Kilkenny Arts Festival Programme 2015 by Kilkenny Arts Festival

Artistic adventures in Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medieval city

07â&#x20AC;&#x201C;16 AUGUST

kilkennyarts.ie

2015

Photo Matthew Thompson

Photo Jean-Baptiste Millot

Welcome to ten days of artistic adventures…

The great Martin Hayes returns as host and cocurator of the MARBLE CITY SESSIONS, gathering extraordinary musicians from around the world for nine collaborative concerts.

Giants of world music bound for Kilkenny include Toumani Diabaté and Amjad Ali Khan.

Photo Conor Horgan

Major international artists making their Irish debuts in our Bach series include Iranian harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and Chinese Bach specialist Zhu Xiao-Mei. Front Cover image: Alexander Haiden/Grafenegg

Musical titans joining us this year include pianist Sir András Schiff and viol master Jordi Savall.

One of the world’s finest writers, Robert Pinsky, is Visual artist in residence Mick O’Dea will be creating A Festival Portrait, painting and sketching Festival artists, Festival poet in residence for 2015. scenes and performances throughout the ten days.

Photo Eric Antoniou

Photo Nadia F Romanini

The legendary William Christie & Les Arts Florissants return to Ireland after 20 years for ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH, a unique series of 18 concerts exploring Bach’s timeless music.

Photo Marcoborggreve

In the historic Castle Yard, we’re joining forces with Druid and Lincoln Center Festival to present DruidShakespeare, an epic theatrical experience which many are calling one of the events of the decade.

For 42 years our funders and partners have played an invaluable role in helping Kilkenny Arts Festival to flourish. We greatly appreciate their continuing support. PRINCIPAL FUNDER

Book your seat… ONLINE today at kilkennyarts.ie BY PHONE from 6 July on +353 56 775 2175 IN PERSON from 6 July at the Festival Box Office

PUBLIC FUNDERS

14 John Street, Kilkenny Weekdays: 10am - 5.30pm (closed Monday 3 August) During the Festival: daily 10.30am - 7.30pm

HEADLINE EVENT PARTNERS

For terms and conditions go to kilkennyarts.ie o’neill foley

MAJOR DONORS Mrs Loretta Brennan Glucksman

Mrs Joneen Casey

EVENT PARTNERS

Bank

MEDIA PARTNERS

SUPPLY PARTNERS KILKENNY HONDA CENTRE

Hotel

CULTURAL PARTNERS

OPERA THEATRE COMPANY

BUTLER

GALLERY

BUTLER

GALLERY

BUTLER

GALLERY

DruidShakespeare. Photo Reg Gordon

Leisure Club & KO Spa

an exhilarating epic ... nothing can quell the extraordinary vitality of Hynes’ production, its ability to match the play’s shifting moods and its visual appeal ... it is a staggering venture Michael Billington, The Guardian

DRUID (IRELAND) IN A CO-PRODUCTION WITH LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL (USA) AND IN ASSOCIATION WITH KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL

DruidShakespeare

Director Garry Hynes Associate Director (design) Francis O’Connor

Richard II, Henry IV (Parts 1 & 2) and Henry V

Associate Director (movement) David Bolger Co-Costume Designer Doreen McKenna

by William Shakespeare in a new adaptation by Mark O’Rowe directed by Garry Hynes

Lighting Design James F Ingalls Sound Design Gregory Clarke Music Conor Linehan

This epic theatrical event distils four of Shakespeare’s greatest plays into one thrilling drama played over six hours.

Dramaturg Thomas Conway

A sweeping narrative of family, ambition, war and the making of nations, DruidShakespeare is performed with an exceptional ensemble cast and a rousing parade of characters, including one of the playwright’s greatest comic creations, Falstaff.

