Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival

Page created by Frances Lawson
 
CONTINUE READING
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
Artistic adventures in
Ireland’s medieval city

                          07–16
                          AUGUST
kilkennyarts.ie           2015
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
01

Welcome to ten days of artistic adventures…

                                                                                                                                          Photo Jean-Baptiste Millot
                                                       Photo Matthew Thompson

In the historic Castle Yard, we’re joining forces with                          The legendary William Christie & Les Arts Florissants                                  The great Martin Hayes returns as host and co-                               Giants of world music bound for Kilkenny include
Druid and Lincoln Center Festival to present                                    return to Ireland after 20 years for ETERNAL                                           curator of the MARBLE CITY SESSIONS, gathering                               Toumani Diabaté and Amjad Ali Khan.
DruidShakespeare, an epic theatrical experience which                           HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH, a unique series                                         extraordinary musicians from around the world for
many are calling one of the events of the decade.                               of 18 concerts exploring Bach’s timeless music.                                        nine collaborative concerts.

                                                                                                                                          Photo Nadia F Romanini
                                                       Photo Marcoborggreve

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Photo Conor Horgan

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Photo Eric Antoniou
Major international artists making their Irish debuts in                        Musical titans joining us this year include pianist Sir                                Visual artist in residence Mick O’Dea will be creating        One of the world’s finest writers, Robert Pinsky, is
our Bach series include Iranian harpsichordist Mahan                            András Schiff and viol master Jordi Savall.                                            A Festival Portrait, painting and sketching Festival artists, Festival poet in residence for 2015.
Esfahani and Chinese Bach specialist Zhu Xiao-Mei.                                                                                                                     scenes and performances throughout the ten days.

Front Cover image: Alexander Haiden/Grafenegg
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
02                                                                                                                                                                         03

                                                                                                                        Book your seat…
For 42 years our funders and partners have played an invaluable role in helping Kilkenny Arts Festival to
flourish. We greatly appreciate their continuing support.

PRINCIPAL FUNDER

                                                                                                                        ONLINE today at kilkennyarts.ie
                                                                                                                        BY PHONE from 6 July on +353 56 775 2175
PUBLIC FUNDERS
                                                                                                                        IN PERSON from 6 July at the Festival Box Office
                                                                                                                        14 John Street, Kilkenny

                                                                                                                        Weekdays: 10am - 5.30pm (closed Monday 3 August)
HEADLINE EVENT PARTNERS                                                                                                 During the Festival: daily 10.30am - 7.30pm

                                                                                                                        For terms and conditions go to kilkennyarts.ie

 o’neill foley

MAJOR DONORS
                  Mrs Loretta Brennan Glucksman                                           Mrs Joneen Casey

EVENT PARTNERS

                                                                                                   Bank

MEDIA PARTNERS

SUPPLY PARTNERS

                                                                                                             KILKENNY
                                                                                                              HONDA
                                                                          Hotel                               CENTRE
                                                                  Leisure Club & KO Spa

CULTURAL PARTNERS

                                                                                                                                                                                DruidShakespeare. Photo Reg Gordon
                                                                                      BUTLER       GALLERY

                                                                                      BUTLER       GALLERY

                                          OPERA THEATRE COMPANY
                                                                                          BUTLER   GALLERY
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
04                                                                                                                                                                                                           05

                                                                                             an exhilarating epic ... nothing can quell the
 DRUID (IRELAND) IN A CO-PRODUCTION WITH
                                                                                             extraordinary vitality of Hynes’ production, its ability to
 LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL (USA)
                                                                                             match the play’s shifting moods and its visual appeal ...
 AND IN ASSOCIATION WITH KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL
                                                                                             it is a staggering venture Michael Billington, The Guardian
                                                                                                                                                                                        Director

 DruidShakespeare                                                                                                                                                                       Garry Hynes
                                                                                                                                                                                        Associate Director
                                                                                                                                                                                        (design)
                                                                                                                                                                                        Francis O’Connor
 Richard II, Henry IV (Parts 1 & 2)                                                                                                                                                     Associate Director

 and Henry V                                                                                                                                                                            (movement)
                                                                                                                                                                                        David Bolger
                                                                                                                                                                                        Co-Costume
 by William Shakespeare                                                                                                                                                                 Designer
 in a new adaptation by Mark O’Rowe                                                                                                                                                     Doreen McKenna
 directed by Garry Hynes                                                                                                                                                                Lighting Design
                                                                                                                                                                                        James F Ingalls
                                                                                                                                                                                        Sound Design
                                                                                                                                                                                        Gregory Clarke
 This epic theatrical event distils four of Shakespeare’s                                                                                                                               Music
 greatest plays into one thrilling drama played over six hours.                                                                                                                         Conor Linehan
                                                                                                                                                                                        Dramaturg
 A sweeping narrative of family, ambition, war and the
                                                                                                                                                                                        Thomas Conway
 making of nations, DruidShakespeare is performed with
 an exceptional ensemble cast and a rousing parade of                                                                                                                                   Voice Coach
 characters, including one of the playwright’s greatest                                                                                                                                 Andrew Wade
 comic creations, Falstaff.                                                                                                                                                             Fight Director
                                                                                                                                                                                        Donal O’Farrell
 Experience Druid’s most ambitious project ever in the
 unique atmosphere of the Castle Yard, Ireland’s finest
                                                                                                                                                                                        Cast
 open-air theatre space.
                                                                                                                                                                                        Clare Barrett
 The production can be seen either as a full cycle                                                                                                                                      Derbhle Crotty
 on a single day, or over two successive evenings.                                                                                                                                      Peter Daly
                                                                                                                                                                                        Gavin Drea
 Please note: this is an outdoor performance.                                                                                                                                           Garrett Lombard
 Please dress for the weather.                                                                                                                                                          Karen McCartney
                                                                                                                                                                                        Charlotte McCurry
 With thanks to Kilkenny Design Centre
                                                                                            Duration                                                                                    Aaron Monaghan
                                                                                            Full Cycle: 6 hrs 30 mins approx., including three intervals (2 x 15 mins & 1 x 30 mins)    Marie Mullen
                                                                                            Part 1: 3 hrs 15 mins, including 15 min interval                                            Rory Nolan
 THU      FRI       SAT       SUN		         WED       THU         FRI   SAT   SPECIAL
                                                                                            Part 2: 2 hrs 45 mins, including 15 min interval                                            John Olohan
 6 7
 5PM      5PM
                    8         9		 12 13 14 15
                  7.30PM 6.30PM  7.30PM              7.30PM   5PM       5PM
                                                                               DEAL
                                                                              FOR THIS
                                                                               EVENT
                                                                                                                                                                                        Aisling O’Sullivan
                                                                                                                                                                                        Marty Rea
                                                                              See page 58   SHAKESPEARE AND IRELAND
  FC       FC        P1     P2		    P1                  P2     FC        FC

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Photo Matthew Thompson
                                                                                            Rothe House, Sunday 9 August 4.30pm
 THE CASTLE YARD            Full Cycle - FC Part 1 - P1 Part 2 - P2                         Garry Hynes and members of the Druid company discuss the challenges of staging
 ADMISSION                                                                                  Shakespeare for an Irish audience in conversation with Fintan O’Toole. Free but ticketed.
 ALL PERFORMANCES (FULL CYCLE OR IN TWO PARTS) €60/€52
 EXCEPT THU 6 AUGUST PREVIEW (€40) & WED 12/THU 13 AUGUST (€45/€40)                         SEE ALSO ‘TYRONE GUTHRIE & THE SHAKESPEARE REVOLUTION’ P.17
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
06                                                                                                                                                                                                           07

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH                                                                                       OPERA THEATRE COMPANY (IRELAND)

THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER, BOOK 1                                                                                           The Human Voice                                  a love affair at the
                                                                                                                                                                             end of the line
                                                                                                                            by Francis Poulenc
Mahan Esfahani                                          harpsichord
Iran
IRISH DEBUT
                                                                                                                                                                            Director Tom Creed
                                                                                                                                                                            Soprano Kim Sheehan
                                                                                                                                                                            Piano Michael McHale
Esfahani’s performance of the first book of Bach’s                         PROGRAMME I
                                                                           Friday 7 August 1pm
Well-Tempered Clavier was … riveting                                       Preludes and Fugues 1-12                                                                         A young woman is driven to the
The Guardian                                                                                                                                                                point of desperation as she tries
                                                                           Duration 60 mins approx.
                                                                                                                                                                            to connect with her ex-lover over
                                                                                                                                                                            the telephone in Francis Poulenc’s
It was an idea only Bach could have conceived: to compose a collection     PROGRAMME II
                                                                           Saturday 8 August 1pm              SPECIAL                                                       spellbinding one-act opera, The
of preludes and fugues for keyboard, circling in turn through all 24                                           DEALS
                                                                           Preludes and Fugues 13-24          FOR THIS
                                                                                                                                                                            Human Voice (La voix humaine).
major and minor keys. Bach envisioned the book as a teaching aid
                                                                                                               EVENT                                                        Poulenc creates an atmospheric
“for the use and profit of the musical youth”, but in the centuries that                                      See page 58
                                                                           Duration 60 mins approx.                                                                         and theatrical soundscape, using
followed it has become one of the most influential works in the history
                                                                                                                                                                            unaccompanied singing (soprano
of Western classical music. The idea was so good that Bach repeated
                                                                                                                                                                            Kim Sheehan) interspersed with
it later in life, composing a second book of 24, but the first book of      FRI     SAT
                                                                                    ST JOHN’S PRIORY                                                                        evocative instrumental outbursts
The Well-Tempered Clavier is the best known and, over two lunchtime
concerts in St John’s, acclaimed harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani makes        7 8     ADMISSION €16/€14
                                                                            1PM 1PM FOR EACH CONCERT
                                                                                                                                                                            (renowned pianist Michael McHale)
                                                                                                                                                                            to convey the woman’s heartbreak.
his eagerly anticipated Irish debut performing the complete Book I.
                                                                                                                                                                            Based on the classic play by
                                                                                                                                                                            Jean Cocteau, and directed by

                                                                           Bach and the                                                                                     Tom Creed (Deep, Kilkenny Arts
                                                                                                                                                                            Festival 2014), The Human Voice

                                                                           Chain of Being                                                                                   is a profound and emotional
                                                                                                                                                                            exploration of love and loss.
                                                                           In this special lecture with musical
                                                                           illustrations from the harpsichord,                                                              Duration 60 mins approx.
                                                                           Mahan Esfahani examines the
                                                                           cyclical patterns in Bach’s works, and
                                                                           explores the ways in which his music
                                                                           was heard by his contemporaries.

