FÁILTE
W e a r e d e l i g h t e d t o a n n o u n c e o u r 1 1 t h a n n u a l C h a m b e r
M u s i c o n V a l e n t i a F e s t i v a l . F o l l o w i n g o u r l a n d m a r k 1 0 t h
a n n i v e r s a r y i n 2 0 2 3 , w e h a v e a p u t t o g e t h e r a
p r o g r a m m e o f c o n c e r t s , m u s i c w o r k s h o p s , i m m e r s i v e -
b a s e d e x p e r i e n c e s a n d p a r t i c i p a t i o n o p p o r t u n i t i e s t h a t
c e l e b r a t e m u s i c f r o m a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d .
T h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g f o r e v e r y o n e a n d w e l o o k f o r w a r d t o w e l c o m i n g y o u t o t h e i s l a n d .
W i t h g u e s t a r t i s t s f r o m S w i t z e r l a n d , N e t h e r l a n d s , U K a n d I r e l a n d o u r i n n o v a t i v e
c u r a t o r s h i p h i g h l i g h t s i n c l u d e : ‘ F o u r S e a s o n s o n V a l e n t i a ’ w h e r e w e c l o s e t h e f e s t i v a l
w i t h a l l o f V i v a l d i ’ s ‘ F o u r S e a s o n s ’ ; a f o c u s o n h a r p s w i t h t h e s t u n n i n g H A R P L A N D b y
R u t h W a l l a n d G r a h a m F i t k i n t a k i n g u s o n a j o u r n e y t h r o u g h t h e a g e s ; W e s t A f r i c a n
k o r a p l a y e r a n d c e l l i s t , T u n d e J e g e d e ; g e m s o f t h e c h a m b e r r e p e r t o i r e i n c l u d i n g
B o r o d i n , B e e t h o v e n , B r a h m s , M o e r a n . T h e o p e n i n g c o n c e r t w a r m l y w e l c o m e s b a c k
D u o S i n g e r & F i s c h e r f r o m S w i t z e r l a n d w i t h m u s i c f o r c e l l o a n d g u i t a r f r o m B a c h t o t h e s i g h t s a n d s o u n d s o f S p a i n . G r á i n n e M u l v e y i s o u r f e a t u r e d I r i s h c o m p o s e r a n d a s e v e r w e a r e d e l i g h t e d t o s u p p o r t Y o u n g A r t i s t s t h r o u g h o u r p r o g r a m m e s a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s .
T h r o u g h o u t t h e F e s t i v a l o t h e r h i g h l i g h t s a n d e n g a g e m e n t o p p o r t u n i t i e s i n c l u d e
m a s t e r c l a s s e s , a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o p e r f o r m w i t h F e s t i v a l A r t i s t s , a n d t h e n o w m u c h
l o v e d ‘ M u s i c a l M a p ’ o n S a t u r d a y 1 7 t h . W e h a v e l a t e n i g h t c o n c e r t s o f t h e u n i q u e
m u s i c o f E r i c S a t i e i n t h e ‘ S a t i e H o u r ’ a n d T u n d e J e g e d e ‘ s ‘ T e s t i m o n y ’ f e a t u r i n g t h i s
a r t i s t o n k o r a a n d c e l l o . W e f e a t u r e w o n d e r f u l a r t i s t s D a r r a g h M o r g a n ( v i o l i n ) ,
E l i s a b e t h P e r r y ( v i o l i n ) , K e i t h P a s c o e ( v i o l i n ) , C a r m e n F l o r e s ( v i o l a ) , S é b a s t i e n S i n g e r
( c e l l o ) , A n d r é F i s c h e r ( g u i t a r ) , R u t h W a l l ( h a r p s ) , G r a h a m F i t k i n ( e l e c t r o n i c s ) , T u n d e
J e g e d e ( k o r a / c e l l o ) , O r l a C h a r l t o n ( a c t o r ) . A l l o f t h i s h a p p e n s w i t h i n a m u l t i t u d e o f
u n i q u e v e n u e s o n V a l e n t i a I s l a n d .
W e l o o k f o r w a r d t o y o u j o i n i n g u s f o r o u r 1 1 t h F e s t i v a l t h i s A u g u s t i n a r a n g e o f
u n i q u e v e n u e s o n V a l e n t i a I s l a n d . A s e v e r t h a n k y o u t o o u r s u p p o r t e r s , v e n u e s , v o l u n t e e r s a n d a u d i e n c e i n m a k i n g t h i s F e s t i v a l e x i s t i n s u c h a m a g i c a l p l a c e .