Voice Coach Andrew Wade Fight Director Donal O’Farrell

The production can be seen either as a full cycle on a single day, or over two successive evenings. Please note: this is an outdoor performance. Please dress for the weather. With thanks to Kilkenny Design Centre

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THE CASTLE YARD Full Cycle - FC Part 1 - P1 Part 2 - P2 ADMISSION ALL PERFORMANCES (FULL CYCLE OR IN TWO PARTS) €60/€52 EXCEPT THU 6 AUGUST PREVIEW (€40) & WED 12/THU 13 AUGUST (€45/€40)

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

Duration Full Cycle: 6 hrs 30 mins approx., including three intervals (2 x 15 mins & 1 x 30 mins) Part 1: 3 hrs 15 mins, including 15 min interval Part 2: 2 hrs 45 mins, including 15 min interval SHAKESPEARE AND IRELAND Rothe House, Sunday 9 August 4.30pm Garry Hynes and members of the Druid company discuss the challenges of staging Shakespeare for an Irish audience in conversation with Fintan O’Toole. Free but ticketed. SEE ALSO ‘TYRONE GUTHRIE & THE SHAKESPEARE REVOLUTION’ P.17

Cast Clare Barrett Derbhle Crotty Peter Daly Gavin Drea Garrett Lombard Karen McCartney Charlotte McCurry Aaron Monaghan Marie Mullen Rory Nolan John Olohan Aisling O’Sullivan Marty Rea Photo Matthew Thompson

Experience Druid’s most ambitious project ever in the unique atmosphere of the Castle Yard, Ireland’s finest open-air theatre space.

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER, BOOK 1

Mahan Esfahani

OPERA THEATRE COMPANY (IRELAND)

The Human Voice

a love affair at the end of the line

by Francis Poulenc harpsichord

Iran

IRISH DEBUT

Esfahani’s performance of the first book of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier was … riveting The Guardian

Director Tom Creed Soprano Kim Sheehan Piano Michael McHale

PROGRAMME I Friday 7 August 1pm Preludes and Fugues 1-12

A young woman is driven to the point of desperation as she tries to connect with her ex-lover over the telephone in Francis Poulenc’s spellbinding one-act opera, The Human Voice (La voix humaine). Poulenc creates an atmospheric and theatrical soundscape, using unaccompanied singing (soprano Kim Sheehan) interspersed with evocative instrumental outbursts (renowned pianist Michael McHale) to convey the woman’s heartbreak. Based on the classic play by Jean Cocteau, and directed by Tom Creed (Deep, Kilkenny Arts Festival 2014), The Human Voice is a profound and emotional exploration of love and loss.

Duration 60 mins approx. It was an idea only Bach could have conceived: to compose a collection of preludes and fugues for keyboard, circling in turn through all 24 major and minor keys. Bach envisioned the book as a teaching aid “for the use and profit of the musical youth”, but in the centuries that followed it has become one of the most influential works in the history of Western classical music. The idea was so good that Bach repeated it later in life, composing a second book of 24, but the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier is the best known and, over two lunchtime concerts in St John’s, acclaimed harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani makes his eagerly anticipated Irish debut performing the complete Book I.

PROGRAMME II Saturday 8 August 1pm Preludes and Fugues 13-24 Duration 60 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

FRI SAT

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €16/€14 1PM 1PM FOR EACH CONCERT

7 8

Bach and the Chain of Being In this special lecture with musical illustrations from the harpsichord, Mahan Esfahani examines the cyclical patterns in Bach’s works, and explores the ways in which his music was heard by his contemporaries.

Duration 60 mins approx.

Duration 60 mins approx. SAT

4.30PM

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €14/€12 SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

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7 8 8PM

3PM

WATERGATE THEATRE ADMISSION €16/€14

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH GOLDBERG VARIATIONS I

Sax Allemande Germany

IRISH DEBUT

pure pleasure Schweinfurter Tagblatt Duration 60 mins approx.

FRI

THE BLACK ABBEY ADMISSION €20/€17.50

9.30PM

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

The Goldberg Variations stands as one of Bach’s greatest achievements, a work in which the composer’s technical ingenuity dovetails perfectly with his inspiration. As a centrepiece of its Bach series, the Festival is offering audiences a very rare chance to experience three contrasting interpretations of the ‘Goldbergs’ by leading international artists, all making their Irish debut. This first concert is perhaps the most radical. The saxophone is not an instrument associated with classical chamber music, but Sax Allemande has set out to challenge that perception, collecting an Echo Klassik Award for best chamber music recording and reinvigorating the classical repertoire. On the opening night of the Festival, Sax Allemande performs the Goldberg Variations in the candlelit Black Abbey – a spellbinding space for this blend of timeless genius and contemporary sounds. The Goldberg Variations series is generously supported by Mrs Joneen Casey.