                                                                           Duration 60 mins approx.

                                                                              SAT

                                                                              8
                                                                            4.30PM
                                                                                          ST JOHN’S PRIORY
                                                                                          ADMISSION €14/€12
                                                                                                                                                              SPECIAL       FRI   SAT

                                                                                                                                                                            7 8
                                                                                                                                                               DEAL
                                                                                                                                                              FOR THIS                  WATERGATE THEATRE
                                                                                                                                                               EVENT                    ADMISSION €16/€14
                                                                                                                                                              See page 58   8PM   3PM
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
08                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            09

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH
                                                                                                                         THE HUBERT BUTLER ANNUAL LECTURE
GOLDBERG VARIATIONS I                                             The Goldberg Variations stands as one of Bach’s

Sax Allemande
                                                                  greatest achievements, a work in which the
                                                                  composer’s technical ingenuity dovetails perfectly
                                                                  with his inspiration. As a centrepiece of its Bach
                                                                                                                         The Age of Unreason
                                                                  series, the Festival is offering audiences a very
Germany                                                           rare chance to experience three contrasting
                                                                  interpretations of the ‘Goldbergs’ by leading
                                                                                                                         Nationalism and Jihad
IRISH DEBUT                                                       international artists, all making their Irish debut.
                                                                  This first concert is perhaps the most radical. The
                                                                                                                         in the 21st Century
                                                                  saxophone is not an instrument associated with
                                                                  classical chamber music, but Sax Allemande has set     Lara Marlowe USA                                                          Lara Marlowe with members of the Northern
pure pleasure                                                     out to challenge that perception, collecting an Echo
                                                                                                                         Introduced by Olivia O’Leary
                                                                                                                                                                                                   Alliance mujahideen group who were fighting
                                                                  Klassik Award for best chamber music recording                                                                                   the Taliban in Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11.
Schweinfurter Tagblatt
                                                                  and reinvigorating the classical repertoire. On
Duration 60 mins approx.                                          the opening night of the Festival, Sax Allemande
                                                                  performs the Goldberg Variations in the candlelit
                                                                  Black Abbey – a spellbinding space for this blend of
     FRI                             SPECIAL                      timeless genius and contemporary sounds.               Liberal democracy triumphed over fascism in the 20th century,             The Hubert Butler Annual Lecture was

     7
                                      DEAL
             THE BLACK ABBEY         FOR THIS                                                                            but as the new century advances, the ideals of Wilsonian                  established in 2007 to honour the Kilkenny
             ADMISSION €20/€17.50     EVENT                       The Goldberg Variations series is generously           democracy and European integration appear to be fading. A                 writer, historian and broadcaster whose
9.30PM                               See page 58
                                                                  supported by Mrs Joneen Casey.                                                                                                   remarkable consistency of vision and clarity of
                                                                                                                         significant proportion of 740 million Europeans have embraced
                                                                                                                         anti-immigrant, anti-EU populist nationalism, while growing               mind made him unique among essayists and
                                                                                                                         numbers of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims espouse jihadism.              whose work evinced an unsurpassed moral,
                                                                                                                                                                                                   political and literary integrity.
                                                                                                                         National Front leader Marine Le Pen is likely to lead the first round
                                                                                                                         of the next French presidential election. Meanwhile Islamic State,        Duration 60 mins approx.
                                                                                                                         an unholy alliance of Salafist extremists and survivors of Saddam
                                                                                                                         Hussein’s Ba’athist regime, holds large swathes of Syria and Iraq.
                                                                                                                                                                                                      SAT
                                                                                                                         Foreign correspondent Lara Marlowe has spent most of her
                                                                                                                         35-year career covering France and the Middle East, reporting
                                                                                                                                                                                                      8
                                                                                                                                                                                                      6PM
                                                                                                                                                                                                               ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL
                                                                                                                                                                                                               ADMISSION €16/€14

                                                                                                                         extensively on the rise of the French National Front and on
                                                                                                                         Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Marlowe looks at the historical and
                                                                                                                         ideological roots of both movements, and attempts to explain why
                                                                                                                         extremism is such a powerful magnet in the 21st century.

                                                                                                                                 The Diplomatic                                  In the surroundings of a 16th-century townhouse, one of

       Imaginary                       The irrepressible Sax Allemande returns for a second – and                                                                                Ireland’s leading diplomats discusses 21st-century foreign

       Saloon
                                       very different – concert that takes us from the height of
                                       German Romanticism to New York’s Tin Pan Alley and the
                                       early years of jazz. Mixing the waltzes and capriccios of
                                                                                                                                 Coffee Club                                     policy in conversation with Festival Director Eugene
                                                                                                                                                                                 Downes. Rory Montgomery is Second Secretary-General
                                                                                                                                                                                 of the Department of the Taoiseach with responsibility
                                       Brahms with the ragtime of Scott Joplin and the preludes                                                                                  for European and international affairs, and has served as
           SAT                         of Gershwin, Imaginary Saloon is a dazzlingly entertaining                                   SAT                                          Irish Ambassador to the European Union and to France.

           8                                                                                                                        8
                 LEFT BANK             musical journey in the relaxed ambience of the Left Bank.                                            THE HOLE IN THE WALL                 Complimentary gourmet coffees will be served.
                 ADMISSION €16/€14                                                                                                          ADMISSION €12/€10
      4.30PM                                                                                                                       11AM
                                                                                                                                                                                 Duration 60 mins approx.
                                       Duration 60 mins approx.
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
10                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            11

                                                                                                                                                                                                  think the Starship Enterprise
     ARCHITECTS OF AIR (UK)                                                                                                                                                                       crossed with the sci-fi movie

     Mirazozo                                                                                                                                                                                     Fantastic Voyage
                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Irish Times

                After two sell-out runs, Architects of Air are back for a third year in the Castle Park with
                another luminarium – or giant, light-filled inflatable sculpture – for you to explore. Mirazozo is
                                                                                                                                                SAT       SUN        MON      TUE        WED        THU        FRI        SAT        SUN

                                                                                                                                                8         9         10        11        12         13         14         15         16
                the sister to Miracoco – the luminarium that was such a hit back in 2013. Inspired by Islamic
                architecture, and featuring a stunning labyrinth of domes, chambers and tunnels, Mirazozo
                                                                                                                     Photo Aaron J. Montes

                is packed with enchanting spaces and beguiling light effects. It’s the perfect place to play,                                11AM-6PM   11AM-6PM   12PM-6PM 12PM-6PM   12PM-6PM   12PM-6PM   12PM-6PM   11AM-6PM   11AM-6PM
                wander (and wonder), or simply relax.
                                                                                                                                             KILKENNY CASTLE PARK
                The luminarium is wheelchair accessible. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.                                  ADMISSION €5. TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE MAIN CASTLE GATE.
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
12                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         13

                                                                                                                        Toumani &
                                                                                                                                                                                                       the finest Toumani
                                                                                                                                                                                                       collaboration since
                                                                                                                                                                                                       his classic work with
     OPERA THEATRE COMPANY (IRELAND)
                                                                                                                        Sidiki Diabaté                                    Mali                         Ali Farka Touré

     Susanna’s Secret
                                                                                                                                                                                                       The Guardian
                                                a smoking hot comedy
     by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari

                                                                                           Photo Youri Lenquette
                                                Director Tom Creed
                                                Conductor Andrew Synnott
                                                Soprano Rachel Croash
                                                Baritone Rory Musgrave

