National Symphony Orchestra Ireland On Tour

Thursday 26 March, 7.30pm | National Opera House, Wexford

Saturday 28 March, 7.30pm | Leisureland, Galway in association with Music for Galway

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland
David Brophy, conductor
Mark Redmond, uilleann pipes

Shaun Davey The Brendan Voyage
Dvořák Symphony No. 9, ‘From the New World’

Two classic works with National Symphony Orchestra Ireland celebrating the spirit of adventure and discovery. Shaun Davey’s epic The Brendan Voyage and Dvořák’s monumental Ninth Symphony. The acclaimed Irish conductor David Brophy, now chief conductor with WDR Funkhausorchester, Cologne, and the extraordinary uilleann piper Mark Redmond lead these thrilling musical journeys. 

Marking the 50th anniversary of historian Tim Severin’s re-creation in 1976 of St. Brendan’s heroic Sixth-century crossing of the Atlantic in a primitive leather-skinned boat, The Brendan Voyage has been hailed as a ‘ground-breaking crossover work of great significance’ (Living Tradition).

Originally composed for legendary piper Liam O’Flynn, the soloist’s mantle now belongs to Mark Redmond, whose fresh interpretation has thrilled audiences both old and new.

The evocative voice of the uilleann pipes lights up the dramatic journey into the unknown as the medieval traveler encounters seabirds and whales en route from Ireland to the Faroe Islands, Iceland and through battles with Labrador gales and ice, before his triumphant arrival at what later explorers would christen Newfoundland. 

Best known for its haunting Largo, the soundtrack to countless films and television adverts, Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony boasts a parade of memorable melodies.

A celebration of the folk music and Negro spirituals he discovered in America, its sirenic echoes of the traditions Dvořák left behind in his native Bohemia combine in one of the great symphonic showpieces: a nostalgic love letter to far-distant home sent From the New World.

Presented by NCH
Supported by Travel Department