THE HUBERT BUTLER ANNUAL LECTURE

The Age of Unreason Nationalism and Jihad in the 21st Century Lara Marlowe USA

Lara Marlowe with members of the Northern Alliance mujahideen group who were fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11.

Introduced by Olivia O’Leary

Liberal democracy triumphed over fascism in the 20th century, but as the new century advances, the ideals of Wilsonian democracy and European integration appear to be fading. A significant proportion of 740 million Europeans have embraced anti-immigrant, anti-EU populist nationalism, while growing numbers of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims espouse jihadism. National Front leader Marine Le Pen is likely to lead the first round of the next French presidential election. Meanwhile Islamic State, an unholy alliance of Salafist extremists and survivors of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime, holds large swathes of Syria and Iraq. Foreign correspondent Lara Marlowe has spent most of her 35-year career covering France and the Middle East, reporting extensively on the rise of the French National Front and on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Marlowe looks at the historical and ideological roots of both movements, and attempts to explain why extremism is such a powerful magnet in the 21st century.

Imaginary Saloon

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4.30PM

LEFT BANK ADMISSION €16/€14

The irrepressible Sax Allemande returns for a second – and very different – concert that takes us from the height of German Romanticism to New York’s Tin Pan Alley and the early years of jazz. Mixing the waltzes and capriccios of Brahms with the ragtime of Scott Joplin and the preludes of Gershwin, Imaginary Saloon is a dazzlingly entertaining musical journey in the relaxed ambience of the Left Bank. Duration 60 mins approx.

The Diplomatic Coffee Club SAT

11AM

THE HOLE IN THE WALL ADMISSION €12/€10

The Hubert Butler Annual Lecture was established in 2007 to honour the Kilkenny writer, historian and broadcaster whose remarkable consistency of vision and clarity of mind made him unique among essayists and whose work evinced an unsurpassed moral, political and literary integrity. Duration 60 mins approx.

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ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €16/€14

6PM

In the surroundings of a 16th-century townhouse, one of Ireland’s leading diplomats discusses 21st-century foreign policy in conversation with Festival Director Eugene Downes. Rory Montgomery is Second Secretary-General of the Department of the Taoiseach with responsibility for European and international affairs, and has served as Irish Ambassador to the European Union and to France. Complimentary gourmet coffees will be served. Duration 60 mins approx.

think the Starship Enterprise crossed with the sci-fi movie Fantastic Voyage

ARCHITECTS OF AIR (UK)

Mirazozo

The luminarium is wheelchair accessible. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Photo Aaron J. Montes

After two sell-out runs, Architects of Air are back for a third year in the Castle Park with another luminarium – or giant, light-filled inflatable sculpture – for you to explore. Mirazozo is the sister to Miracoco – the luminarium that was such a hit back in 2013. Inspired by Islamic architecture, and featuring a stunning labyrinth of domes, chambers and tunnels, Mirazozo is packed with enchanting spaces and beguiling light effects. It’s the perfect place to play, wander (and wonder), or simply relax.

The Irish Times

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11AM-6PM 11AM-6PM 12PM-6PM 12PM-6PM 12PM-6PM 12PM-6PM 12PM-6PM

KILKENNY CASTLE PARK ADMISSION €5. TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE MAIN CASTLE GATE.

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15 16

11AM-6PM 11AM-6PM

Toumani & Sidiki Diabaté

OPERA THEATRE COMPANY (IRELAND)

Susanna’s Secret

the finest Toumani collaboration since his classic work with Ali Farka Touré

Mali

The Guardian

a smoking hot comedy

Director Tom Creed Conductor Andrew Synnott Soprano Rachel Croash Baritone Rory Musgrave

A man suspects his wife is having an affair when he smells cigarette smoke on her clothes, and sets out to discover her secret - with hilarious consequences. Rachel Croash (soprano) and Rory Musgrave (baritone) star in Wolf-Ferrari’s frothy comic opera about the secrets that couples keep. Sung in English, in a new translation by Tom Swift, Susanna’s Secret (Il segreto di Susanna) is a stylish and wryly observant comedy of marital misunderstanding. Directed by Tom Creed (Deep – Kilkenny Arts Festival 2014), with Andrew Synnott conducting the OTC touring ensemble, this is a rare opportunity for opera lovers to see this classic short work, and a perfect introduction to opera for newcomers. Duration 60 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