                                                A man suspects his wife is having
                                                an affair when he smells cigarette
                                                smoke on her clothes, and sets out
                                                to discover her secret - with hilarious
                                                consequences. Rachel Croash (soprano)
                                                and Rory Musgrave (baritone) star
                                                in Wolf-Ferrari’s frothy comic opera
                                                about the secrets that couples keep.
                                                Sung in English, in a new translation
                                                by Tom Swift, Susanna’s Secret (Il
                                                segreto di Susanna) is a stylish and
                                                wryly observant comedy of marital
                                                misunderstanding. Directed by Tom
                                                Creed (Deep – Kilkenny Arts Festival
                                                2014), with Andrew Synnott conducting
                                                the OTC touring ensemble, this is a rare
                                                opportunity for opera lovers to see
                                                this classic short work, and a perfect
                                                                                                                   Toumani Diabaté is a superstar of African music and “the      the Set offers a rare, intimate opportunity to hear two
                                                introduction to opera for newcomers.
                                                                                                                   Hendrix of the kora” (The Sunday Times), the elegant and      generations of this extraordinary family playing with
                                                                                                                   beguiling 21-stringed harp played for centuries at the        dazzling virtuosity and profound spirit.
                                                Duration 60 mins approx.
                                                                                                                   Malian court. The 71st generation in an unbroken line of
                                                                                                                   musicians stretching back 700 years, Toumani has done         Duration 80 mins approx.
                                                                                                                   more than any artist to bring this instrument to the world,
                                  SPECIAL
                                   DEAL                                                                            recording a string of Grammy-award-winning albums
                                  FOR THIS
                                   EVENT                                                                           and collaborating with everyone from Taj Mahal to Björk.
                                                  SAT     SUN                                                                                                                        SAT                                          SPECIAL
                                  See page 58                                                                      His son Sidiki is one half of Mali’s most successful hip-
                                                  8 9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   DEAL

                                                                                                                                                                                     8
                                                                  WATERGATE THEATRE                                                                                                            SET THEATRE
                                                                                                                   hop group, and a dazzlingly talented kora player in his                                                        FOR THIS
                                                                  ADMISSION €16/€14                                                                                                            ADMISSION €27/€23.50                EVENT
                                                 6PM      3PM                                                      own right. Together, father and son produced one of                                                            See page 58
                                                                                                                                                                                     10PM
                                                                                                                   the most acclaimed albums of 2014, and this concert in
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
14                                                                                              15

     ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

     THE MASS IN B MINOR
     Chamber Choir Ireland
     Camerata Kilkenny                                                Ireland

     & Paul Hillier                                UK

     one of the leading choral practitioners in the world …
     singing of this standard is a rarity
     culturenorthernireland.org on Paul Hillier & Chamber Choir Ireland

     Composed over 25 years towards the end of the composer’s life, the Mass in B minor
     (BWV 232) is the culmination of Bach’s spiritual journey and one of the crowning glories
     of Western music. The piece was last performed at the Festival some 30 years ago by
     Malcolm Proud and Maya Homburger’s Kilkenny Arts Week Baroque Ensemble: an early
     incarnation of Camerata Kilkenny. This year, in a unique collaboration for the Festival,
     Camerata Kilkenny joins forces with Chamber Choir Ireland – the country’s flagship
     choral ensemble – for a one-off performance of the Mass under the direction of Paul
     Hillier, one of Europe’s most distinguished choral conductors. From the dramatic Kyrie
     to the sublime Agnus Dei, this special performance by two world-class ensembles in
     St Canice’s is set to be a highlight of the 42nd Festival.

     Duration 2 hrs approx. (including interval)

     Presented in association with Chamber Choir Ireland

          SAT     ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL

          8
          8PM
                  ADMISSION
                  ZONE A PREMIUM €40/€35
                  ZONE B REGULAR €35/€30.50
Artistic adventures in Ireland's medieval city 07-16 - AUGUST - Kilkenny Arts Festival
16                                                                                                                                                                                                  17

     ETERNAL HARMONY:                                                        Tyrone Guthrie &
     THE MUSIC OF JS BACH
                                                                             The Shakespeare Revolution
     THE CELLO SUITES                                                        Christopher Fitz-Simon Ireland                                                      Vivien Leigh, Tyrone Guthrie and

     István Várdai
                                                                                                                                                                 Laurence Olivier

                                                     cello
     Hungary                                                                 The Anglo-Irish director Tyrone           the Abbey Theatre, explores Guthrie’s     Duration 60 mins approx.
                                                                             Guthrie is recognised as one of the       world through his letters, which he
                                                                             most influential figures in 20th-         is editing for publication. Addressed
                                                                             century theatre. Working on both          to his mother Norah and his sister
                                                                             sides of the Atlantic, he brought a       Peggy, who married Hubert Butler,
                                                                             revolutionary new approach to the         they feature searching observations
     István Várdai is a special kind of genius                               classical repertoire and also to the      on leading actors of the day, including      SUN
     Parlando                                                                design of theatres themselves. In this
                                                                             fascinating talk, Christopher Fitz-
                                                                                                                       Siobhán McKenna, Sybil Thorndike,
                                                                                                                       Alec Guinness, John Gielgud and              9
                                                                                                                                                                    11AM
                                                                                                                                                                           PARADE TOWER
                                                                                                                                                                           ADMISSION €12/€10
                                                                             Simon, author and former director of      Laurence Olivier.

     PROGRAMME I                     PROGRAMME II
     Sunday 9 August 1pm             Monday 10 August 1pm
     Cello Suite no. 1
     Cello Suite no. 4
     Cello Suite no. 5
                                     Cello Suite no. 2
                                     Cello Suite no. 3
                                     Cello Suite no. 6
                                                                                                                      To Find a Heathen Place
     Duration 65 mins approx.        Duration 80 mins approx.                                                         and Sound a Bell
     Bach’s Cello Suites are among his best-loved compositions, a                                                     By Kerry Hardie and Olivia O’Leary
     central part of the classical repertoire often featured in films like
     Bergman’s Autumn Sonata. Performed at the Festival over the
     decades by masters such as Steven Isserlis and Jean-Guihen
     Queyras, this year the complete cycle will unfold over the course
     of two lunchtime concerts by one of the rising stars of the
     classical world: István Várdai. From the sunny gigue of the first
     suite to the moody, dark prelude of the fifth, Várdai will explore
     the full range of these masterworks in the intimate atmosphere of
     St John’s Priory.
                                                                                   Director Sean Hardie               AD 591. Rome has fallen and Europe         Written by poet and novelist Kerry
                                                                                   Music David Power and              is in chaos. In Ireland, a handful of      Hardie, with broadcaster Olivia O’Leary,
     The Hungarian cellist István Várdai is one of the most exciting
                                                                                   Ciarán Somers                      monks leave the austere rule of            and performed by musicians David
     young musicians in the world, performing at major international
                                                                                   Readers Barry McGovern,            Comgall of Bangor. One of them,            Power and Ciarán Somers, and readers
     venues to great acclaim and collecting numerous international
                                                                                                                      Fiachra, walks south to found a            Barry McGovern, Olivia O’Leary, Alan
     prizes. Last year he won the ARD Cello Competition in Munich –                Olivia O’Leary, Alan
                                                                                                                      monastery at Ullard. Others, led by        Counihan and Eamonn Hunt, this
     the world’s leading such event – and earlier this year was awarded            Counihan & Eamonn Hunt
                                                                                                                      Columbanus of Leinster, set sail,          unique and poetic work resurrects the
     the Liszt Prize, Hungary’s highest classical music award.
                                                                                                                      carrying the teachings of the Celtic       forgotten story of Columbanus, a saint
                                                                                                                      Church into the very heart of Europe…      of the early Celtic Church and arguably
                                                                                   SUN
                                                                                                                                                                 one of the most consequential figures
      SUN      MON
                       ST JOHN’S PRIORY
                                                       SPECIAL
                                                                                   9      PARADE TOWER                Through a mix of poetry and music,
                                                                                                                                                                 in European history.
      9 10
                                                        DEALS                             ADMISSION €16/€14
                                                       FOR THIS                                                       To Find a Heathen Place and Sound a
                       ADMISSION €16/€14                                           6PM
                                                        EVENT                                                         Bell tells the story of these monks.       Duration 60 mins approx.
      1PM      1PM     FOR EACH CONCERT               See page 58
18                                                                                                                                                     19

                                                                                                                    immaculately judged,
                                                                                                                    wonderfully gracious and
 ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH                                                                              admirably sensuous
                                                                                                                    The Guardian

 CANTATAS
 Les Arts Florissants                                            France

 & William Christie                                       USA/France

 Musical direction, organ                           William Christie is one of the greatest musical magicians
 & harpsichord William Christie                     of our time.
 Soprano Rachel Redmond
 Tenor Reinoud Van Mechelen                         In the 36 years since founding Les Arts Florissants, Christie
                                                    and his extraordinary ensemble have rediscovered the
 Bass Andrew Foster-Williams
                                                    world of the French baroque, partnering with the world’s
 Musicians of Les Arts Florissants
                                                    leading festivals and venues and making close to 100
                                                    recordings. Christie himself is feted as one of the most
                                                    distinctive and compelling of artists.
 PROGRAMME
 ‘Wedding’ Cantata BWV 202                          More than two decades since their last Irish appearance,
 Sonata in G for two flutes and continuo BWV 1039
                                                    Christie and Les Arts Florissants make a long-awaited
 Cantata BWV 55 (Ich armer Mensch)
                                                    return visit with a trio of leading international soloists.
 Orchestral Suite no. 2 BWV 1067
 ‘Coffee’ Cantata BWV 211                           Their programme ranges across some of Bach’s most
                                                    playful works, including the ‘Wedding’ Cantata, the
 Duration 2 hrs approx. (including interval)        glorious Orchestral Suite no. 2 and the ‘Coffee’ Cantata,
                                                    which pokes fun at the coffee-drinking craze of Bach’s own
                                                    day and is the nearest he came to writing a comic opera.

                                                    This is set to be an unforgettable evening, and a very rare
                                                    opportunity to hear these legendary artists in an intimate
                                                    programme portraying Bach’s diverse genius.

