NSOI: Alexander Shelley conducts Schumann’s Paradise and the Peri

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland
Alexander Shelley, conductor 
Nardus Williams, soprano
Anna Devin, soprano
Avery Amereau, mezzo-soprano
Robin Tritschler, tenor
Mark Stone, baritone
National Symphony Chorus Ireland
David Young chorus director

Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri (Paradise and the Peri)

Step into a world of wonder and redemption with Schumann’s radiant Das Paradies und die Peri, based on the ‘Irish Minstrel’, Thomas Moore’s exotically Oriental poem, Lalla Rookh.

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland’s new Principal Conductor Designate, Alexander Shelley, acclaimed for his ‘finesse, charm, subtlety and exquisite craftsmanship’ (The Australian), is on the podium with National Symphony Chorus Ireland and five internationally renowned soloists for a ravishing evening.

Schumann’s lush score, soaring choruses and heartfelt solos create a world of wonder, hope and redemption in a musical journey where earthly longing meets celestial joy, and where operatic drama and the grandeur of choral music combine in a magical tapestry as intimate as it is epic.

Lalla Rookh made Moore’s name and Das Paradies und die Peri did the same for Schumann. It follows the Peri – a spirit being from Persian legend – banished from Paradise and desperate to return. Only the gift most precious to heaven will open the gates to her. Offers of a hero’s blood and a lover’s dying sigh are both refused. Only when the Peri offers a single tear of true repentance is she welcomed back. 

Soloists include the ‘outstanding’ (Early Music Review) Nardus Williams, ‘exquisite’ (Operawire) Anna Devin, ‘lyric and dramatic’ (The Independent) Robin Tritschler, ‘beautifully dark and sensuous’ (OperaWire) mezzo Avery Amereau, and ‘brilliantly powerful’ (MusicOMH) baritone of Mark Stone.

Pre-concert Talk

Kevin Barry Recital Room, 6.15pm

Thomas Moore's iconic Irish Melodies made him one of the most famous Irishmen of his day. But, next to those songs, his long oriental poem, Lalla Rookh, was his greatest triumph bringing with it significant international recognition for Moore and providing the inspiration for operas and other musical works including Schumann's cantata, Das Paradies und die Peri being performed at tonight's concert. 

Una Hunt, pianist and award-winning producer and broadcaster, surveys the genesis of Moore's epic tale and looks at its varied passage into music, from poem to stage.

Presented by NCH