M a r y D u l l e a A r t i s t i c D i r e c t o r
FOUR SEASONS ON VALENTIA
Sunday, 18 AUGUST 2024 | 7.30pm at Church of Immaculate
Conception, Knightstown with Darragh Morgan violin Keith
Pascoe violin Elisabeth Perry violin Carmen Flores viola Sébastien
Singer cello Nathan Perry double bass Mary Dullea keyboard
EVENT PROGRAMME
Antonio Vivaldi
Sinfonia in B minor, Santo Sepolcro (1678 – 1741) RV169
1. Adagio molto
2. Allegro ma non poco
Vivaldi wrote two pieces entitled ‘al Santo Sepolcro,’ (at the Holy Sepulchre); this sinfonia for four-part strings, and a sonata. Despite being predominantly based in Venice, Vivaldi also travelled extensively around Italy to oversee performances of his operas and it is likely that the impetus for this work came from one of the many churches also bearing this name.
The mood of the Sinfonia is extraordinarily different from the exuberant and vivacious concerti the composer is so famous for. As suggested by the title, it is a sacred work for Holy Week, most likely written to be performed during a mass at the Pietà. The solemnity of the event is evoked by the tempo of the music, the anguish by the intense, chromatic harmonies of the first movement whilst the descending chromatic steps in the theme of the second movement portrays the pathos of the occasion, asking us to reflect upon the suffering and death of Christ.
Maddalena Laura
Lombardini
Sirmen Duet VI (1745 – 1818)
Born Maddalena Lombardini, in Venice, she was admitted into the Ospedale di San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti at age seven for musical studies. She took the initiative to correspond with Tartini at age 14, and although their initial contact was only via letter, she soon travelled to Padua, having lessons with the great virtuoso face to face intermittently between 1760 and 1766. However, to leave the ospedale marriage and a dowry were required. After an initial rejection by the authorities, this was arranged, and she married the violinist Ludovico Sirmen (1738–1812) in 1767.
So ‘liberated’, she was set upon her travels, first to Dresden where she and her husband had an appointment to the court, and then on to the Concert Spirituel in Paris. L’avant-coureur of 22 August 1768, noted that ‘her violin was the lyre of Orpheus’ and that ‘her taste and facility of playing puts her in the first rank of virtuosos’. Subsequently, she gave concerts with her husband in France and the Low Countries before appearing in London in the winter of 1770–1, when she shone as one of the brightest concert artists of the season, having her own benefit concert in April.
Sirmen was notable for performing and publishing her own major works: Six Quartets (1769, possibly co-written with her husband), Six Trios (c.1769–70), Six Violin Concertos (1772–3), Six Violin Duets (1773) and a single Violin Sonata (1785). They were relatively popular in their time, with the trios, concertos and duets being published many times in Paris, London and The Hague. Stylistically, her works owe little to Tartini and are very much part of the early Classical era. Her duets for violin are of two movements, excepting the second (with three), and have a marked energy to them with little time for reflection – there are only two slow movements in the set. A distinctive element are passages with double-stops alternating between players to create effective three-part harmonies. The sixth duet, that we will hear this evening, is probably among the most noted of the group.
Antonio Vivaldi
Le Quattro Stagioni (‘The Four (1678 – 1741) Seasons’), Op. 8 Nos. 1 – 4
Concerto in E Major (“La primavera”)
Concerto in G Minor (“L’estate”)
Concerto in F Major (“L’autunno”)
Concerto in F Minor (“L’inverno”)
These four concertos are arguably the most well-known works from the Baroque period, and are some of the most recognizable and most performed classical pieces of all time. With that level of exposure, it is easy to assume one “knows” the Four Seasons, but there is more to these concertos than meets the eye, or the ear. For one thing, they are the first four concertos of a larger collection of concerti titled Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione (The contest between harmony and invention). Although published in 1725, there is no firm date of composition; scholars believe the Four Seasons to have been composed as much as a decade earlier. Another interesting aspect of these works is their literary and programmatic components. Each concerto is accompanied by a sonnet, very possibly written by Vivaldi himself, which gives specific descriptions of the music as it unfolds. As with Johannes Brahms, who often set second-rate poetry in his masterful lieder, so here the literary quality of the sonnets is negligible, but the music they inspired has endured for more than 350 years.