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8 9 6PM

3PM

WATERGATE THEATRE ADMISSION €16/€14

Photo Youri Lenquette

by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari

Toumani Diabaté is a superstar of African music and “the Hendrix of the kora” (The Sunday Times), the elegant and beguiling 21-stringed harp played for centuries at the Malian court. The 71st generation in an unbroken line of musicians stretching back 700 years, Toumani has done more than any artist to bring this instrument to the world, recording a string of Grammy-award-winning albums and collaborating with everyone from Taj Mahal to Björk. His son Sidiki is one half of Mali’s most successful hiphop group, and a dazzlingly talented kora player in his own right. Together, father and son produced one of the most acclaimed albums of 2014, and this concert in

the Set offers a rare, intimate opportunity to hear two generations of this extraordinary family playing with dazzling virtuosity and profound spirit. Duration 80 mins approx.

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10PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €27/€23.50

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

THE MASS IN B MINOR

Chamber Choir Ireland Camerata Kilkenny & Paul Hillier

Ireland

one of the leading choral practitioners in the world … singing of this standard is a rarity culturenorthernireland.org on Paul Hillier & Chamber Choir Ireland

Composed over 25 years towards the end of the composer’s life, the Mass in B minor (BWV 232) is the culmination of Bach’s spiritual journey and one of the crowning glories of Western music. The piece was last performed at the Festival some 30 years ago by Malcolm Proud and Maya Homburger’s Kilkenny Arts Week Baroque Ensemble: an early incarnation of Camerata Kilkenny. This year, in a unique collaboration for the Festival, Camerata Kilkenny joins forces with Chamber Choir Ireland – the country’s flagship choral ensemble – for a one-off performance of the Mass under the direction of Paul Hillier, one of Europe’s most distinguished choral conductors. From the dramatic Kyrie to the sublime Agnus Dei, this special performance by two world-class ensembles in St Canice’s is set to be a highlight of the 42nd Festival. Duration 2 hrs approx. (including interval) Presented in association with Chamber Choir Ireland

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8PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €40/€35 ZONE B REGULAR €35/€30.50

Tyrone Guthrie & The Shakespeare Revolution

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH THE CELLO SUITES

István Várdai

Christopher Fitz-Simon Ireland cello

Hungary

István Várdai is a special kind of genius Parlando

PROGRAMME I Sunday 9 August 1pm Cello Suite no. 1 Cello Suite no. 4 Cello Suite no. 5

PROGRAMME II Monday 10 August 1pm Cello Suite no. 2 Cello Suite no. 3 Cello Suite no. 6

Duration 65 mins approx.

Duration 80 mins approx.

Bach’s Cello Suites are among his best-loved compositions, a central part of the classical repertoire often featured in films like Bergman’s Autumn Sonata. Performed at the Festival over the decades by masters such as Steven Isserlis and Jean-Guihen Queyras, this year the complete cycle will unfold over the course of two lunchtime concerts by one of the rising stars of the classical world: István Várdai. From the sunny gigue of the first suite to the moody, dark prelude of the fifth, Várdai will explore the full range of these masterworks in the intimate atmosphere of St John’s Priory. The Hungarian cellist István Várdai is one of the most exciting young musicians in the world, performing at major international venues to great acclaim and collecting numerous international prizes. Last year he won the ARD Cello Competition in Munich – the world’s leading such event – and earlier this year was awarded the Liszt Prize, Hungary’s highest classical music award.

The Anglo-Irish director Tyrone Guthrie is recognised as one of the most influential figures in 20thcentury theatre. Working on both sides of the Atlantic, he brought a revolutionary new approach to the classical repertoire and also to the design of theatres themselves. In this fascinating talk, Christopher FitzSimon, author and former director of

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1PM

9 10

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €16/€14 FOR EACH CONCERT

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

the Abbey Theatre, explores Guthrie’s world through his letters, which he is editing for publication. Addressed to his mother Norah and his sister Peggy, who married Hubert Butler, they feature searching observations on leading actors of the day, including Siobhán McKenna, Sybil Thorndike, Alec Guinness, John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier.

