Classical

Highlights

Roman Simovic (violin), London Symphony Orchestra/Antonio Pappano

NCH, Dublin Mon 8pm 40-80 01-4170000

TATYANA POLIANSKAYA (PIANO), RUSSIAN STATE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA/VALERY POLIANSKY

Waterfront Hall, Belfast Mon 7.45pm £12-£29.50 048-90334455

ARGENTO ENSEMBLE

Irish World Academy, University of Limerick Tues 1.15pm Adm free 061-202917; NCH Kevin Barry Room, Dublin Wed 8.30pm 15/8 conc 01-4170000; Harty Room, Belfast Thurs 1.10pm Adm free 048-90975337; Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Callan, Co Kilkenny Fri Feb 17, 8pm 15 056-7761497

It happens. The first two orchestras to visit Ireland in 2012 are playing on the same night in different cities on either side of the border.

The London SO is back at the National Concert Hall for a concert under Antonio Pappano (above). Pappano, who is music director of both the Royal Opera in London and the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, makes his Irish debut in a programme of Rachmaninov ( The Isle of the Dead ), Korngold (the Violin Concerto with Roman Simovic, one of the orchestra’s leaders) and Bartók ( Concerto for Orchestra ).

That same night the Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra makes a visit to Belfast, where Valery Poliansky conducts Tchaikovsky’s Coronation March, Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto (with Tatyana Polianskaya), and Rimsky- Korsakov’s Sheherazade .

Later in the week the New York new music group Argento Ensemble take a short Irish tour. The ensemble may be American, but European repertoire is their speciality, and it dominates the touring programmes through works by Aperghis, Berg, Holliger, Cleary, Poppe, Webern, Hurel and Pintscher, with the US represented by Elliott Carter and the ensemble’s conductor, Michel Galante.

Friday 10

Dublin

NCH John Field Room

Svetlana Rudenko (piano). Chopin: Ballades 1 & 2; Rachmaninov: Preludes Op 32 (exc). 1.05pm €12 01-4170000
NCH

Pre-concert talk by Clíona Doris on some of the most famous examples of music inspired by love. 7pm Adm free 01-4170000
NCH

RTÉ NSO/Andrew Grams. Wagner: Prelude and Liebestod; Siegfried Idyll; Dvorak: Symphony No 7; plus Wild Card surprise extra. 8pm €10-€35 01-4170000

Saturday 11

Down

Downpatrick Down Arts Centre

Annilese Miskimmon (director), Nicky Shaw (designer), OTC/ Brenda Hurley. Mozart: The Magic Flute. 8pm £16 048-44610747

Dublin

Contemporary Music Centre, Fishamble St

Concorde. John Kinsella: Aberration; Elliott Carter: Canon for 3 (in memoriam Igor Stravinsky); Jane O'Leary: No. 19 (first performance). 2pm Adm free
Contemporary Music Centre, Fishamble St

Concorde. Jane O'Leary: Winter Reflections; Alyson Barber: An Draíocht; Si-Hyun Yi: The Goblins and the Golden Clubs (first performance). 3pm Adm free
Contemporary Music Centre, Fishamble St

Concorde. Katrina Burton: 74 Front Street; Massimo Davi: due Fate . . . scintillante Sciame . . . (first performance); Jane O'Leary: No. 19. 4pm Adm free
City Hall

Malcolm Proud (organ), Resurgam, QuintEssential Sackbut and Cornett Ensemble, IBO/Mark Duley. Hassler: Cantate Domino; Staden: Canzon Primi toni; Hassler: Missa super Ecce quam bonum (exc); Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon per sonar a 8 Primi toni; Beata es virgo; Bassano: Fantasia; Marini: La Zorzi; Giovanni Gabrieli: Domine exaudi orationem meam; Plaudite psallite; Omnes gentes plaudite manibus; Schütz: Jauchzet dem Herren; Vierdank: Sonata 28; Schütz: Ist nicht Ephraim mein teurer Sohn; Alleluja! Lobet den Herren. 6pm €15 01-8721122
RDS

Daniel Bates (oboe), ICO/ Gábor Takács-Nagy. Liszt: Angelus!; Beethoven: Symphony No 4; Françaix: L'Horloge de flore; John Kinsella: Symphony No 10. 8pm €20 0818-719300

Sunday 12

Cork

Ahabeg Waterfall Rd, Castletownbere

David Syme (piano). Chopin, Rachmaninov, Lizt Gershwin. 3pm €20 027-71070

Dublin

Hugh Lane Gallery

Ensemble Blumina. Françaix: Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano; André Previn: Trio; Poulenc: Trio. Noon Adm free 01-2225550

Monday 13

Belfast

Waterfront Hall

Tatyana Polianskaya (piano), Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra/Valery Poliansky. Tchaikovsky: Coronation March; Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 2; Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade. 7.45pm £12-£29.50 048-90334455

Dublin

NCH

Roman Simovic (violin), London Symphony Orchestra/ Antonio Pappano. Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead; Korngold: Violin Concerto; Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra. 8pm €40-€80 01-4170000

Tuesday 14

Dublin

Civic Theatre, Tallaght

The Magic Flute. 8pm €25, €28 01-4627477

Limerick

Irish World Academy, University of Limerick

Argento Ensemble. Elliott Carter: Rhapsodic Musings; Georges Aperghis: 280 Bars; Michel Galante: Kreutzerspiel; Flicker; Berg: Adagio. 1.15pm Adm free 061-202917

Wednesday 15

Belfast

Ulster Hall

Paul Young, Patrick McCarthy (trumpets), UO/Paul Watkins. Salieri: Sinfonia in D (Veneziana); Vivaldi: Concerto for two trumpets; Haydn: Symphony No 45 (Farewell). 1.05pm £6 048-90239955

Dublin

NCH

Regina Nathan (soprano), Casta Diva Chamber Orchestra/ Andrew Synnott. Casta Diva - The Life, Loves and Music of Maria Callas. 8pm €25-€46.50 01-4170000
NCH Kevin Barry Room

Argento Ensemble. Heinz Holliger: Trema; Michel Galante: Kreutzerspiel; Siobhán Cleary: Psycopomp (first performance); Enno Poppe: Holz; Webern: Quartet Op 22; Philippe Hurel: Figures Libres. 8.30pm €15 01-4170000

Thursday 16

Belfast

Harty Room

Argento Ensemble. Elliott Carter: Con Leggerezza Pensosa (Omaggio a Italo Calvino); Georges Aperghis: 280 Bars; Michel Galante: Kreutzerspiel; Elliott Carter: Figment I; Berg/ Galante: Adagio. 1.10pm Adm free 048-90975337

Donegal

An Grianán, Letterkenny

The Magic Flute. 7.30pm €25 074-9120777

Dublin

NCH

Artur Pizarro (piano), Robert Cohen (cello), RTÉ Vanbrugh String Quartet. Brahms: Piano Quintet; Schubert: String Quintet. 8pm €10-€30 01-4170000