                                                                                                                                               Photo © Denis Rouvre
                                                           SUN          ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL

                                                           9
                                                         7.30PM
                                                                        ADMISSION
                                                                        ZONE A PREMIUM €50/€45
                                                                        ZONE B REGULAR €44/€39
20                                                                                                                                                                                                                    21

     a cooking live band from a dream dance club                                                   ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH
     The Observer
                                                                                                                           BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS 1, 2 & 4

     Da Lata                                                                                                               Camerata Kilkenny
     UK
                                                                                                                           Bojan Cicic                          director/violin
                                                                                                                           Croatia

                                                                                                   it is striking how      Written for the Margrave of Brandenburg, the                PROGRAMME
                                                                                                                           Brandenburg Concertos are some of the most dazzling         Brandenburg Concerto no. 2
                                                                                                   exclusive the
                                                                                                                           classical pieces ever written. Bach set out to confound     in F major BWV 1047
                                                                                                   Champions League                                                                    Brandenburg Concerto no. 4
                                                                                                                           expectations, transcending concerto conventions and
                                                                                                   of baroque violinists   filling each piece with rich melody, virtuoso flourishes    in G major BWV 1049
                                                                                                   remains… Croatian                                                                   Brandenburg Concerto no. 1
                                                                                                                           and astonishing shifts. For Eternal Harmony, Camerata
                                                                                                                                                                                       in F major BWV 1046
                                                                                                   baroque violinist       Kilkenny, our ensemble in residence, expands to
                                                                                                   Bojan Cicic stands      orchestral dimensions to present three of the larger-       Duration 60 mins approx.
                                                                                                   on the threshold of     scaled ‘Brandenburgs’ in the magnificent surroundings
                                                                                                                           of the Black Abbey.
                                                                                                   that pantheon
                                                                                                   De Standaard            Guest director and violinist Bojan Cicic is one of the
                                                                                                                                                                                        MON

                                                                                                                           rising stars of period performance in Europe. He leads
                                                                                                                           both period and modern orchestras, including the
                                                                                                                                                                                       10
                                                                                                                                                                                       7.30PM
                                                                                                                                                                                                THE BLACK ABBEY
                                                                                                                                                                                                ADMISSION €20/€17.50

                                                                                                                           Budapest Festival Orchestra, le Cercle d’Harmonie,
                                                                                                                           the European Union Baroque Orchestra and Classical
                                                                                                                           Opera Company, while recent projects have included           SPECIAL
                                                                                                                                                                                         DEAL
                                                                                                                           a recording of the Brandenburg Concertos with                FOR THIS
                                                                                                                                                                                         EVENT
                                                                                                                           Florilegium, Vivaldi’s Summer with the European              See page 58
                                                                                                                           Union Baroque Orchestra and his BBC Proms debut.

                                                                                                                            The Man                                 Orphaned at nine, left to fend for himself in his
                                                                                                                                                                    teenage years, widowed at 35 and losing many
                                     It’s more than 20 years since songwriter and multi-
                                     instrumentalist Chris Franck and DJ Patrick Forge joined                               Behind the                              of his children, Bach nevertheless forged a calm,
                                                                                                                                                                    unruffled conviction of his musical destiny. In this
                                                                                                                                                                    fascinating talk, Gerry Murphy goes in search
                                     forces and set about redefining Brazilian music, marrying
                                     samba rhythms to Nu Jazz to produce something stylish
                                     and irresistible. Blending their own original material with
                                                                                                                            Music                                   of one of the great minds of human history,
                                                                                                                                                                    uncovering the puckish humour, mordant wit and

      SUN
                                     dazzling remixes of everyone from Bebel Gilberto to Sly                                Gerry Murphy Ireland                    passion for excellence that runs through the great
                                                                                                                                                                    composer’s work.
                                     and Robbie, Da Lata have been in a class of their own ever

      9
     9.30PM
              SET THEATRE
              ADMISSION €20/€17.50
                                     since. Four albums into a musical journey that has taken
                                     them through everything from Afrobeat to hip-hop, with a                                 MON
                                                                                                                                                                    Gerry Murphy is a composer and former Head of

                                                                                                                             10
                                     touch of electronica and house, they bring their pulsating                                      PARADE TOWER                   Music at Gonzaga College, Ranelagh. His latest
                                     live show to Kilkenny with six musicians, Latin tempos and                                      ADMISSION €12/€10              composition premiered at the New Ross Piano
                                     irresistible grooves. Bring your dancing shoes!                                          6PM                                   Festival 2014, while the NSO performed his
                                                                                                                                                                    overture Good Friday-Belfast: 10-4-98 as part of
                                     Duration 90 mins approx.                                                               Duration 60 mins approx.                this year’s season.
22                                                                                                                                                                                                                         23

        THE SPIRIT OF THE VIOL
                                                                    Mr Savall, the least
                                                                    ostentatious of performers,
                                                                                                   ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

        Jordi Savall
                                                                    seemed plunged in the
                                                   viola da gamba   emotion of performance
                                                                    and of life
        Spain                                                       The New York Times

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Photo Marco Borggreve
Grand master of the viol, Jordi Savall, is a                        PROGRAMME
global cultural citizen equally at home in
Western baroque or the ancient music of
                                                                    featuring selections from      THE ART OF FUGUE                                                  GOLDBERG VARIATIONS II
Jerusalem, Istanbul or the Balkans.

Through more than 200 recordings and
                                                                    MARIN MARAIS
                                                                    SAINTE-COLOMBE LE PÈRE
                                                                    SAINTE-COLOMBE LE FILS
                                                                                                   James McVinnie organ                                              Mahan Esfahani harpsichord
thousands of performances, both as a virtuoso                       LE SIEUR DE MACHY              UK                                                                Iran
                                                                    JS BACH
solo artist and as conductor of his three
celebrated ensembles, Savall has dedicated
                                                                    Duration 75 mins approx.       McVinnie dispatches his performances                              with an instinctive sense of rhythm and a
his working life to unearthing buried musical
treasures and introducing audiences to lost                                                        with great vitality                                               gift for interpretation, Esfahani has firmly
worlds of emotion and beauty.                                                                      The Telegraph                                                     established himself as one of today’s most
                                                                                                                                                                     thrilling harpsichordists
For this rare Irish concert, Savall presents a                                                     Duration 75 mins approx.                                          Gramophone
programme of selected works by baroque
masters including Monsieur de Sainte-                                                              Composed in Bach’s final years and left unfinished at his         Duration 70 mins approx.
Colombe (father and son) and Marin Marais                                                          death, The Art of Fugue (BWV 1080) is one of the most
- whose work he has done so much to revive,                                                        profound and significant works in musical history.                Bach described his Goldberg Variations as “prepared
not least through his soundtrack for Alain                                                                                                                           for the soul’s delight.” For Mahan Esfahani, they
Corneau’s Tous les Matins du Monde.                                                                Turning his back on the dawning rococo era, the composer          “stand out as an example of their creator’s total
                                                                                                   returned to the heart of the baroque and found exhilarating       compositional originality.”
It was Marais who first exploited the similarity                                                   new possibilities within the fugal form, based on a single
of the viola da gamba to the human voice                                                           theme and increasing in complexity as the work progresses.        After an exuberant saxophone interpretation from
in Les Voix Humaines, one of the works that                                                        The score of this late masterpiece did not specify                Sax Allemande, this second of three performances
Savall will perform in Kilkenny. In a candlelit                                                    instrumentation, and it has been performed on a startling         of the iconic work is by the internationally acclaimed
Black Abbey, the hushed whispers of Savall’s                                                       range of instruments from viol consorts to brass ensembles;       Iranian harpsichordist, one of the Festival’s artists
instrument will create an atmosphere at                                                            this solo performance on that ‘king of instruments’, the organ,   in residence, following his interpretation of The
once intimate and profound.                                                                        is by a rising international star.                                Well-Tempered Clavier over the opening weekend.
                                                                                                                                                                     Esfahani’s musical interests are strikingly diverse,
                                                                                                   James McVinnie is internationally renowned both as soloist        ranging from the renaissance to the present day,
                                                                                                   and ensemble player. Recent highlights have included concerts     but Bach is his foremost passion. This late-night
                                                                                                   in the Salzburg Festival with Mozarteumorchester Salzburg,        concert in the Long Gallery of Kilkenny Castle, one
                                                                                                   and the BBC Proms with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.              of Ireland’s most beautiful rooms, promises to be an
                                                                                      SPECIAL      A strong advocate of new music, James collaborates with           unmissable experience.
                                                                                       DEAL        leading composers and artists including fellow members of
                                                                                      FOR THIS
                                                                                       EVENT       the Bedroom Community collective Nico Muhly and Sam               The Goldberg Variations series is generously
                                                                                     See page 58   Amidon (one of our artists in residence in 2014).                 supported by Mrs Joneen Casey.

                                                                                                        TUE                                           SPECIAL         TUES THE LONG GALLERY                   SPECIAL

                                                                                                        11                                                            11
                                                                    MON                                          ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL                 DEALS                                                   DEAL

                                                                    10       THE BLACK ABBEY                     ADMISSION €16/€14
                                                                                                                                                      FOR THIS             KILKENNY CASTLE                    FOR THIS
                                                                                                                                                       EVENT                                                   EVENT
                                                                             ADMISSION €30/€26          1PM                                           See page 58     10PM
                                                                                                                                                                           ADMISSION €20/€17.50               See page 58
                                                                    9.30PM
24                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      25

                                                                                                                         ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH
                                                                                                                         CLAVIER ÜBUNG III (GERMAN ORGAN MASS)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Photo Dylan Vaughan
                                                                                                                         Malcolm Proud organ
                                                                                                                         Ireland
                                                                                                                         Clavier Übung III (often called the ‘German Organ Mass’) is one                                     Duration 70 mins approx.

