The Four Seasons Chamber Music Series: Frühlingsglaube (Faith in Spring)

Dublin Song Series

Aebh Kelly, mezzo soprano
Dearbhla Collins, piano

Part I:

Schubert Songs

Ganymed
Sei mir gehrüsst
Frühlingsglaube

Cinq Mélodies de Venise G. Faure

I Mandoline
II En sourdine
III Green

Sea Pictures Edward Elgar:

I Sea Slumber Song
II In Haven
III Sabbath Morning at Sea
IV Where Corals Lie
V The Swimmer

Part II:

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen G. Mahler

I Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht
II Ging heut' Morgen über's Feld
III Ich hab' ein glühend Messer,
IV Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz

Songs Section

The Sea Wrack H. Harty
The Gartan Mother’s Lullaby H. Hughes
Dirty Work H.Nelson
Oliver Cromwell B.Britten

Four Seasons Chamber Music Series: inviting audiences on a journey through the seasons, with music exploring themes of light and shadow, water and ice, and the passing of time.

An afternoon of songs from Schubert, Fauré, Elgar, and Mahler, this Romantic programme sees nature as a canvas for emotion, thoughts, and philosophy. Up-and-coming mezzo soprano, Aebh Kelly, presents ‘Frühlingsglaube’ – Faith in Spring – a concert full of heartbreak and hope, endings and renewal, and bursting at the seams with natural imagery and symbolism. The programme begins with three Schubert Lieder depicting love through springtime. This idea is later explored in Mahler’s ‘Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen’, often translated as ‘Songs of a Wayfarer’. These songs are full of emotional turmoil; anger, anguish and anxiety alongside love, sorrow, and a particular kind of peace that is found under a lime tree in the final movement. In between, we are transported over water with Fauré’s Cinq Mélodies de Venise (Five Melodies of Venice) and Elgar’s ‘Sea Pictures’ both depicting passion, distress, and ultimately, contentment through watery ideas of flowing, swimming, and floating. Accompanied by vocal coach and acclaimed pianist, Dearbhla Collins, Aebh Kelly finishes the concert on a light note with four folksongs from Britain and Ireland.

Dublin born mezzo-soprano Aebh Kelly is currently based at the Staatsoper Hamburg as a member of the International Opera Studio where, in 2025/26 she will make numerous role debuts. In February 2026 Aebh makes her role and house debut as Nancy Tang in John Adam’s Nixon in China at the Opéra national de Paris. In 2020 Aebh became the youngest ever member of the Irish National Opera Studio. More recently she returned to INO and made her role debut as Flora in Verdi’s La Traviata. Aebh was awarded second prize at the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition 2022 as well as the Dublin Song Series Prize and the Dermot Troy Prize. Commencing in 2021, Aebh became a Mascarade Emerging Artist in Florence, Italy where her place was generously sponsored by Maria Manetti-Shrem. In the summer of 2024 Aebh attended the prestigious Georg Solti Accademia as well as making her role debut as Dido in Dido & Aeneas in, a co-production with Opera Collective Ireland and Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg.

She is accompanied today by Dearbhla Collins, one of Ireland’s finest pianists. Dearbhla is most well known as a song pianist and performs recitals with singers such as Benjamin Appl, Patricia Bardon and Tara Erraught. She also regularly works with Dame Ann Murray and Brigitte Fassbaender. As well as being vocal coach at the RIAM, she has recently been appointed Assistant Head of Music at the National Opera Studio, London. Dearbhla has curated the three song recitals as part of this chamber music series.

Presented by NCH