Gabriela Montero (piano)

RTÉ NSO/ALAN BURIBAYEV NCH, Dublin Tonight 8pm 10-35 01-4170000 MALCOLM PROUD (HARPSICHORD) Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Callan, Co Kilkenny Tomorrow 8pm 15 056-7761497 IBO CHAMBER SOLOISTS/ MONICA HUGGETT (VIOLIN) All Saints’ Church, Castleconnell, Co Limerick Tues 8pm 12 061-496498; Birr Theatre Arts Centre, Co Offaly Wed 8pm 16 057-9122911 LANG LANG (PIANO), RTÉCO/DAVID BROPHY NCH, Dublin Thur 8pm 30-75 01-4170000

The RTÉ NSO’s principal conductor, Alan Buribayev, abandons the Russian- flavoured programmes he favoured during his début season to devote Friday’s opening concert of his second year to Mendelssohn (the First Piano Concerto with Gabriela Montero, above) and Mahler (the Fifth Symphony). Montero also appears in a late-night (10.15pm) solo slot in which she will perform improvisations on the basis of audience requests.

Kilkenny harpsichordist Malcolm Proud is on a protracted touring project with the six Partitas for harpsichord by Bach. The venture, a partnership which will feature introductions to the music by musicologist David Ledbetter, opens at Castalia Hall in Kilkenny and in the coming months will be heard in Sligo, Cork, Dublin and Galway.

The Irish Baroque Orchestra Chamber Soloists are also on tour this month, taking a programme of French music (Couperin, Leclair and Marais) to Castleconnell and Birr, and later to Dublin and Belfast.

And the RTÉ Concert Orchestra’s Signature Series features Chinese megastar pianist Lang Lang in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto under David Brophy at the NCH on Thursday.