                                                         Photo David Ignaszewski
                                                                                                                         of the pinnacles of music written for the ‘king of instruments’.
                                                                                                                         The work follows the form of the Lutheran mass, ranging across                     SPECIAL           WED
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ST CANICE’S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             12
                                                                                                                         an astonishing variety of forms and styles to present a profound                    DEAL
                                                                                                                                                                                                            FOR THIS
                                                                                                                         mediation on faith. Taking on this masterpiece is artist in residence               EVENT
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     CATHEDRAL
                                                                                                                         Malcolm Proud, a regular performer at the Festival since its first                See page 58        1PM    ADMISSION €16//14
                                                                                                                         edition in 1974. His interpretations of Bach have gained widespread
                                                                                                                         acclaim, with his recording of this work hailed as “a major
                                                                                                                         achievement” (The Organ Magazine).

 MARBLE CITY SESSIONS
 CELTIC DIALOGUES                                                                                                             Dante in Dunmore
 Jordi Savall                             Spain
                                                                                   Jordi Savall testifies to a
                                                                                                                              In 1996, Robert Pinsky published what many consider
                                                                                                                              to be the definitive modern verse translation of Dante’s

 Martin Hayes                                   Ireland
                                                                                   common cultural heritage
                                                                                   of infinite variety. He is a
                                                                                                                              Inferno. As poet in residence at this year’s Festival, Pinsky
                                                                                                                              leads an audience down into Kilkenny’s Dunmore Cave -
                                                                                                                              or Dearc Fhearna, the Cave of the Alders - for a one-off
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Duration 60 mins approx.

 & Friends
                                                                                                                              reading of excerpts from the work. This is an unmissable
                                                                                   man for our time.                          opportunity to experience Dante’s work in a spine-tingling
                                                                                   The Guardian                               setting, famous in ancient times as one of the three                                     WED
                                                                                                                              darkest places in Ireland.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     12
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    3.30PM
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               DUNMORE CAVE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               ADMISSION €16/€14
                                                                                                                              Please note: Dunmore Cave is not wheelchair accessible.

 It was while appearing in the 1988 Festival that viola da gamba
 master Jordi Savall encountered Irish traditional music for the first
 time. Since then Savall has cemented his reputation as a musical
 polymath and a champion of early music in all its forms, but he
                                                                                                                         MARBLE CITY SESSIONS
                                                                                                                         Martin Hayes & David Power

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Photo Con Kelleher
 remains captivated by Celtic musical traditions. For this opening
 concert in the 2015 series, Savall joins Marble City Sessions host
 Martin Hayes and fellow artist in residence Dennis Cahill to bring their
 collaboration to a new stage, further exploring the lost connections
                                                                                                           SPECIAL
                                                                                                            DEALS
                                                                                                           FOR THIS
                                                                                                                         Ireland
                                                                                                            EVENT
 between the courtly elegance of early music and the old melodies                                          See page 58
 of the Irish tradition. Featuring regular Savall collaborators Frank                                                    For this special performance in one of the city’s most historic                           WED       1710 COURTYARD AT
 McGuire on bodhrán and Andrew Lawrence-King on harp, Celtic
 Dialogues promises to be an encounter to remember between
                                                                                                                         courtyards, Marble City Sessions host Martin Hayes teams
                                                                                                                         up with his frequent collaborator David Power, a master of
                                                                                                                                                                                                 SPECIAL
                                                                                                                                                                                                  DEAL
                                                                                                                                                                                                 FOR THIS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  12
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 6.30PM
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             SMITHWICK’S EXPERIENCE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             KILKENNY
 legendary musicians.                                                                                                    the uilleann pipes whose career has encompassed All-Ireland              EVENT                      ADMISSION €12//10
                                                                                     TUE     ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL                                                                               See page 58

                                                                                    11       ADMISSION                   medals, membership of seminal ensembles (including Hayes’
 Duration 2 hrs approx. (including interval)                                                 ZONE A PREMIUM €30/€26      own Masters of Tradition tours), Broadway productions and
                                                                                    7.30PM
                                                                                             ZONE B REGULAR €26/€23      several critically acclaimed albums.

                                                                                                                         Duration 45 mins approx.
26                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         27

ETERNAL HARMONY:                                                                                                                                                                                          MARBLE CITY SESSIONS
THE MUSIC OF JS BACH
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Amjad Ali Khan
GOLDBERG VARIATIONS III                                                                                                                                                The finest living
                                                                                                                                                                  exponent of the sarod                   with Amaan & Ayaan Ali Khan
Zhu Xiao-Mei
                                                                                                                                                                                       The Guardian       India
                                              piano
China/France
IRISH DEBUT                                                                                                                                                                    Duration 90 mins approx.   One of Indian music’s greatest stars makes a very rare Irish
                                                                                                                                                                                                          appearance in what promises to be a Festival highlight.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          “There is no essential difference between classical and
                                                                                                                                                                                                          popular music,” Amjad Ali Khan has said. “Music is music.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          I want to communicate with the listener who finds Indian
a pianist who goes right to the                                                                                                                                 SPECIAL
                                                                                                                                                                                                          classical music remote.” For more than 50 years, Khan has
                                                                                                                                                                 DEALS
essence, ignoring fear                                                                                                                                          FOR THIS
                                                                                                                                                                 EVENT
                                                                                                                                                                                                          done just that, breathing new life into the sarod – one of the
Le Monde                                                                                                                                                        See page 58                               most beguiling instruments in the world – composing new
                                                                                                                                                                                                          ragas, releasing a string of acclaimed recordings (including
                                                                                                                                                                                                          the Grammy-nominated Ancient Sounds), and collaborating
This third and final concert in our series of Goldberg
                                                                                                                                                                                                          with a breathtaking array of musicians, from the Britten
Variations marks the Irish debut of an extraordinary artist. As
                                                                                                                                                                  WED                                     Sinfonia to folk singer Carrie Newcomer. In Kilkenny, Khan
a young woman, pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei was sent to a labour
camp during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, where she nonetheless                                                                                                     12           SET THEATRE
                                                                                                                                                                              ADMISSION €27/€23.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                          joins forces with his sons, Amaan and Ayaan (both sarod

                                                                   The Tao of Bach
                                                                                                                                                                                                          masters in their own right), to explore the Indian classical
managed to continue her Bach studies in secret. Since                                                                                                           9.30PM
                                                                                                                                                                                                          tradition he has done so much to renew.
emigrating to France 30 years ago, her interpretations of
Bach (in particular) have become celebrated for their depth of
understanding, and an approach that connects Bach’s musical
philosophy with the ancient Chinese tradition of the Tao.
                                                                   Taoism, or Daoism, is an ancient Chinese
In her own words, “the Goldberg Variations is like the water in    religious and philosophical school of thought
a river. At the end of the work, the water continues to flow. It   that emphasises living in harmony with the Tao,
is at once the same and not the same. You have lived, you’ve       the ultimate creative principle of the universe.
understood something, everything is over and at the same           It has had a profound influence on Zhu Xiao-
time everything can start again. That’s something that is much     Mei’s relationship to music – and above all to
more than simply Chinese or Taoist. It is the expression of        Bach. In this intimate conversation, Madame
life itself.” Madame Zhu’s public performances are rare and        Zhu discusses the ways in which Taoism has
carefully chosen, and she has decided to perform in Kilkenny       nourished and informed her artistic philosophy.

                                                                                                                      Photo Martin Jehnichen - Accentus Music
the work that lies closest to her heart.
                                                                   Duration 60 mins approx.
The Goldberg Variations series is generously supported by
Mrs Joneen Casey.

                                                                      TUE
Duration 75 mins approx.

                                                   SPECIAL
                                                                      11
                                                                      6PM
                                                                               ROTHE HOUSE
                                                                               ADMISSION €12/€10
     WED

     12
                                                    DEAL
               THE BLACK ABBEY                     FOR THIS
               ADMISSION €25/€22                    EVENT
     7.30PM                                        See page 58
28                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       29
                                                                                                   no other living
                                                                                                   American poet
                                                                                                   - no other living
                                                                                                                                                                                     Robert Pinsky                                     USA
                                                                                                                                                                                     Introduced by Colm Tóibín
                                                                                                   American, probably -
                                                                                                   has done so much to
Photo Dylan Vaughan

                                                                                                                                                                                     For our 42nd edition, the Festival welcomes one of the world’s
                                                                                                   put poetry before the                                                             finest writers as poet in residence. “Poetry,” Robert Pinsky has
                                                                                                   public eye                                                                        said, “is one of the most fundamental pleasures a person can
                                                                                                   The New York Times                                                                experience.” In the course of an extraordinary 40-year career,
                                                                                                                                                                                     Pinsky has brought that pleasure to countless readers through a
                                                                                                                                                                                     series of acclaimed collections celebrated for their jazz-inflected

                      ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH                                        SEE ALSO ‘DANTE IN DUNMORE’ P.25
                                                                                                                                                                                     sensibilities and their breadth of subject matter, from the history
                                                                                                                                                                                     of the saxophone in ‘Ginza Samba’ to the impassioned political
                                                                                                                                                                                     poems of Gulf Music.