All the concertos feature the conventional Baroque structure of three movements, fast-slow-fast, and the fast movements are composed of alternating ritornello (whole ensemble)-solo sections. The slow movements are freer, in the manner of an aria.
Spring begins with a joyful welcome to the Goddess of Spring; the first solo’s birdcalls are a natural complement to the structured music of the ritornello. Subsequent solos evoke a flowing brook and a cloudburst. In the slow movement we hear a gentle lullaby for a sleeping goatherd. A solo viola intones the insistent slow barking of the goatherd’s dog (listen for the “bow wow”). In the third movement, a country dance celebrates the season of renewal.
Summer’s slow introduction suggests a hot, humid Italian summer day: “Under the merciless summer sun languishes man and flock; the pine tree burns…” Lethargic birdcalls are abruptly interrupted by violent thunderstorms. In the slow movement, the soloist (shepherd) cries out in fear for his flock in the blistering heat. While he laments, the ensemble becomes buzzing flies and bluebottles. The final movement is a tremendous hailstorm that destroys the crops.
Harvest celebrations herald the coming of Autumn as the peasants take part in a joyous Bacchanalian revel. The more they drink, the more they stumble, hiccup
and finally lay down to sleep. The soloist’s music is by turns merry, fiery, inebriated, and exhausted. The slow movement is a hushed lullaby for the drunken, sleeping merrymakers that features shifting harmonies and slow arpeggios for the harpsichord. In the final movement, everyone gathers for the hunt, one of Vivaldi’s most richly descriptive movements. We hear the hunting horns, barking dogs, and the pursuit and capture of the quarry.
The shivering tremolo of the solo violin ushers in Winter. The solos here are the most demanding in all of the four concertos, and both solo and ritornello effectively capture freezing temperatures and biting winds. In the slow movement Vivaldi takes us indoors to warm up. The soloist plays a lyrical melody over pizzicato strings, which represent dripping raindrops striking a windowpane. In the final movement, we “walk on the ice with slow steps and go carefully for fear of falling,” heard in the stuttering stop-and-start solo part. Despite the unceasing north winds and slippery ice, for Vivaldi, winter “brings joy.”
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Full biographies are available on the website
Described by The Strad Magazine as ‘hugely impressive, he plays with seemingly effortless control’ Irish violinist Darragh Morgan was born in Belfast. A renowned exponent of contemporary music, Darragh has appeared as a soloist at Aldeburgh Festival, Philips Collection Washington DC, Wiener Konzerthaus, Spitalfields Festival, Osterfestival Tirol and BBC Proms Chamber Music. His numerous concerto appearances with The Ulster Orchestra include the World Premiere of ‘Hymn of Dawn’ by Sir John Tavener which he also performed with Istanbul Symphony Orchestra. With National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland he has toured Beethoven Triple Concerto, recorded ‘Elastic Harmonic’ by Donnacha Dennehy for NMC Recordings and he has premiered Brian Irvine’s ‘A Mon Seul Desir’. With RTÉ Concert Orchestra and London Musici/Rambert Dance Company he has given over 40 performances of ‘Tabula Rasa’ by Arvo Pärt (including in the presence of the composer).
KEITH PASCOE VIOLIN
In 2016 Keith Pascoe received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Concert Hall, Dublin for his work with the Vanbrugh Quartet. He is an
DARRAGH MORGAN VIOLIN
internationally respected violinist, conductor, lecturer, and editor. His professional career began after prize winning studies at the Royal College of Music, London where he studied violin with Jaroslav Vanecek, piano with Eileen Reynolds, and conducting with Norman del Mar. His professional life began in 1981, when he became a founding member (and first leader) of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Subsequent full-time positions included sub-leader of the London Philharmonic at the age of twenty-three, assistant director of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the Fields (with whom he has appeared as soloist), and ten years with exclusive EMI artists, the Britten Quartet. From 1998- 2017, he was a member of the Vanbrugh Quartet, artists-in-residence to University College Cork. The Vanbrugh continue to tour and play concerts with pianist Michael McHale and other artists. In January 2019 he was invited to lead an international orchestra in Bologna, Italy to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the death of conductor Claudio Abbado.
