András Schiff (piano)

NCH, Dublin Sun 8pm 20-55 01-4170000

GAVAN RING (BARITONE)

NCH John Field Room, Dublin Mon 8pm 15 01-4170000

HANSEL AND GRETEL

Grand Opera House, Belfast, Thurs-Sat 26th 7.30pm £11.75-£25.75 048-90241919

TCHAIKOVSKY PERM STATE OPERA

Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin 7.30pm 35-125 0818-719377

Who would dare present a full piano recital that consisted of nothing but sets of variations? András Schiff, that's who. And he's doing it at the National Concert Hall on Sunday. The pièce de resistance is Beethoven's DiabelliVariations, with shorter sets by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Haydn and Schumann in the first half. Baritone Gavan Ring, who's appearing as Pluto in the NI Opera/Scottish Opera Orpheus in the Underworld, is at the NCH's John Field Room on Monday, to give the first Bernadette Greevy Bursary Recital, when the programme will include the premiere of a new work by Seóirse Bodley; he'll be continuing the run of Orpheus at the Young Vic in London from December 1st. NI Opera makes its first appearance at the Grand Opera House in Belfast on Thursday, for a three-day run of Verdi's Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. Before that, on Wednesday, there's a Dublin debut for the Perm State Opera company from Russia, with the RTÉ NSO in the pit at the Grand Canal Theatre, for five performances of Verdi's La traviata.