Loneliness and togetherness: Chamber Choir Ireland in Dundalk

Chamber Choir Ireland surround the audience at St Nicholas’ Church, Dundalk

Emily Dickinson’s “I have no life but this”, c. 1846

Cassandra Miller and Chamber Choir Ireland

By Lawrence Dunn, 19 June 2023

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“the music surrounds, you inhabit it”

Reviewed at St Nicholas Church, Dundalk on 16 June 2023

Smith, Folio (World premiere)

Shaw, How to Fold the Wind

Miller, The City, Full of People (World premiere)

Chamber Choir Ireland

Paul Hillier, Conductor

Bright seraphim: a rewarding Samson in Dublin

Andrew Larkin, 23rd January

A riveting account of Handel's Samson in Dublin, with Katherine Watson, James Gilchrist and Madeleine Shaw shining as soloists.

****1

Magnífico homenaje a Arvo Pärt con Theatre of Voices

Esther Martin, 13th October

Theatre of Voices y el Cuarteto de Cuerda de la Orquesta Sinfónica de la Radio Danesa con Paul Hillier en la dirección ofrecieron un introspectivo concierto para celebrar al compositor Arvo Pärt.

*****

Ambition meets the Philharmonie: Peltokoski and Kantorow in Paris

Laurence Vittes, 2nd June

Two prodigies, with a surplus of imagination and more interest in the moment than in creating long arcs of music, join the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse in Paris.

****1

Staatskapelle Dresden’s sonic alchemy at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 2nd June

From the earthy joy of Meistersinger to the sublime textures of Debussy, Daniele Gatti channels the Dresdeners' legendary, layered warmth into an unforgettable evening of pure acoustic luxury.

****1

Kissin, Bell and Isserlis: remembrance and loss at Carnegie Hall

Edward Sava-Segal, 31st May

Solomon Rosowsky, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky form a matinee programme whose deeper connections gradually came into focus.

****1

Jurowski marks Hans Werner Henze’s centenary at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 31st May

Vladimir Jurowski and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin deliver a lean, razor-sharp exploration of captivity and survival, balancing Beethoven’s and Brahms’ structural clarity against the devastating, high-fidelity distortion of Henze’s Ninth Symphony.

****1

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Lawrence Dunn

Lawrence is commissioning editor at Bachtrack. He is a composer, improviser, pianist and writer. He has taught at Cambridge, Huddersfield and Sheffield universities. He has written music for, among others the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, Slagwerk Den Haag, Philip Thomas, Juliet Fraser, Ilya Gringolts, Plus-Minus, Exaudi, Apartment House and Explore Ensemble.