Duration 60 mins approx.

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11AM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

To Find a Heathen Place and Sound a Bell By Kerry Hardie and Olivia O’Leary

Director Sean Hardie Music David Power and Ciarán Somers Readers Barry McGovern, Olivia O’Leary, Alan Counihan & Eamonn Hunt

SUN SUN

Vivien Leigh, Tyrone Guthrie and Laurence Olivier

6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €16/€14

AD 591. Rome has fallen and Europe is in chaos. In Ireland, a handful of monks leave the austere rule of Comgall of Bangor. One of them, Fiachra, walks south to found a monastery at Ullard. Others, led by Columbanus of Leinster, set sail, carrying the teachings of the Celtic Church into the very heart of Europe… Through a mix of poetry and music, To Find a Heathen Place and Sound a Bell tells the story of these monks.

Written by poet and novelist Kerry Hardie, with broadcaster Olivia O’Leary, and performed by musicians David Power and Ciarán Somers, and readers Barry McGovern, Olivia O’Leary, Alan Counihan and Eamonn Hunt, this unique and poetic work resurrects the forgotten story of Columbanus, a saint of the early Celtic Church and arguably one of the most consequential figures in European history. Duration 60 mins approx.

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

immaculately judged, wonderfully gracious and admirably sensuous The Guardian

CANTATAS

Les Arts Florissants & William Christie

France

USA/France

PROGRAMME ‘Wedding’ Cantata BWV 202 Sonata in G for two flutes and continuo BWV 1039 Cantata BWV 55 (Ich armer Mensch) Orchestral Suite no. 2 BWV 1067 ‘Coffee’ Cantata BWV 211 Duration 2 hrs approx. (including interval)

William Christie is one of the greatest musical magicians of our time. In the 36 years since founding Les Arts Florissants, Christie and his extraordinary ensemble have rediscovered the world of the French baroque, partnering with the world’s leading festivals and venues and making close to 100 recordings. Christie himself is feted as one of the most distinctive and compelling of artists. More than two decades since their last Irish appearance, Christie and Les Arts Florissants make a long-awaited return visit with a trio of leading international soloists. Their programme ranges across some of Bach’s most playful works, including the ‘Wedding’ Cantata, the glorious Orchestral Suite no. 2 and the ‘Coffee’ Cantata, which pokes fun at the coffee-drinking craze of Bach’s own day and is the nearest he came to writing a comic opera. This is set to be an unforgettable evening, and a very rare opportunity to hear these legendary artists in an intimate programme portraying Bach’s diverse genius.

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7.30PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €50/€45 ZONE B REGULAR €44/€39

Photo © Denis Rouvre

Musical direction, organ & harpsichord William Christie Soprano Rachel Redmond Tenor Reinoud Van Mechelen Bass Andrew Foster-Williams Musicians of Les Arts Florissants

a cooking live band from a dream dance club

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

The Observer

BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS 1, 2 & 4

Da Lata

Camerata Kilkenny Bojan Cicic

director/violin

Croatia it is striking how exclusive the Champions League of baroque violinists remains… Croatian baroque violinist Bojan Cicic stands on the threshold of that pantheon De Standaard

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9.30PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €20/€17.50

It’s more than 20 years since songwriter and multiinstrumentalist Chris Franck and DJ Patrick Forge joined forces and set about redefining Brazilian music, marrying samba rhythms to Nu Jazz to produce something stylish and irresistible. Blending their own original material with dazzling remixes of everyone from Bebel Gilberto to Sly and Robbie, Da Lata have been in a class of their own ever since. Four albums into a musical journey that has taken them through everything from Afrobeat to hip-hop, with a touch of electronica and house, they bring their pulsating live show to Kilkenny with six musicians, Latin tempos and irresistible grooves. Bring your dancing shoes! Duration 90 mins approx.

