Lismore Music Festival

Various venues, Lismore, Co Waterford Sat/Sun 058-52769

Various venues, Lismore, Co Waterford Sat/Sun 058-52769

The Lismore Opera Festival, which presented Carmen at Lismore Castle last year, is back with the same sort of mix this year, with a June bank holiday production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Dieter Kaegi directs and the festival manager is Jennifer O’Connell.

This year’s offering follows last year’s pattern of trying a new slant on an operatic staple. Carmen included accordion and guitar, and Don Giovanni’s ensemble will include saxophone (the arrangement is actually by a saxophonist, Yurodny’s Nick Roth). The Don Giovanni is Andrew Ashwin, and his trio of victims are Cara O’Sullivan’s Donna Anna (above), Fiona Murphy’s Donna Elvira and Mary O’Sullivan’s Zerlina.

The festival programme also includes a recital by sopranos Deirdre Masterson and Sandra Oman at Cappoquin tomorrow afternoon, and a guitar recital by Redmond O’Toole, with guest singers, in Lismore on Sunday.

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor