Media Release 28th April 2015

The National Concert Hall launches a star-studded 15/16 International Concert Series with distinctly Scandinavian theme

Highlights:

The 250-year-old Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra to open 15/16 Season with American Music Director Andrew Litton and violinist Alina Ibragimova

First visit to Ireland by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in an all-Sibelius programme (celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Finnish composer). Winner of the 2015 Sibelius Violin Competition to perform as guest soloist

Danish violinist Nikolaj Znaider to make National Concert Hall debut and return of Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes

Swedish Chamber Orchestra with Danish Principal Conductor Thomas Dausgaard and Norwegian pianist Christian Ihle Hadland

World-renowned soprano Angela Gheorghiu performs popular operatic arias accompanied by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in return visit

The Sixteen to sing Monteverdi Vespers in St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Bach Collegium of Japan with director Masaaki Suzuki perform Bach’s Mass in B minor

First appearance by the Basel Symphony Orchestra, with Music Director Dennis Russell Davies and pianist Alice Sara Ott

Heather Humphreys, T.D. Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht together with Simon Taylor, CEO and Gerry Kearney, Chairman of the National Concert Hall today announced the National Concert Hall’s star-studded 2015/2016 International Concert Series.

Divided into four individual strands -‘Great Artists’, ‘Piano Masters’, ‘International Orchestras’, and ‘Choral Series’ – the National Concert Hall’s 15/16 season celebrates the music and musicians of Scandinavia with appearances by Norwegian pianists Leif Ove Andsnes and Christian Ihle Hadland; Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Danish violinist Nikolaj Znaider and winner of the 2015 Sibelius Violin Competition.

The season also celebrates the music of baroque masters, with a performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers by The Sixteen at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, The Irish Baroque Orchestra with Chamber Choir Ireland performing Handel’s Samson and The Bach Collegium of Japan, conducted by Masaaki Suzuki and a stellar cast of soloists to perform Bach’s Mass in B minor.

Simon Taylor, CEO of the National Concert Hall said ‘The International Concert Series is the National Concert Hall’s classical music flagship, featuring the world’s finest musicians and ensembles. In addition to bringing back such audience favourites as Maxim Vengerov, Angela Gheorghiu and The Sixteen it is a pleasure to be presenting some wonderful artists for the first time, such as Chinese pianist Yundi, the Bach Collegium of Japan, German baritone Christian Gerhaher and the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra. I hope the Scandinavian theme in the autumn and the baroque connection across our choral strand will add to our patrons enjoyment of the season and give them additional reasons to subscribe to the entire series’.

SCANDINAVIAN STRAND
The Season opens with a visit by one of the world’s oldest orchestras, the Bergen Philharmonic, which this year celebrates its 250th anniversary. Under the baton of Andrew Litton (the first American Music Director of the famed Edvard Grieg’s own orchestra), the Bergen Philharmonic programme will include Stravinsky’s spell-binding Rite of Spring as well as Mendelssohn’s ever-popular Violin Concerto, with violinist Alina Ibragimova as soloist.

Norway features again in the first of the Piano Masters Series, with the welcome return of the acclaimed pianist Leif Ove Andsnes in a programme that includes music by Sibelius as well as Beethoven, Debussy and Chopin. Neighbouring Sweden is represented in the series by the outstanding Swedish Chamber Orchestra, with its Danish Principal Conductor Thomas Dausgaard and Norwegian pianist, Christian Ihle Hadland, widely regarded as one of Norway’s most exciting young piano talents.

One of the highlights of this season is the first visit to Ireland by the renowned Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in an all-Sibelius programme marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Finnish composer. The Helsinki Philharmonic is the first professional orchestra in the Nordic countries, formed in 1882, the same year as the Berlin and St. Petersburg Philharmonics. The concert will also feature the 2015 winner of the famous Sibelius Violin Competition. Previous prize-winners in the competition have included Viktoria Mullova, Leonidas Kavakos, Pekka Kuusisto and the great Danish violinist, Nikolaj Znaider, who makes his National Concert Hall recital debut with pianist Robert Kulek on November 25th this year.

BEST OF BAROQUE
This year’s Choral Series has a baroque theme and opens with a return visit by The Sixteen (under its founder and director Harry Christophers) with Monteverdi’s monumental Vespers of 1610. Acknowledging the probable first performance of the work in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, this concert will take place in Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The series continues with two of Ireland’s finest ensembles (Chamber Choir Ireland and the Irish Baroque Orchestra) coming together to perform Handel’s dramatic oratorio Samson, first performed in 1743, the year after the composer’s famous visit to Dublin. Completing the Choral Series will be the outstanding Bach Collegium of Japan under its celebrated director Masaaki Suzuki performing one of the masterpieces of choral music, Bach’s Mass in B minor. Described as "the greatest musical work of art of all times and nations," Bach's thrilling Mass in B minor is the culminating work of his composing career.

Another Bach masterpiece is his Goldberg Variations, which will be performed by American pianist Jeremy Denk (winner of a McArthur ‘Genius’ fellowship in 2013). His playing of this extraordinary work was aptly described in The Washington Post as ‘a revealing journey into the soul’. Completing the Piano Masters Series is super-star Chinese pianist Yundi, who has been winning world-wide acclaim since winning the Warsaw Chopin Competition at the age of 18 in 2000.

Virtuoso violinist Maxim Vengerov, who has become recognised as one of the greatest string players in the world is now back at his astounding best: ‘How nice to report that among fiddlers Maxim Vengerov, now 39, once again reigns supreme’ (London Independent). Still reigning supreme is soprano Angela Gheorghiu who we are delighted to welcome back to the National Concert Hall. One of the great opera stars of recent decades she will be accompanied by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in a programme of popular operatic arias. Hailed as one of the most gifted opera singers of our time, her magnificent voice and dazzling stage presence have established her as a unique international opera superstar.

Another world-class singer, to make his National Concert Hall debut, is the German baritone Christian Gerhaher. Equally renowned in opera and as one of the finest lieder singers in the world today, he brings a fascinating all-Mozart programme with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and clarinettist Lorenzo Coppola.

Also making their first appearance on our stage this season will be the Basel Symphony Orchestra under its distinguished American Music Director Dennis Russell Davies and pianist Alice Sara Ott. After an intriguing opening work by five of the group of French composers know as Les Six (originally a ballet created by Jean Cocteau), Ravel’s G major Piano Concerto shares an Anglo-French (and celestial) billing with Holst’s Planets.

To round off the season, in a year that sees the anniversary of a significant moment in Ireland’s journey to independence, we celebrate our long-standing membership of the European Union with the first visit to Ireland of the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra under Hervé Niquet, with Barry Douglas as soloist, in a programme that includes the great Symphony in D minor by Belgian-born César Franck.

The National Concert Hall’s International Concert Series 2015/2016 is supported by The Irish Times, as print media partner.

SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE OFFERS

•    Full Series Subscription package from €342.55 (or €302.25 as a Friend or Patron Circle Member). That’s a 25% discount on full package for Friends, Season Friends & Patrons and 15% discount for general bookers.
•    ‘Choose Your Own’ package, allowing you to select your favourite 3-5 or 6+  concerts with a 5% and 10% saving on package costs
•    Scheduled Payment plan option to allow for staggered payments on subscription packages for all subscribers.

BOOKING DATES

	Full Season Subscription	‘Choose Your Own’ (6+/3+)	Individual Tickets
Season Friends	Wednesday 29th April, 10am	Wednesday 6th May, 10am	Wednesday 13th May, 10am
Friends & Patrons	Friday 1st May, 10am	Friday 8th May, 10am	Thursday 14th May, 10am
General Booker	Tuesday 5th May, 10am	Tuesday 12th May, 10am	Friday 15th May, 10am

ENDS
For further information/ images and interviews please contact: Sinead Doyle, Marketing & PR Manager, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. Tel:  +353 1 417 00 57 Mobile 087 1775334 or E-mail: Sinead.Doyle@nch.ie