Written for the Margrave of Brandenburg, the Brandenburg Concertos are some of the most dazzling classical pieces ever written. Bach set out to confound expectations, transcending concerto conventions and filling each piece with rich melody, virtuoso flourishes and astonishing shifts. For Eternal Harmony, Camerata Kilkenny, our ensemble in residence, expands to orchestral dimensions to present three of the largerscaled ‘Brandenburgs’ in the magnificent surroundings of the Black Abbey. Guest director and violinist Bojan Cicic is one of the rising stars of period performance in Europe. He leads both period and modern orchestras, including the Budapest Festival Orchestra, le Cercle d’Harmonie, the European Union Baroque Orchestra and Classical Opera Company, while recent projects have included a recording of the Brandenburg Concertos with Florilegium, Vivaldi’s Summer with the European Union Baroque Orchestra and his BBC Proms debut.

The Man Behind the Music Gerry Murphy Ireland MON

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

6PM

Duration 60 mins approx.

PROGRAMME Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 in F major BWV 1047 Brandenburg Concerto no. 4 in G major BWV 1049 Brandenburg Concerto no. 1 in F major BWV 1046 Duration 60 mins approx.

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THE BLACK ABBEY ADMISSION €20/€17.50

7.30PM

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

Orphaned at nine, left to fend for himself in his teenage years, widowed at 35 and losing many of his children, Bach nevertheless forged a calm, unruffled conviction of his musical destiny. In this fascinating talk, Gerry Murphy goes in search of one of the great minds of human history, uncovering the puckish humour, mordant wit and passion for excellence that runs through the great composer’s work. Gerry Murphy is a composer and former Head of Music at Gonzaga College, Ranelagh. His latest composition premiered at the New Ross Piano Festival 2014, while the NSO performed his overture Good Friday-Belfast: 10-4-98 as part of this year’s season.

THE SPIRIT OF THE VIOL

Jordi Savall Spain

Grand master of the viol, Jordi Savall, is a global cultural citizen equally at home in Western baroque or the ancient music of Jerusalem, Istanbul or the Balkans. Through more than 200 recordings and thousands of performances, both as a virtuoso solo artist and as conductor of his three celebrated ensembles, Savall has dedicated his working life to unearthing buried musical treasures and introducing audiences to lost worlds of emotion and beauty.

viola da gamba

Mr Savall, the least ostentatious of performers, seemed plunged in the emotion of performance and of life

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

The New York Times

PROGRAMME

Photo Marco Borggreve

featuring selections from

THE ART OF FUGUE

GOLDBERG VARIATIONS II

MARIN MARAIS SAINTE-COLOMBE LE PÈRE SAINTE-COLOMBE LE FILS LE SIEUR DE MACHY JS BACH

James McVinnie organ

Mahan Esfahani harpsichord

Iran

Duration 75 mins approx.

McVinnie dispatches his performances with great vitality

with an instinctive sense of rhythm and a gift for interpretation, Esfahani has firmly established himself as one of today’s most thrilling harpsichordists

The Telegraph

For this rare Irish concert, Savall presents a programme of selected works by baroque masters including Monsieur de SainteColombe (father and son) and Marin Marais - whose work he has done so much to revive, not least through his soundtrack for Alain Corneau’s Tous les Matins du Monde.

Duration 75 mins approx.

Gramophone

Composed in Bach’s final years and left unfinished at his death, The Art of Fugue (BWV 1080) is one of the most profound and significant works in musical history.

Duration 70 mins approx.

Turning his back on the dawning rococo era, the composer returned to the heart of the baroque and found exhilarating new possibilities within the fugal form, based on a single theme and increasing in complexity as the work progresses. The score of this late masterpiece did not specify instrumentation, and it has been performed on a startling range of instruments from viol consorts to brass ensembles; this solo performance on that ‘king of instruments’, the organ, is by a rising international star.

It was Marais who first exploited the similarity of the viola da gamba to the human voice in Les Voix Humaines, one of the works that Savall will perform in Kilkenny. In a candlelit Black Abbey, the hushed whispers of Savall’s instrument will create an atmosphere at once intimate and profound.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

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MON

9.30PM

James McVinnie is internationally renowned both as soloist and ensemble player. Recent highlights have included concerts in the Salzburg Festival with Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, and the BBC Proms with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. A strong advocate of new music, James collaborates with leading composers and artists including fellow members of the Bedroom Community collective Nico Muhly and Sam Amidon (one of our artists in residence in 2014).

