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