On Saturday 20 October, the Irish Chamber Orchestra will perform to a select audience at Headfort House, in aid of ORBIS Ireland.
Saturday 20 October @ 7:15pm
Venue: Headfort House, Kells, Meath
Ticket: €75 (Concert & Supper) proceeds go to ORBIS Ireland
Booking: 01-293-3060
Katherine Hunka Director/Violin
Philip Glass Symphony No. 3
Schubert Rondo in A for Violin and Strings D. 438
Linda Buckley Fall Approaches
Dvořák Serenade Op. 22
Philip Glass, an iconoclast, and one of the best-known composers of the late 20th-century celebrated his 75th birthday this year. His work is frequently characterised by repetitive and minimalistic structures and his Symphony No. 3 is exhilarating and breathes like a living being. Glass intimates that here “all 19 players have been woven into the music” in a work which treats each performer as a soloist and so appropriate for the ICO. Schubert’s sublime Rondo in A for Violin and Strings D. 438 is fresh, ardently lyrical and totally lovable. Based on a playful theme, the mood throughout is songful, light, and virtuosic in the extreme for Director, Katherine Hunka. Kinsale-born composer Linda Buckley’s Fall Approaches is inspired by evocative Icelandic poetry, steeped in beautiful melancholy, isolation and splendid landscape. Dvořák composed his joyful and much-loved Serenade in E major for Strings, Op. 22 in less than two weeks in 1875 which was a prolific year for him. It is one of his most popular works.
“This demonstrates the gorgeous string tone and attentive listening that marks the ICO’s playing under Katherine Hunka inspirational leadership”. The Examiner
Over the years the Irish Chamber Orchestra has gained a remarkable reputation as a fresh and vibrant force on the Irish and international music scene and in the past have collaborated with some of the world’s finest musicians.
It excels in a diverse repertoire ranging from classical to modern day masterpieces and new commissions. Leading Irish composers who have worked with the orchestra include John Kinsella, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Bill Whelan and Elaine Agnew.
The Irish Chamber Orchestra is resident at the World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick and is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland / An Comhairle Ealaíon.
Over two hundred years old and built for the Earl of Bective, Headfort House was designed by the renowned Irish architect George Semple, and constructed from Ardbraccan limestone. Its magnificent exterior is matched by an equally impressive interior, designed by the influential Scottish architect Robert Adam. Headfort is the only intact Adam interior in Ireland. Recent and ongoing renovation ensures that this breathtaking building will be preserved for future generations.
The concert will take place in the spectacular Eating Parlour (Ballroom), the largest of the principal rooms, quite comfortably accommodating about 150 people seated. As well as the ceiling, the walls of the Eating Parlour also show Adam decorations. It contains some of the original furniture – tables and mirrors. The vast majority of the Headfort family portraits are still in place and have been renovated.