THE BLACK ABBEY ADMISSION €30/€26

11 1PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €16/€14

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

Bach described his Goldberg Variations as “prepared for the soul’s delight.” For Mahan Esfahani, they “stand out as an example of their creator’s total compositional originality.” After an exuberant saxophone interpretation from Sax Allemande, this second of three performances of the iconic work is by the internationally acclaimed Iranian harpsichordist, one of the Festival’s artists in residence, following his interpretation of The Well-Tempered Clavier over the opening weekend. Esfahani’s musical interests are strikingly diverse, ranging from the renaissance to the present day, but Bach is his foremost passion. This late-night concert in the Long Gallery of Kilkenny Castle, one of Ireland’s most beautiful rooms, promises to be an unmissable experience. The Goldberg Variations series is generously supported by Mrs Joneen Casey. TUES

THE LONG GALLERY KILKENNY CASTLE ADMISSION €20/€17.50 10PM

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH Photo Dylan Vaughan

CLAVIER ÜBUNG III (GERMAN ORGAN MASS)

Malcolm Proud organ Ireland Photo David Ignaszewski

Clavier Übung III (often called the ‘German Organ Mass’) is one of the pinnacles of music written for the ‘king of instruments’. The work follows the form of the Lutheran mass, ranging across an astonishing variety of forms and styles to present a profound mediation on faith. Taking on this masterpiece is artist in residence Malcolm Proud, a regular performer at the Festival since its first edition in 1974. His interpretations of Bach have gained widespread acclaim, with his recording of this work hailed as “a major achievement” (The Organ Magazine).

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS CELTIC DIALOGUES

Jordi Savall Martin Hayes & Friends

Spain Ireland

Duration 70 mins approx.

See page 58

Duration 2 hrs approx. (including interval)

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ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €16//14

Dante in Dunmore Jordi Savall testifies to a common cultural heritage of infinite variety. He is a man for our time. The Guardian

In 1996, Robert Pinsky published what many consider to be the definitive modern verse translation of Dante’s Inferno. As poet in residence at this year’s Festival, Pinsky leads an audience down into Kilkenny’s Dunmore Cave or Dearc Fhearna, the Cave of the Alders - for a one-off reading of excerpts from the work. This is an unmissable opportunity to experience Dante’s work in a spine-tingling setting, famous in ancient times as one of the three darkest places in Ireland.

Duration 60 mins approx. WED

3.30PM

Please note: Dunmore Cave is not wheelchair accessible.

DUNMORE CAVE ADMISSION €16/€14

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Martin Hayes & David Power SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

TUE

7.30PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €30/€26 ZONE B REGULAR €26/€23

Photo Con Kelleher

It was while appearing in the 1988 Festival that viola da gamba master Jordi Savall encountered Irish traditional music for the first time. Since then Savall has cemented his reputation as a musical polymath and a champion of early music in all its forms, but he remains captivated by Celtic musical traditions. For this opening concert in the 2015 series, Savall joins Marble City Sessions host Martin Hayes and fellow artist in residence Dennis Cahill to bring their collaboration to a new stage, further exploring the lost connections between the courtly elegance of early music and the old melodies of the Irish tradition. Featuring regular Savall collaborators Frank McGuire on bodhrán and Andrew Lawrence-King on harp, Celtic Dialogues promises to be an encounter to remember between legendary musicians.

WED

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

Ireland For this special performance in one of the city’s most historic courtyards, Marble City Sessions host Martin Hayes teams up with his frequent collaborator David Power, a master of the uilleann pipes whose career has encompassed All-Ireland medals, membership of seminal ensembles (including Hayes’ own Masters of Tradition tours), Broadway productions and several critically acclaimed albums. Duration 45 mins approx.

WED

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

6.30PM

1710 COURTYARD AT SMITHWICK’S EXPERIENCE KILKENNY ADMISSION €12//10

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH GOLDBERG VARIATIONS III

Zhu Xiao-Mei

The finest living exponent of the sarod The Guardian

Amjad Ali Khan

with Amaan & Ayaan Ali Khan India

piano

China/France IRISH DEBUT

Duration 90 mins approx.

a pianist who goes right to the essence, ignoring fear

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT

Le Monde

See page 58

In her own words, “the Goldberg Variations is like the water in a river. At the end of the work, the water continues to flow. It is at once the same and not the same. You have lived, you’ve understood something, everything is over and at the same time everything can start again. That’s something that is much more than simply Chinese or Taoist. It is the expression of life itself.” Madame Zhu’s public performances are rare and carefully chosen, and she has decided to perform in Kilkenny the work that lies closest to her heart. The Goldberg Variations series is generously supported by Mrs Joneen Casey.