                      THE VIOLIN & HARPSICHORD SONATAS                                                                                                                               Since serving three terms as US Poet Laureate, Pinsky has taken

                      Maya Homburger violin
                                                                                                                                                                                     every opportunity to speak up for poetry in public, founding
                                                                                                                                                                                     the Favourite Poem Project (see below), publishing guides for
                                                                                                                                                                                     reading poetry, and becoming the first – and perhaps only – poet
                      Switzerland                                                                                                                                                    to appear as himself on The Simpsons. A skilled saxophonist, his

                      Malcolm Proud harpsichord
                                                                                                                                                                                     collaborations with leading jazz musicians reveal the importance
                                                                                                                                                                                     of sound and rhythm in his work, and his reading in the Parade
                                                                                                                                                                                     Tower is a rare chance to encounter at first hand one of the
                      Ireland                                                                                                                                                        finest poets of our time.

                                                                                                                                                                                     Duration 60 mins approx.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Photo Eric Antoniou
                      Bach’s six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord are seminal works which                                                                                              FRI
                      point towards a new era in classical music. Moving from the older trio
                      sonata to a form which assigns the three musical lines between the violin
                                                                                                                                                                                        14
                                                                                                                                                                                        6PM
                                                                                                                                                                                                PARADE TOWER
                                                                                                                                                                                                ADMISSION €16/€14
                      and the two hands of the keyboard player, these sonatas created a genre
                      which Mozart, Beethoven and others would take to fresh heights. These
                      two lunchtime concerts in St John’s offer a rare opportunity to hear the
                      full cycle of these marvellous sonatas performed by Maya Homburger and
                      Malcolm Proud, Festival artists in residence whose recording of the sonata
                                                                                                   Poetry Workshop                      Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet                                    Favourite Poem Project
                      cycle was released to great acclaim in 2008.

                                                                                                   In this workshop for poets,          Join us at the Parade Tower to mark the publication           When Robert Pinsky was appointed US Poet
                                                             PROGRAMME I
                                                                                                   Robert Pinsky hopes to find          of Kilkenny Arts Office’s Poetry Broadsheet, launched         Laureate, he invited ordinary Americans to read
                                                             Thursday 13 August 1pm
                                                                                                   examples of the relation between     by former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. The                 aloud their favourite poem for an archive at
                                                             Sonata no. 2 in A major BWV 1015
                            SPECIAL                                                                sound and imagination, discovery     Broadsheet aims to give local writers a platform for          the Library of Congress. Almost 20 years later,
                             DEALS                           Sonata no. 1 in B minor BWV 1014
                            FOR THIS                         Cantabile ma un poco Adagio           and purpose — some of the quick,     their work, and this year poems were selected by 2015         the Favourite Poem Project has amassed an
                             EVENT                                                                 intuitive processes of poetry.       guest editor Tony Curtis. A highly accomplished poet          archive of 25,000 letters and spawned three
                            See page 58                      (movement from early version of
                                                             Sonata no. 6)                         Participation is by application:     and winner of the National Poetry Prize, Tony’s has           anthologies. Now Pinsky brings the project to
                                                             Sonata no. 3 in E major BWV 1016      email info@poetryireland.ie for      published nine collections including Pony and Folk.           Kilkenny, where a select group of Festival artists
                                                                                                   further details. Places are          His latest collection, Approximately in the Key of C,         and local students will read their favourite poem
                                                             Duration 60 mins approx.              strictly limited.                    is forthcoming from Arc Publications.                         before a live audience, and explain why it means
                      THU      FRI                                                                                                                                                                    so much to them.
                                       ST JOHN’S PRIORY                                            In partnership with Poetry Ireland   Duration 90 mins approx.
                      13 14
                                                             PROGRAMME II
                                       ADMISSION €16/€14     Friday 14 August 1pm                                                                                                                     Duration 90 mins approx.
                      1PM     1PM      FOR EACH CONCERT      Sonata no. 4 in C minor BWV 1017
                                                             Sonata no. 5 in F minor BWV 1018
                                                                                                     TUE                                 THU                                                             SAT
                                                             Sonata no. 6 in G major BWV 1019            THE HERITAGE COUNCIL                     PARADE TOWER

                                                             Duration 60 mins approx.
                                                                                                    11
                                                                                                    10AM
                                                                                                         ATTENDANCE BY
                                                                                                         APPLICATION
                                                                                                                                        13
                                                                                                                                         6PM
                                                                                                                                                  ADMISSION FREE
                                                                                                                                                  BUT TICKETED
                                                                                                                                                                                                        15
                                                                                                                                                                                                         3PM
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 PARADE TOWER
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ADMISSION FREE BUT TICKETED
30                                                                                                                                                              31

     MARBLE CITY SESSIONS                                with special guests                          ETERNAL HARMONY:
                                                         Colin Dunne, Kate Ellis,                     THE MUSIC OF JS BACH/
     The Cork                                            Julie Feeney, Martin Hayes,                  MARBLE CITY SESSIONS
                                                         Iarla Ó Lionáird, Nick Roth,
                                                                                                      Partitas & Potts
     Gamelan Ensemble                                    Duke Special & West Cork
                                                         Ukulele Orchestra                            Aoife Ní Bhriain violin
     Ireland                                                                                          Ireland

                                                         In Javanese traditional music, a ‘gamelan’
                                                         is an orchestra composed of beautifully
                                                         decorated, tuned percussion instruments.     Very few musicians feel equally at home in both
                                                         The brainchild of Mel Mercier, composer,     classical and traditional music, but Aoife Ní Bhriain
                                                         performer and lecturer in Music at           is one. A virtuoso classical violinist, she is also the
                                                         UCC, the Cork Gamelan Ensemble is a          winner of no fewer than seven All-Ireland titles at the
                                                         groundbreaking group that creates and        Fleadh Cheoil.
                                                         performs a fresh, dynamic and enchanting
                                                         repertoire of contemporary music.            In these unique concerts Aoife explores her
                                                                                                      musical heritage on both sides, interweaving dance
                                                         Performing a programme of original           movements from Bach’s solo partitas and sonatas with
                                                         compositions in collaboration with a         tunes from the late fiddler Tommy Potts, whose album
                                                         mouthwatering assembly of Irish and          of radical reinterpretations of traditional airs, The
                                                         international guests – including artist in   Liffey Banks, is now regarded as a classic. Bringing
                                                         residence Martin Hayes, chanteuse Julie      together both Eternal Harmony and the Marble City
                                                         Feeney, saxophonist Nick Roth, cellist       Sessions in the 16th-century drawing room of Rothe
                                                         Kate Ellis, West Cork Ukulele Orchestra,     House, Partitas & Potts charts the space between two
                                                         fiddle player Martin Hayes, the inimitable   very different forms of dance music.
                                                         Duke Special and dancer Colin Dunne –
                                                         the Cork Gamelan Ensemble promises           Duration 60 mins approx.
                                                         an unforgettable evening of music (and
                                                         dance) as you’ve never heard it before.

                                                         This performance celebrates the launch of
                                                         the Ensemble’s first CD, The Three Forges.

                                                         Duration 2 hrs approx.                         SPECIAL
                                                                                                         DEALS
                                                                                        SPECIAL         FOR THIS
                                                                                         DEALS           EVENT
                                                                                        FOR THIS       See page 58
                                                                                         EVENT
                                                                                       See page 58

                                                                                                        THU          SAT
     the Cork Gamelan Ensemble’s synthesis of Javanese   THURS ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL                   13 15               ROTHE HOUSE
                                                                                                                           ADMISSION €16/€14

                                                          13
                                                                  ADMISSION
     and Irish trad, and more, has been a revelation                                                  10.30PM 6PM
                                                                  ZONE A PREMIUM €27/€22
     Irish Examiner                                        8PM    ZONE B REGULAR €23.50/€19
32                                                                                     33

                              LIZ ROCHE COMPANY (IRELAND)
                              IN A CO-PRODUCTION WITH THE ABBEY THEATRE AND
                              DUBLIN DANCE FESTIVAL

                              Bastard Amber

                              Roche’s                       Co-commissioned by Kilkenny Arts Festival,
                                                            Bastard Amber is a major new work by leading
                              choreography is               Irish choreographer, Liz Roche. Moving her
                              delicately woven              rigorous exploration of the body into the realm
                                                            of the soul, this enthralling piece is partly inspired
                              but its threads               by WB Yeats’ seminal poem ‘Sailing to Byzantium’
                              possess an elusive            and the meditative golden paintings of the late
                                                            Patrick Scott.
                              tensile strength.
                              Entrancing.                   A profound journey into humankind’s spiritual
                                                            quest, Bastard Amber is filled with unforgettable
                              The Times                     imagery and stunning design, conjuring a lustrous
                                                            Byzantine world of contradictory influences, a
                              TWO LECTURES                  meeting place of East and West.
                              EXPLORING VISIONS
                              OF BYZANTIUM                  With a sublime international company of dancers
                                                            performing alongside live musicians and featuring
                              THE LOST MUSIC OF             an original score, Bastard Amber is a provocative
                              BYZANTIUM                     and haunting experience.
                              ALEXANDER LINGAS
                              (Canada/Greece)               Co-commissioned by the Abbey Theatre, Dublin
                                                            Dance Festival and Kilkenny Arts Festival. An
                              YEATS’ BYZANTIUM              Affiliate Event of Yeats2015, Ireland’s national
                              ROY FOSTER (Ireland)          celebration of WB Yeats.

