Classical

Highlights

Argento Ensemble Sarc

Belfast Sat 8pm £8 048-90975337 Erin Lesser (Flute), Carol McGonnell (Clarinet) NCH, Dublin Tues 8.30pm €10 01-4170000

Offaly-born composer Ann Cleare is not a well-known name on the new music scene in Ireland. She’s followed a well-worn pattern by making more impact abroad than at home. The big players in new music (RTÉ, the Crash Ensemble and Concorde) haven’t exactly been falling over themselves to present Cleare’s work, though she has featured in a young composer focus at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival and has won the composition competition at the Feis Ceoil in Dublin. She’s already worked at IRCAM in Paris, and is currently studying for a PhD at Harvard under Chaya Czernowin and Hans Tutschku.

Cleare’s new Eyam for bass clarinet and electronics gets two performances this week, from Carol McGonnell of New York’s Argento Ensemble (above) at the mini-festival Sonorities in Belfast, and in the New Sound Worlds series at the National Concert Hall. Also on offer over the two concerts (featuring flute, clarinet and percussion in Belfast, flute and clarinet only in Dublin) are works by Allain Gaussin, Vinko Globokar, Beat Furrer, Luigi Nono, Alexandre Lunsqui, Giacinto Scelsi, and Harold Meltzer.

Friday 20

Belfast

Waterfront Hall

Jennifer Pike (violin), UO/Branwell Tovey. Schubert: Rosamunde Overture; Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Dvorak: New World Symphony. 7.45pm £8-£23.50 048-90239955

Dublin

Gaiety Theatre Bar

Opera Ireland Lunchtime Arias. 1pm €15 (incl soup and sandwich) 01-4786041
Gaiety Theatre

Dieter Kaegi (director), Ferdia Murphy (designer), Opera Ireland Chorus, RTÉCO/Marco Zambelli. Verdi: Macbeth. 8pm €10-€120 1890-673727 Also Sun
NCH

Garry Mountaine (director), Rathmines & Rathgar Musical Society/ Gearóid Grant. Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore. 8pm €30-€35 01-4170000 Also Sat

Kerry

Intermediate School, Killorglin

Míceál O'Rourke (piano). Schubert: Klavierstücke D946; Seóirse Bodley: The Tightrope Walker Presents a Rose; Debussy: 4 Preludes; Chopin: Ballade No 1; Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition. 8pm €15 066-9761246

Saturday 21

Belfast

SARC

Argento Ensemble. Allain Gaussin: Satori; Vinko Globokar: Corporel; Beat Furrer: Fama (exc); Nono: A Pierre (Dell'azzurro silenzio, inquietum); Ann Cleare: Eyam (first performance); Alexandre Lunsqui: Topografia Index 2; Topografia Index 3. See panel. 8pm £8 048-90975337

Dublin

Christ Church Cathedral

Valerian Ruminski (bass). A Handel Recital. 1.15pm
NCH

Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore. See Friday. 2.30pm, 8pm €28-€35 01-4170000
Gaiety Theatre

Opera Ireland Chorus, RTÉCO/Roman Brogli- Sacher. Wagner: Das Rheingold (concert performance). 8pm €10-€65 1890-673727
King's Inns, Constitution Hill

ConTempo String Quartet, Dublin Baroque Players/Fergus Sheil. Mozart: Magic Flute Overture; Spohr: Concertante Quartet Op 131; Elgar: Introduction and Allegro; Brahms: Serenade No 2. 8pm €18 085-7519798
St Ann's Church, Dawson Street

New Dublin Voices/ Bernie Sherlock. Britten: Hymn to St Cecilia; Brahms: Drei Gesänge Op 42; Buchenberg: Klangfelder; Bates: Sea Swell; Bernstein: Warm-up; Biebl: Ave Maria. 8pm €16 01-8721122 Also Sun, Louth

Sunday 22

Belfast

SARC

Ivan Goff (uilleann pipes), Franziska Schroeder (saxophones), Brian Cullen (3D animations), Pedro Rebelo (electronics). Pedro Rebelo: New work. 8pm £8 048-90975337

Dublin

Hugh Lane Gallery

Concorde. Judith Ring: . . . within an egg of space . . . ; Massimo Davi: Fluidi; Hugh Boyle: Into the Night (first performance); Erkki Jokinen: Alone; Sungji Hong: Shades of Raindrops. Noon Adm free 01-2225550
IMMA

Håkan Vramsmo (baritone), Andrew West (piano). Schubert: Winterreise. 3pm €20 01-2804676
St Nicholas of Myra Church, Francis Street

Cantando/Orla Barry. Malcolm Archer: Requiem; plus Psalms of Comfort by various composers. 3.30pm €10
Gaiety Theatre

Verdi: Macbeth. See Friday. 8pm €10-€120 1890-673727
St Patrick's Cathedral

Gaudete Singers/David Leigh. Vespers for St Cecilia: works by Palestrina, Victoria, Rachmaninov, Stanford et al. 8pm €15

Kerry

Malton Hotel, Killarney

Danny Sheehy (narrator), Kerry Orchestra/Aidan O'Carroll. Includes Siobhán Cleary: Mis (first performance); Aidan O'Carroll: Rambles in Kerry. 6.30pm 066-7125690

Kilkenny

Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Callan

Peter Tuite (piano). Prokofiev: 7 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet; Ives: The Alcotts; Debussy: Preludes Book 1. 4pm €15 056-7761€7

Louth

Heritage Centre, Carlingford

New Dublin Voices/Bernie Sherlock. See Saturday, Dublin. 7pm €16 01-8721122

Monday 23

Dublin

NCH

Guy Johnston (cello), Crispian Steele-Perkins (trumpet), OSC/Proinnsías Ó Duinn. Haydn: Symphony No 22 (Philosopher); Cello Concerto in C; Trumpet Concerto; Symphony No 45 (Farewell). 8pm €20-€30 01-4170000

Tuesday 24

Dublin

NCH Kevin Barry Room

Erin Lesser (flute), Carol McGonnell (clarinet). Allain Gaussin: Satori; Scelsi: Suite; Harold Meltzer: Trapset and focus group; Nono: A Pierre (Dell'azzurro silenzio, inquietum); Ann Cleare: Eyam; Beat Furrer: Fama (exc); Alexandre Lunsqui: Topografia. See panel. 8.30pm €10 01-4170000

Wednesday 25

Belfast

McMordie Hall, QUB

Seminar on Harty's Manuscript Sources by Declan Plummer. 1pm Adm free 048-90975337
Harty Room

Queen's Composers Concert. 7.30pm Adm free 048-90975337

Dublin

NCH Kevin Barry Room

Violin master class with Yossi Zivoni. 2pm €5 01-4170000

Limerick

36 Cecil Street, Limerick

Tasmin Little (violin). Paul Patterson: Luslawice Variations; Bach: Sonata in G minor BWV1001; Partita in E BWV1006; Bartók: Melodie; Ysaÿe; Sonata No 3. 8pm €17 061-319866 Also Thurs, Cork