Philippe Cassard

Some great stuff coming up in the Hugh Lane Gallery's Sundays @ Noon series, kicking off with the hugely popular French pianist Philippe Cassard on Sun 7 March. Practically an honorary Irishman at this stage, Cassard first won our hearts way back in 1988, when he won the inaugural Dublin International Piano Competition and he’s been a loyal visitor every since. He’ll be playing a dynamic programme of Brahms - 3 Intermezzi, 2 Rhapsodies and 6 Klavierstucke, and in a nice bit of contrast, Schoenberg’s 3 Klavierstucke. They’ll definitely be queuing around the block for this one. On a slightly calmer note, Fionnuala Moynihan continues her survey of Mozart’s Piano Sonatas, playing Nos 6,7 & 8 on Sun 14. The fresh young voices of RTE Cor na nOg take to the somewhat crowded stage on Sun 21, and on Sun 28 the Israeli duo of Roy Amotz on flute and Matan Porat on piano play Mozart, Debussy, Messiaen and Ferneyhough. And it’s all FREE. www.hughlane.ie