                              See page 39 for details.      Duration 70 mins approx.

                                               SPECIAL           FRI      SAT
Photo Luca Truffarelli

                                                                14 15
                                                DEALS
                                               FOR THIS                           WATERGATE THEATRE
                                                EVENT                             ADMISSION €20/€17.50
                                              See page 58       8PM      8PM
34                                                                                                                                                                                                    35

                                                                                                                        Schubert’s last sonata took on a rare, devotional quality
                                                                                                                        here ... Everything about this performance - from the music
                                                                                                                        itself to Schiff’s own presence - felt transfigured
                                                                                                                        The Sunday Telegraph
     THE LAST SONATAS OF HAYDN, MOZART,
     BEETHOVEN & SCHUBERT

     Sir András Schiff                                        piano

     Sir András Schiff is an artistic titan of our time.                     PROGRAMME

     Born in Budapest, for decades he has performed in                       HAYDN
     the world’s leading festivals and venues, releasing a                   Sonata no. 62 in E flat major Hob XVI:52
     string of acclaimed recordings, receiving countless
                                                                             BEETHOVEN
     international awards and becoming not only a
                                                                             Sonata in C minor op. 111
     towering representative of Central European culture
     but also a vocal advocate for broader civil rights                      MOZART
     and freedoms.                                                           Sonata in D major K576

     Direct from the Salzburg Festival, Sir András comes                     SCHUBERT
     to Kilkenny to perform works at the very heart of his                   Sonata in B flat major D960
     repertoire: the last sonatas by the great masters of
                                                                             Duration 2 hours approx.
     Viennese Classicism – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and
                                                                             (including interval)
     Schubert. From Beethoven’s transcendent Sonata in
     C minor to Schubert’s otherworldly Sonata in B flat,
     Sir András takes us on a journey through the sublime,
     leavened with surprising touches of humour. This will
     be his first appearance in Ireland since 2011, and an
     unmissable chance to witness a master at work amid
     the splendour of St Canice’s.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Photo Nadia F Romanini
       FRI     ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL

      14
               ADMISSION
               ZONE A PREMIUM €50/€45
       8PM     ZONE B REGULAR €44/€39
                                                             o’neill foley
36                                                                                                                                                                                                    37

                                                          MARBLE CITY SESSIONS                                                    MARBLE CITY SESSIONS
                                                          The Brooklyn Rider                                                      Brooklyn Rider         USA
                                                                                                                                                               The Marble City Sessions storm
                                                                                                                                                               into the final weekend with this

                                                          Almanac USA                                                                                          mouthwatering collaboration

                                                                                                                                  Martin Hayes
                                                                                                                                                               between artists in residence
                                                                                                                                                               Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill
                                                                                                                                                    Ireland    and one of New York’s hottest

                                                                                                                                  & Dennis Cahill
                                                                                                                                                               ensembles, Brooklyn Rider. This
                                                                                                                                                               pioneering group is celebrated for its

                                                          one of the wonders of contemporary music                                                       USA   collaborations with leading musicians
                                                                                                                                                               from jazz, traditional, indie rock and
MARBLE CITY SESSIONS                                      The Los Angeles Times                                                                                a wealth of non-Western forms, and
                                                                                                                                                               tours globally with Yo-Yo Ma and the

Maighread &                                               Brooklyn Rider are one of the
                                                          most adventurous string quartets
                                                                                                                                                               Silk Road Ensemble. Tonight these
                                                                                                                                                               extraordinary artists come together

Tríona Ní
                                                                                                                                                               for the first time in Europe on a new
                                                          of the 21st century. Named after                                                                     journey across musical frontiers.
                                                          the New York borough where they

Dhomhnaill
                                                          make their home, the quartet has                                                                     Duration 90 mins approx.
                                                          spent the last ten years gleefully
                                                          dissolving the boundaries between

& Friends Ireland
                                                          musical worlds and performing
                                                          a repertoire that stretches
                                                          from Bartók to contemporary
                                                          composers like John Zorn, John
                                                          Luther Adams and Philip Glass.
Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomnhaill
delivered from the get-go … theirs were                   Making their Irish debut as artists
voices of the gods, sent to elevate us all                in residence at the Festival, in
The Irish Times                                           this late-night concert Brooklyn
                                                          Rider perform music from their
Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomnhaill have been at           new album, The Brooklyn Rider
the heart of the Irish traditional music scene for over   Almanac. Featuring compositions
40 years. Born into a celebrated singing family from      by members of the quartet and
the Donegal Gaeltacht, the sisters (along with their      favourite collaborators including
brother Mícheál) formed the legendary group Skara         Bill Frisell and Wilco’s Glenn
Brae while still in their teens. Tríona went on to join   Kotche, The Brooklyn Rider
The Bothy Band, one of the most significant groups        Almanac ensures that “any
in the history of Irish music, and it was not until       previous notions you had of string
the 1990s that the sisters began to work together         quartet music will get shaken up
again, producing the classic album Idir an Da Sholas/     and ultimately thrown out for
Between the Two Lights. Their live performances are       good” (Times Union).
heart-rending events, and the Black Abbey is the
perfect venue for their spellbinding harmonies, with      Duration 75 mins approx.                                                                                                         SPECIAL
some special guests dropping by.                                                                                                                                                            DEAL
                                                                                                                                                                                           FOR THIS
                                                                                                                                                                                            EVENT
Duration 75 mins approx.                                                                                                                                                                  See page 58
                                                                                                              Photo Sarah Small

     FRI                                  SPECIAL            FRI                                SPECIAL

     14                                                     14
            THE BLACK ABBEY                DEALS                    THE BLACK ABBEY              DEALS                                                            SAT

                                                                                                                                                                 15
                                          FOR THIS                                              FOR THIS                                                                  SET THEATRE
            ADMISSION €22/€19              EVENT                    ADMISSION €22/€19            EVENT
  7.30PM                                  See page 58      9.30PM                               See page 58                                                               ADMISSION €27/€23.50
                                                                                                                                                                  10PM
38                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               39

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

                                                         Photo Dylan Vaughan
GREAT CONCERTOS                                                                A BACH MEDITATION:
                                                                               THE VIOLIN SONATAS AND PARTITAS
Camerata Kilkenny
with
Maya Homburger (Switzerland) director/violin
                                                                               Maya Homburger                                            The Lost Music of                                                 Yeats’
                                                                               (Switzerland) baroque violin
                                                                                                                                         Byzantium                                                         Byzantium
Rachel Beckett (UK) flute
Claire Duff (Ireland) violin
Malcolm Proud (Ireland) harpsichord

                                                                                                                                         Alexander Lingas                                                  Roy Foster Ireland
                                                                                                                                         Canada/Greece
PROGRAMME                                                                      PROGRAMME
Keyboard Concerto no. 1 in D minor BWV 1052                                    The Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001-1006
Concerto for Two Violins in D minor BWV 1043                                                                                                                 In parallel with the performances of          In the 150th anniversary of Yeats’ birth, Roy Foster
Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 in D major BWV 1050                                 Duration 3 hrs approx.
                                                                                                                                                             Bastard Amber, co-commissioned by the         discusses the background and meaning of the two
                                                                                                                                                             Festival and inspired in part by Yeats’       famous poems about Byzantium. His talk traces some
Duration 60 mins approx.
                                                                                                                                                             great poem ‘Sailing to Byzantium’, two        unexpected Irish inspirations and echoes, as well as
This mouthwatering programme from Camerata Kilkenny                            For this free late-night event in The Black Abbey,                            talks explore visions of that ancient city.   exploring what the poems say about sex and death:
features three of Bach’s greatest concertos. Malcolm                           distinguished violinist Maya Homburger, who has                               In the first of these, Alexander Lingas       the two topics (according to Yeats) “of the least
Proud is the soloist in the Harpsichord Concerto no. 1 in                      recorded the magnificent sonatas and partitas to                              uncovers the lost traditions of Byzantine     interest to a serious and studious mood”.
D minor, a revolutionary piece with the expressive drama                       great acclaim, proposes a radical new approach.                               music. When Constantinople fell to the
of Beethoven or Brahms. Two of Bach’s most popular                             Instead of a conventional concert, Homburger will                             Ottomans in 1453, sacred Byzantine            Roy Foster is Carroll Professor of Irish History at
creations follow: the sublime Concerto for Two Violins in                      play in one continuous flow, moving around the            chant (the eastern sibling of Gregorian chant) was lost and       the University of Oxford and a well-known cultural
D minor, with soloists Maya Homburger and Irish Baroque                        abbey in a remarkable, contemplative journey for          almost forgotten. Lingas – founder and Artistic Director of       commentator, critic and broadcaster. His many
Orchestra leader Claire Duff; and Brandenburg Concerto                         performer and audience alike.                             Cappella Romana, an ensemble celebrated for its recordings        books include the two-volume authorised biography
no. 5, with Rachel Beckett joining Maya Homburger and                                                                                    of this repertoire – takes us in search of the sacred music       of Yeats, a number of works on Irish history and
Malcolm Proud as soloists.                                                                                                               that was heard in Hagia Sophia, the great church built by         literature, and the widely praised Vivid Faces: the
                                                                                                                                         the Emperor Justinian in the same century in which Canice         revolutionary generation in Ireland 1890-1923, just
                                                                                                                                         founded his monastic settlement at Kilkenny.                      published in paperback.
     SAT                                   SPECIAL                                     SAT
                                                                                                                                         Duration 60 mins approx.                                          Duration 60 mins approx.
     15
                                            DEALS

