Classics with a northern soul

ASHLEY HOLLAND (BARITONE), RTÉ PHILHARMONIC CHOIR,

RTÉ NSO/HANNU LINTU

NCH, Dublin Tonight 8pm €10-€35 01-4170000

CECILIA BARTOLI

(MEZZO SOPRANO), KAMMERORCHESTER BASEL

NCH, Dublin Tues 8pm €35-€80 01-4170000

Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu (pictured) debuts as principal guest conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra tonight. His programme reflects the Nordic and 20th-century slant of all of the concerts he will conduct this season. There's some rare Sibelius, The Captive Queen(the Violin Concerto is coming up later), coupled with Walton's oratorio Belshazzar's Feastand Nielsen's Fourth Symphony, The Inextinguishable(Stravinsky, Nielsen's Fifth and a new work from Andrew Hamilton are in the pipeline).

The always riveting mezzo soprano Cecilia Bartoli will be at the NCH for her Sacrificiumprogramme, a selection of arias exploring the musical world of the castrato. Bartoli is partnered by Switzerland's Kammerorchester Basel.