions have come up with a double whammy of sorts with their latest show, <i>The Making of ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> which previews at Project’s Space Upstairs from Thur 1 Dec and opens on Tue 6. In a clever contemporary take on John Ford’s darkly comic Jacobean masterpiece ‘<i>Tis Pity She’s a Whore</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, this tumultuous tale unfolds as a film director assembles a cast and crew to film the play. It’s a seductive case of life imitating art as a parallel world of intrigue and desire, lust and obsession begins to inhabit the set, with the boundaries of these two worlds becoming increasingly blurred as reality, fantasy, life and art collide with disastrous results. Combining live theatre and pre-filmed scenes, the always fascinating Selina Cartmell directs two top notch casts: on stage Louis Lovett, Kate Stanley Brennan, Cathy Belton, Phelim Drew and Barbara Brennan; and on film Simon Delaney, Tom Hickey, John Kavanagh, Lorcan Cranitch and Paul Reid. Music is by Conor Linehan, set by Sabine Dargent and costumes by Gabby Rooney. <a href="http://www.projectartscentre.ie">www.projectartscentre.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-20730829592272417192011-11-29T22:05:00.000+00:002011-11-29T22:06:18.915+00:00The Government Inspector<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Tis almost the season to be jolly, and amid all the glitz and glitter the Abbey has come up with a Christmas show with a difference, a new version of Gogol’s <i>The Government Inspector </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">by the ever-ebullient Roddy Doyle, which opens tomorrow Wed 30 Nov. This is Doyle’s second time taking on a classic, his version of Synge’s <i>Playboy</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, written with Bisi Adigun, was a real treat, and this new show sees director Jimmy Fay back at the helm. Casting a satirical eye over endemic bureaucracy and corruption, Gogol’s comedy has a delicious relevance that Doyle will no doubt exploit to the hilt – brown envelopes and underhand bribes abound as a befuddled group of anxious small town dignitaries await the arrival of the eponymous inspector but, as in all the best comedies, nothing is as it seems. A terrific cast is headed up by Don Wycherley, Marion O’Dwyer, Gary Cooke, Mark Doherty, Joe Hanley and Rory Nolan, with lighting by Kevin Tracy, set by Conor Murphy, costumes by Catherine Fay, music by Denis Clohessy and choreography by Liz Roche. Just the thing to ward off those budget blues. <a href="http://www.abbeytheatre.ie">www.abbeytheatre.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-66521033901520392862011-10-27T14:54:00.002+01:002011-10-27T14:56:58.187+01:00Concorde & Ulysses<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><i>Concorde</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> contemporary music ensemble celebrate their 35th birthday with <i>Up Close with Music</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, a series of six free afternoon concerts in gallery spaces including the Rubicon Gallery, the Contemporary Music Centre and the Gallery of Photography. Each concert will feature a commissioned composer with a new work, as well as highlighting their extensive repertoire and new compositions from both Irish and international composers, including Stephen Gardner, Grainne Mulvey, Judith Ring, Ed Bennett, Korean composer Si-Hyun Yi and Slovenian composer Nina Senk. The series will pay tribute to the late James Wilson and will also focus on the music of Elliot Carter. The first two concerts are at the Rubicon Gallery on Sun 13 and Sun 27 Nov, featuring commissioned works from Dave Flynn and Rhona Clarke respectively. <a href="http://www.rubicongallery.ie/">www.rubicongallery.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">For more free music, head up to the Dublin Unitarian Church on Stephens Green at 3pm on Sun 13 for the final concert in their Organ Restoration Fund series. Fergal Caulfield conducts the <i>Ulysses Chamber Choir</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> in a programme of Hungarian-themed music including Brahms’ <i>Ziegunerlieder</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> and Listz’s <i>Missa Choralis</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">. There will be a post-concert bucket collection towards the cost of restoring the beautiful JW Walker Organ, built 100 years ago this year. <a href="http://www.dublinunitarianchurch.org/">www.dublinunitarianchurch.org</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-1367216259312030742011-10-23T22:45:00.003+01:002011-10-23T22:49:02.487+01:00String Machine<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Now this sounds fascinating: <i>String Machine 2</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> at Project on Fri 28 Oct – and it’s Free! Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Goethe-Institut Ireland, the concert is the result of an ongoing collaboration between Irish and German traditional and electronic artists, Donal Lunny, Stephan Mathieu, Leopold Hurt and David Donohoe & Eamonn Doyle. New recorded works for stringed instruments were commissioned from Donal Lunny (bouzouki) and Leopold Hurt (zither) which were then used as the sole source material for digital recompositions by Stephan Mathieu and David Donohoe & Eamonn Doyle, with all the sounds being generated exclusively from the bouzouki and zither using various digital processes. That process forms the basis for this live improvised performance featuring collaborations between Lunny and Mathieu and between Hurt and Donohoe & Doyle. The concert will also feature solo performances from each of the artists, and a CD featuring the four commissioned works will be given free on admission. Cool or what! <a href="http://www.projectartscentre.ie">www.projectartscentre.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-46235207980149020582011-10-23T22:35:00.000+01:002011-10-23T22:36:08.993+01:00Sundays@ Noon<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Coming up at the Hugh Lane on Sun Oct 30, renowned harpsichordist Malcolm Proud performs <i>JS Bach’s 6 Partitas for Harpsichord</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> over 3 concerts, with introductions from musicologist David Ledbetter. First off is Partita No1 in B flat Major and No 2 in C minor, you can hear No 3 in A minor and No 4 in D Major on Sun 27 Nov, with the final concert featuring No 5 in G Major and No 6 in E minor on Sun 18 Dec. And for something completely different, Sun 6 Nov sees the world premiere of Benjamin Dwyer’s <i>Umbilical</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, the story of Oedipus, Jocasta and Laius in ten musical scenes for amplified baroque violin, double bass, harpsichord and tape, featuring Maya Homburger, Barry Guy and David Adams. <a href="http://www.hughlane.ie">www.hughlane.