                                                                                      15
             ST JOHN’S PRIORY              FOR THIS                                                THE BLACK ABBEY
             ADMISSION €16/€14              EVENT                                                  FREE AND UNTICKETED
     1PM                                   See page 58                                9.30PM
                                                                                                                                              SAT                                        SPECIAL              SAT                                  SPECIAL
                                                                                                                                                                                          DEAL                                                      DEAL

                                                                                                                                             15                                                              15
                                                                                                                                                      PARADE TOWER                       FOR THIS                     PARADE TOWER                 FOR THIS
                                                                                                                                                      ADMISSION €12/€10                   EVENT                       ADMISSION €16/€14             EVENT
                                                                                                                                                                                         See page 58                                               See page 58
                                                                                                                                             11AM                                                             6PM
40                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      41

                                                                                                                             ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH
THOMAS TALLIS:                                                                 the voices of
                                                                               Andrew Carwood
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS                                                          and his eight

                                                                                                                                                                                      Photo Dylan Vaughan
                                                                               cohorts could
The Cardinall’s                                                                probably start
                                                                               a blaze in the

Musick                   UK
                                                                               Antarctic!
                                                                               The Times                                     THE MUSICAL OFFERING                                                           BACH’S MOTETS AND THEIR FOREBEARS
                                                                                                                             Camerata Kilkenny                                                              The Cardinall’s Musick UK
In 2010, The Cardinall’s Musick’s performance of works by Tallis and Byrd      PROGRAMME                                     Maya Homburger (Switzerland) violin
was one of the highlights of the Festival and, this year, the celebrated       Videte miraculum                              Rachel Beckett (UK) flute
British ensemble makes an eagerly awaited return with two concerts. This       E’en like the hunted hind                     Marja Gaynor (Finland/Ireland) violin/viola                                    the best ensemble singing talent Britain
first programme presents a selection of masterworks by Thomas Tallis, the      Jesu salvator saeculi                                                                                                        can produce
                                                                                                                             Sarah McMahon (Ireland) cello
great Elizabethan who wrote some of the most beautiful and profound            Why brag’st in malice high
                                                                               Gaude gloriosa                                Malcolm Proud (Ireland) harpsichord                                            International Record Review
music of the Renaissance. As a special addition to the programme, The
                                                                               Magnificat a 5                                                                                                               PROGRAMME
Cardinall’s Musick joins forces with leading Irish choral singers to perform
                                                                               Iam Christus astra ascenderat                                                                                                JS Bach: Lobet den Herren BWV 230
Tallis’ spectacular 40-part motet Spem in alium – one of the summits of                                                      PROGRAMME
                                                                               Homo quidam fecit                                                                                                            JS Bach: Fürchte dich nicht BWV 228
choral music – in the glorious acoustic of St Canice’s.                                                                      The Musical Offering for harpsichord and chamber
                                                                               Homage to Tallis (by Cheryl Frances-Hoad)                                                                                    JS Bach: Komm, Jesu, komm BWV 229
                                                                                                                             instruments BWV 1079
                                                                               Spem in alium                                                                                                                JS Bach: Singet dem Herrn BWV 225
Formed by Andrew Carwood in 1989, The Cardinall’s Musick has                                                                 Duration 55 mins approx.                                                       And works by Heinrich Schütz,
established itself as one of Britain’s foremost choral ensembles. Taking       Duration 1 hr 45 mins approx.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Melchoir Franck and Johannes Eckard
its name from Cardinal Wolsey, the group has developed an outstanding                                                        In 1747, when Bach was finally admitted to the presence
reputation in the music of the English Renaissance, winning no fewer                                                         of Frederick the Great of Prussia, the king played a                           Duration 80 mins approx.
than four Gramophone Awards for Early Music (including one for their             SAT  ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL
                                                                                                                             theme and commanded Bach to improvise a fugue,
recording of Tallis’ Ave rosa sine spinis), while also embracing a wide
variety of styles and periods from Bach to world premieres by composers
                                                                                15
                                                                               7.30PM
                                                                                      ADMISSION
                                                                                      ZONE A PREMIUM €30/€26
                                                                                                                             which he did in a manner that astonished those present.
                                                                                                                             Bach followed this feat by composing one of the
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Bach’s magnificent Motets look back to the composers
                                                                                                                                                                                                            who first merged the Renaissance motet with the
such as Michael Finnissy, Simon Whalley, Matthew Martin and Judith Weir.              ZONE B REGULAR €26/€23                                                                                                German Lutheran chorale. For this final programme in
                                                                                                                             pinnacles of his art: The Musical Offering, a collection of
                                                                                                                                                                                                            the Bach series, The Cardinall’s Musick sets Bach’s work
                                                                                                                             works all based on that same theme. On the final day of
                                                                                                                                                                                                            in the context of his forebears, combining the work of
                                                                                                           SPECIAL           the Festival, ensemble in residence Camerata Kilkenny
                                                                                                            DEALS                                                                                           masters such as Heinrich Schütz with four of Bach’s six
                                                                                                           FOR THIS          perform this mysterious late masterpiece, which they
                                                                                                            EVENT
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Motets, including Singet dem Herren, which features one
                                                                                                                             recorded in 2011 to great critical acclaim.
                                                                                                           See page 58                                                                                      of Bach’s most uplifting melodies.

                                                                                                                           SPECIAL              SUN                                                               SUN                                      SPECIAL

                                                                                                                                                16                                                               16
                                                                                                                            DEALS                       ST JOHN’S PRIORY                                                                                    DEALS
                                                                                                                           FOR THIS                                                                                       THE BLACK ABBEY                  FOR THIS
                                                                                                                            EVENT                       ADMISSION €16/€14                                                 ADMISSION €25/€22                 EVENT
                                                                                                                           See page 58                                                                                                                    See page 58
                                                                                                                                                1PM                                                               3PM

                                                                                                                             Airs on a Bach String                             No other composer has had so much of his music
                                                                                                                                                                               adapted, orchestrated, jazzed up or messed about as
                                                                                                                                                                               Bach – an indication of his continuing pre-eminence.
                                                                                                                             Ian Fox Ireland                                   As the Festival’s epic Bach series draws to a close,
                                                                                                                                                                               critic and broadcaster Ian Fox introduces and plays
                                                                                                                                                                               some of the most intriguing examples of the afterlife
                                                                                                                                         SUN
                                                                                                                                                                               of the great composer’s music, from symphonic
                                                                                                                                         16
                                                                                                                                                      PARADE TOWER
                                                                                                                                                      ADMISSION €12/€10        adaptations to jazz and electronics.
                                                                                                                                         11AM
                                                                                                                                                                               Duration 70 mins approx.

  o’neill foley
42                                                                                                                                          43

                                                                                   MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

                                                                                   Festival Finale
                                                                                   hosted by Martin Hayes
                                                                                   with
                                                                                   Thomas Bartlett
                                                                                   Brooklyn Rider
                                                                                   Dennis Cahill
                                                                                   Maya Homburger
                                                                                   Aoife Ní Bhriain
                                                                                   Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill
Jane Smiley USA                                                                    Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill
                                                                                   Iarla Ó Lionáird
                                                                                   Robert Pinsky
America’s Tolstoy
The Guardian
                                                                                   Last year saw the introduction of a new Kilkenny highlight:
                                                                                   the Festival Finale, featuring a constellation of artists who
                                                                                   were in residence during the Festival, plus special guests.
Since A Thousand Acres, her reworking of King Lear, won
                                                                                   Continuing the tradition of that sold-out, unforgettable
the Pulitzer Prize in 1992, Jane Smiley has been feted as
                                                                                   night, this year’s Finale is again hosted by Marble City
one of the great contemporary American novelists. A
                                                                                   Sessions co-curator Martin Hayes, and features a wealth
writer with Dickensian range, she has tackled everything
                                                                                   of performers not only from the Sessions but also from
from fourteenth-century Greenland (The Greenlanders)
                                                                                   our Bach series, as well as poet in residence Robert
to contemporary Hollywood (Ten Days in the Hills), and
                                                                                   Pinsky. This unique evening will also premiere some
she comes to Kilkenny with her most ambitious project
                                                                                   new collaborations and projects which the artists have
yet. The 1,300-page ‘Last Hundred Years’ trilogy tells the
                                                                                   been developing during the Festival. With special guests
multigenerational story of the Langdons, Iowa farming
                                                                                   including Gloaming members Thomas Bartlett and Iarla
folk, from 1920 to 2019. Told from multiple points of
                                                                                   Ó Lionáird, it promises to be a spectacular climax to ten
view, with an unerring feel for the changing historical
                                                                                   days and nights of artistic adventures in the Marble City.
landscape and the tensions of family life, the trilogy is
already being hailed as her finest achievement.
                                                                                   Duration 2 hrs 45 mins approx. (including interval)
Duration 60 mins approx.

                                                                                         SUN       ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL

                                                                                        16
                                                                                        7.30PM
                                                                                                   ADMISSION
                                                                                                   ZONE A PREMIUM €40/€35
                                                             Photo Ross Costigan

         SUN                                                                                       ZONE B REGULAR €35/€30.50

        16
                   PARADE TOWER
                   ADMISSION €16/€14
         5PM
You can also read