The fireworks and the finer points of ‘Nixon in China’John Adams’s first opera, which had its premiere in 1987 but has just landed in Dublin, is full of ideasWed May 14 2014 - 09:15
Political overtures: Nixon boards another flight to ChinaComposer John Adams ‘didn’t really know’ what he was doing when he wrote his first opera – that hasn’t stopped ‘Nixon in China’, which does exactly what it says on its musical tin, travelling around the worldFri May 09 2014 - 01:00
Aosdána is not perfect, but does anybody have a better idea?If Aosdána is a broken tool, the situation it was set up to remedy is still a broken situationWed May 07 2014 - 01:00
Mlynarski: Violin Concertos Nos 1 & 2; Zarzycki: Introduction et Cracovienne; Mazurka in GFri May 02 2014 - 00:00
All mod cons: a rebuilt Maynooth organ passes its first testThe personality of the ‘new’ Ruffatti organ at St Patrick’s College chapel is suave, full, luxuriant and finely balancedWed Apr 30 2014 - 01:00
The low-down on Lang Lang and how China will change musicThe most frequently quoted number for piano students in China is 50 million. The implications are hugeWed Apr 23 2014 - 01:00
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas in A Flat Op 110; in C minor Op 111; in F Minor Op 57 (Appassionata)Fri Apr 18 2014 - 00:00
Lang Lang: how to be a superstar pianistThe 31-year-old reveals how he keeps mind and fingers sharp for a gruelling schedule, and how he takes ideas from literature and painting, ahead of his Dublin showThu Apr 17 2014 - 01:00
Stradivari unstrung? New violins fare better in blind testA study nails the myth of the yawning gap between present instruments and those of the great mastersWed Apr 16 2014 - 01:00
Paul Hillier’s ‘weird and wonderful’ blueprint for Chamber Choir IrelandPlaying it safe doesn’t get you anywhere, says the choir’s artistic director – audiences prefer a cutting edgeThu Apr 10 2014 - 01:00
I prefer Mendelssohn’s early stuff (to Mozart’s)There is nothing in Mozart’s early output to match the compositions Mendelssohn wrote aged 16 and 17Wed Apr 09 2014 - 01:00
Bruckner/Payne: Symphony No 2 Royal Academy of Music Soloists Ensemble/Trevor PinnockFri Apr 04 2014 - 00:00
Mahler/Kaplan/Mathes: Symphony No 2 Marlis Petersen, Janina Baechle, Wiener Singakademie, Wiener KammerOrchester/Gilbert KaplanFri Apr 04 2014 - 00:00
The man from Finglas would surely approve of RTÉ’s new head of musicJohn O’Kane will have a better understanding of player issues than any previous head at RTÉWed Apr 02 2014 - 01:00
Musical chairs: where’s the best place to sit at a concert?It’s an impossible question: sitting in different parts of a music hall can alter the experience significantlyWed Mar 26 2014 - 01:00
Not enough strings to Ireland’s classical bowOur orchestras are experiencing a personnel crisis, with early exits from key posts creating a symphony of discordWed Mar 19 2014 - 01:00
The shock of the New Music DublinA fascination with music of an experimental hue was evident in this programmeWed Mar 12 2014 - 01:00
Monopoly shake-up? John Wilson muscles in on NSO’s patchIt is likely to be to everyone’s benefit if the two RTÉ orchestras are allowed to compete on the same terrainWed Mar 05 2014 - 01:00
Attacca: ‘Almost as much fun as a rock band’New York’s Attacca Quartet are in Ireland to play the ‘humorous’ music of John Adams. The four friends talk about their complicated relationshipThu Feb 27 2014 - 01:00