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-70655401209966247602011-10-23T22:22:00.001+01:002011-10-23T22:24:05.469+01:00Spooky<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Plenty of spooky stuff around, given the time of year, with Bewleys Café Theatre taking over the Unitarian Church for a special evening staging of the very successful <i>Poe Show </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">on Fri 4 and Sat 5 Nov. Devised and directed by Michael James Ford with music by Trevor Knight, this theatrical celebration of the work of Edgar Allan Poe includes two of his best-known stories, <i>The Tell-Tale Heart</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, a terrifying exploration of murder and guilt, and <i>The Cask of Amontillado</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, a pitch-black comedy of revenge. Meanwhile if you like a spot of gothic horror with your lunch, check out <i>McAdam’s Torment, </i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">a new play by Audrey Devereux loosely based on the legend of notorious Scottish bandit chief Sawney Beane. Opens at Bewleys on Halloween itself. <a href="http://www.bewleyscafetheatre.com">www.bewleyscafetheatre.com</a> And not to be outdone in the realm of spookiness, dark nights and haunting stories from the ancient festival of Samhain are promised at the <i>National Leprechaun Museum</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">, on the site of an ancient city morgue and beside a disturbed graveyard… Interactive adult-only performances from Thur 27 Oct. <a href="http://www.leprechaunmuseum.ie">www.leprechaunmuseum.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-1436081704239085892011-10-23T20:34:00.001+01:002011-10-23T20:34:39.164+01:00Music in the Library<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The CMC have teamed up with the RIAM for series of free concerts in Dublin City Libraries between 26 Oct and 2 Nov. Celebrating Dublin’s UNESCO City of Literature status, <i>Musical Tales</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> features works by Irish composers Rachel Holstead, Michael Holohan, Kevin O’Connell, Frank Corcoran, John Buckley and Siobhan Cleary, who have variously found inspiration in Old Irish literature as well as the writers Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan and Oscar Wilde. Benjamin Dwyer will introduce the concerts which feature the Milesian Quartet and well-known mezzo Imelda Drumm. Catch them at the Ilac Library at lunchtime on Mon 24, Drumcondra at 6.30 on Tues 25 Oct, Rathmines at lunchtime on Wed 27 and Walkinstown at 7pm on Wed 2 Nov. <a href="http://www.cmc.ie">www.cmc.ie</a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-20925839219242055272011-10-03T20:11:00.001+01:002011-10-03T20:13:03.939+01:00Darklight Festival<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This year’s </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Darklight</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> festival gets back to the roots in a celebration of the spirit of grassroots filmmaking. Taking place at </span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Factory @ Grand Canal Dock from Thur 20 to Sat 22 Oct, there’s DIY SFX workshops and a screening of Evan Glodell’s acclaimed film </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bellflower</span></i></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, as well as Jeanie Finlay’s </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sound it Out</span></i></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, a feature doc about the last surviving record shop in Teesside. Other documentaries include </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Blood in the Mobile</span></i></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, showing the chilling connection between our phones and the civil war in the Congo, while </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We Are Poets</span></i></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> follows 6 teenage poets from Leeds Young Authors as they prepare to represent the UK at Brave New Voices, the prestigious poetry slam in Washington DC. Irish artist Jesse Jones is the Artist in Focus; and there’s a late screening of the delightful-sounding </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Everything Is Terrible</span></i></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> featuring seven furry, lovable internet monsters who live in a cave full of VCRS and take forgotten VHS tapes to edit them down into easily digestible viral videos. </span><a href="http://www.darlight.ie/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">www.darklight.ie</span></a></span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;font-size:12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5494492694741687043.post-31385600732161728612011-10-03T20:09:00.002+01:002011-10-03T20:11:39.104+01:00Open House<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Another chance to peep behind closed doors, when the sixth </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Open House</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> weekend takes over the city. Organised by the Irish Architecture Foundation and running from Fri 7 to Sun 9, there are over 120 building visits, tours and events. Among the more unusual are boat trips off Dun Laoghaire and the Dublin Docklands, Luas trips to explore the North Docklands and New Frontiers of the Green Line, Walking tours discussing the Destruction of Dublin, the potential of NAMA properties and the Architecture of Dublin Contemporary. Some events and visits are pre-book only, but many more are open to all on a first-come basis, including the iconic Liberty Hall, but be prepared to queue. Check it all out @ </span><a href="http://www.architecturefoundation.ie/openhouse"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">www.architecturefoundation.ie/openhouse</span></a><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->rapunzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598546342054841468noreply@blogger.com0