ELISABETH PERRY VIOLIN
The versatile British violinist Elisabeth Perry is widely acclaimed for her contributions to all facets of the musical métier. Applauded for her virtuosity in the standard repertoire, an avid proponent of contemporary music, a committed chamber musician, dedicated pedagogue and an internationally renowned concertmaster, Ms. Perry has reaped unanimous praise for her ability to convey urgency while emphasizing the distinctive lyrical and dramatic qualities in a large repertoire.
CARMEN FLORES VIOLA
Carmen Flores is a musician dedicated to creating new pathways for experiencing and performing classical music. From 2007 – 2019 Carmen was Principal Viola of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, performing with the orchestra across the UK and abroad for the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Carmen has performed as soloist and Guest Principal Viola with orchestras and ensembles including English National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Orchestra of the Swan, English Chamber Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Sinfonia VIVA, BBC Concert Orchestra and the European Union Chamber Orchestra.
SÉBASTIEN SINGER CELLO
Sébastien Singer, who has been passionate about chamber music since early childhood, became a natural cellist with the Swiss Piano Trio in 2000. From then on, he was involved in the artistic rise of the ensemble, with which he won successively the 1st prize of the International Competition of Caltanissetta (I), the 1st prize of the International Brahms Competition (A) and the coveted Swiss
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Ambassador’s Award. After sixteen years of international career in over fifty countries on all continents, numerous record releases and hundreds of concerts in halls such as the Wigmore Hall in London, the Tonhalle Zurich, the Victoria Hall in Geneva, the Concert Gebouw in Amsterdam, the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and many others, Sébastien Singer decided in 2016 to end his activity in the Swiss Piano Trio.
NATHAN PERRY DOUBLE BASS
Born in London, Nathan Perry began playing the double bass aged 8. A year later, he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Yehudi Menuhin School, where he studied with Caroline Emery and graduated in 2023. Continuing his studies with Caroline, he has just completed his first year of study at the Royal College of Music, and is supported by a full ABRSM Scholarship. Recent awards include 1st prize at the RCM Double Bass Competition 2024, 3rd prize at the International Society of Bassists Under 30s Solo Competition 2023, String Category Winner of Gregynog Young Musician of the Year 2022 and Prize-winner of the Haslemere International String Competition 2023.
MARY DULLEA PIANO
As soloist and chamber musician, Irish pianist Mary Dullea performs internationally at venues including London’s Wigmore Hall, Casa da Musica (Porto), Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, Phillips Collection Washington D.C., Symphony Space New York City, Palazzo Albrizzi Venice (Italy), Johannesburg Music Society and National Concert Hall Dublin. Festival appearances include City of London, Cheltenham, St. Magnus International Festival, Huddersfield, Aldeburgh, Sound Scotland as well as Lodi Festival (Italy), TRANSIT Festival (Leuven) and National Arts Festival (South Africa). Her frequent broadcasts include BBC Radio 3, Radio 4, RTHK, RTÉ Lyric FM, WNYC, Radio New Zealand and Sky Arts, Irish, French, Austrian and Italian television. Concerto appearances include RTÉ Concert Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and KZN Philharmonic Orchestra.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Join us for our 12th Chamber Music on Valentia Festival between 14 – 17 August 2025. We look forward to welcoming you back!
To find out more about our 2025 events, please visit chambermusiconvalentia.com in summer 2025 or call +353 (83) 096 5977
GO RAIBH MAITH AGAT
W e a r e g r a t e f u l t o a l l o f o u r F r i e n d s a n d S u p p o r t e r s f o r t h e i r c o m m i t m e n t a n d
c o n t r i b u t i o n s W e a c k n o w l e d g e t h e a s s i s t a n c e o f A r t s C o u n c i l I r e l a n d / A n
C h o m h a i r l e E a l a í o n , R T É S u p p o r t i n g t h e A r t s , K e r r y C o u n t y C o u n c i l /
C o m h a i r l e C o n t a e C h i a r r a í , F e x c o , M u s i c G e n e r a t i o n K e r r y , E m b a s s y o f
S w i t z e r l a n d i n I r e l a n d , a n d S w i s s A r t s C o u n c i l .
T h e F e s t i v a l w o u l d n o t b e p o s s i b l e w i t h o u t t h e h e l p o f s o m a n y v o l u n t e e r s o n
V a l e n t i a w h o a s s i s t w i t h v e n u e s , e q u i p m e n t , a d v e r t i s i n g , a c c o m m o d a t i o n a n d
a h o s t o f o t h e r b e h i n d t h e s c e n e s a c t i v i t i e s t h a t m a k e t h e F e s t i v a l r u n
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