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Saturday 6 August
8pm
St Canice's Cathedral

Resurgam presents
THE IRISH BAROQUE ORCHESTRA and RESURGAM directed by CHRISTOPHE ROUSSET

Mark Duley – artistic director
Claire Duff – leader

Programme

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685-1759)
Dixit Dominus

JEAN-JOSEPH DE MONDONVILLE (1711-1772)
Grand Motets: Jubilate Deo & In Exitu Israel

The Baroque theme of the festival's opening weekend continues with this one-off performance of great choral works. Resurgam, "one of the most accomplished choirs on this island" (The Irish Times) join forces with festival favourites the Irish Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Christophe Rousset, the internationally-famous conductor and harpsichordist, to perform masterpieces by Handel and Mondonville. This unique concert opens with Dixit Dominus, one of Handel's most popular choral works, described by David Vickers as "Handel's explosion into genius." It continues with two of Mondonville's rich and inventive Grand Motets, composed when he was assistant of the royal chapel at Versailles.

One of the most versatile musicians working today, Christophe Rousset came to prominence in the 1980s, winning first prize at the Bruges International Harpsichord Competition. He went on to found Les Talens Lyriques, now one of the most important ensembles of its kind, and has received the 'Officier des Arts et Lettres' and the 'Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite' from the French government.

Resurgam has established itself as Ireland's leading professional vocal ensemble, acclaimed for its vocal agility and stylistic flexibility. Featuring some of Ireland's most experienced singers, as well as emerging young talent, its dynamic and diverse programmes offer choral music of the highest standards.

The Irish Baroque Orchestra is like no other group performing in Ireland today. Under the artistic direction of Monica Huggett, the orchestra explores the playing techniques and performance styles of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The result is as vivid as a freshly-restored oil painting, transporting the listener to the sights, sounds and smells of eighteenth-century Europe.

Sunday 7 August
8pm
The Black Abbey

EUROPEAN UNION BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

Lars Ulrik Mortensen – music director
Huw Daniel – leader

Programme

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concerto no. 3

JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH (1735-1782)
Harpsichord Concerto in F minor

WILHELM FRIEDEMANN BACH (1710-1784)
Sinfonia in F major

JOHANN BERNHARD BACH (1676-1749)
Ouverture in G minor

CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH (1714-1788)
Sinfonia in B flat major

When the European Union Baroque Orchestra played a 25th anniversary concert in London last year, Early Music Today reported that the audience reaction was "loud enough for [our] readers, scattered to the four winds, to have heard for themselves."

Tonight's programme looks set to inspire a similar response. This irresistible concert explores the musical differences between one extraordinary father, Johann Sebastian Bach, and three very different sons. Opening with the Brandenburg Concerto, one of Bach's best-known works, the concert traces the movement from the Baroque to the Classical era through the composer's talented offspring (as well as his cousin, Johann Bernhard). Led by Huw Daniel and accompanied by flamboyant harpsichordist Lars Ulrik Mortensen, EUBO's future stars bring a youthful freshness and enthusiasm to these works that will lift you out of your seat.

ALESSANDRO TAVERNA (Italy)

Programme

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, op. 27, no. 2, 'Moonlight'

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Scherzo no. 4 in E major, op. 54

GYÖRGY LIGETI (1923-2006)
Étude no. 8, Fém
Étude no. 13, L'escalier du diable

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Images (Deuxième Série)

IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)
Trois mouvements de 'Pétrouchka'

FRIEDRICH GULDA (1930-2000)
Play piano play (selection)

When Alessandro Taverna scooped the Bronze Medal at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2009, there were sighs of disappointment from the audience that the young Venetian pianist hadn't won the competition outright. "Remember his name," wrote Tim Ashley in The Guardian, "we shall … be hearing much more of him in the future." Sure enough, Taverna has gone on to collect numerous awards. His first prize at the Minnesota International Piano Competition led to a prestigious recital tour and a debut CD, and since then he has performed throughout Europe, America and South Africa.

THE KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA
Fergus Sheil – conductor
Michael O'Toole – guitar
Aileen Itani – soprano
Bridget Knowles – mezzo-soprano
James Edwards – tenor
Graeme Danby – bass

Programme

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958)
Serenade to Music for Choir and Orchestra

JOAQUÍN RODRIGO (1901-1999)
Concierto de Aranjuez

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)
Requiem K626

Last year, more than 70 amateur choral singers from all over Ireland took part in workshops and rehearsals culminating in a sell-out performance in St Canice's. This year the Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir & Orchestra looks set to top that with an even larger choir and an exciting programme of popular favourites, once again conducted by Fergus Sheil. Guitarist Michael O'Toole is the soloist in Rodrigo's stirring Concerto de Aranjuez, while soprano Aileen Itani and mezzo-soprano Bridget Knowles are joined by the outstanding young tenor, James Edwards, and by Graeme Danby, one of Britain's finest bassi profundi. The programme builds to a memorable climax with Mozart's magisterial Requiem and the sound of almost 100 voices ringing out across the nave.