7.30PM

THE BLACK ABBEY ADMISSION €25/€22

Taoism, or Daoism, is an ancient Chinese religious and philosophical school of thought that emphasises living in harmony with the Tao, the ultimate creative principle of the universe. It has had a profound influence on Zhu XiaoMei’s relationship to music – and above all to Bach. In this intimate conversation, Madame Zhu discusses the ways in which Taoism has nourished and informed her artistic philosophy. Duration 60 mins approx.

11 SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

The Tao of Bach

TUE

Duration 75 mins approx. WED

WED

6PM

ROTHE HOUSE ADMISSION €12/€10

9.30PM

Photo Martin Jehnichen - Accentus Music

This third and final concert in our series of Goldberg Variations marks the Irish debut of an extraordinary artist. As a young woman, pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei was sent to a labour camp during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, where she nonetheless managed to continue her Bach studies in secret. Since emigrating to France 30 years ago, her interpretations of Bach (in particular) have become celebrated for their depth of understanding, and an approach that connects Bach’s musical philosophy with the ancient Chinese tradition of the Tao.

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €27/€23.50

One of Indian music’s greatest stars makes a very rare Irish appearance in what promises to be a Festival highlight. “There is no essential difference between classical and popular music,” Amjad Ali Khan has said. “Music is music. I want to communicate with the listener who finds Indian classical music remote.” For more than 50 years, Khan has done just that, breathing new life into the sarod – one of the most beguiling instruments in the world – composing new ragas, releasing a string of acclaimed recordings (including the Grammy-nominated Ancient Sounds), and collaborating with a breathtaking array of musicians, from the Britten Sinfonia to folk singer Carrie Newcomer. In Kilkenny, Khan joins forces with his sons, Amaan and Ayaan (both sarod masters in their own right), to explore the Indian classical tradition he has done so much to renew.

Robert Pinsky

Photo Dylan Vaughan

no other living American poet - no other living American, probably has done so much to put poetry before the public eye

USA

Introduced by Colm Tóibín For our 42nd edition, the Festival welcomes one of the world’s finest writers as poet in residence. “Poetry,” Robert Pinsky has said, “is one of the most fundamental pleasures a person can experience.” In the course of an extraordinary 40-year career, Pinsky has brought that pleasure to countless readers through a series of acclaimed collections celebrated for their jazz-inflected sensibilities and their breadth of subject matter, from the history of the saxophone in ‘Ginza Samba’ to the impassioned political poems of Gulf Music.

The New York Times

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

SEE ALSO ‘DANTE IN DUNMORE’ P.25

THE VIOLIN & HARPSICHORD SONATAS

Since serving three terms as US Poet Laureate, Pinsky has taken every opportunity to speak up for poetry in public, founding the Favourite Poem Project (see below), publishing guides for reading poetry, and becoming the first – and perhaps only – poet to appear as himself on The Simpsons. A skilled saxophonist, his collaborations with leading jazz musicians reveal the importance of sound and rhythm in his work, and his reading in the Parade Tower is a rare chance to encounter at first hand one of the finest poets of our time.

Maya Homburger violin

Switzerland

Malcolm Proud harpsichord

Ireland

Bach’s six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord are seminal works which point towards a new era in classical music. Moving from the older trio sonata to a form which assigns the three musical lines between the violin and the two hands of the keyboard player, these sonatas created a genre which Mozart, Beethoven and others would take to fresh heights. These two lunchtime concerts in St John’s offer a rare opportunity to hear the full cycle of these marvellous sonatas performed by Maya Homburger and Malcolm Proud, Festival artists in residence whose recording of the sonata cycle was released to great acclaim in 2008.

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

PROGRAMME I Thursday 13 August 1pm Sonata no. 2 in A major BWV 1015 Sonata no. 1 in B minor BWV 1014 Cantabile ma un poco Adagio (movement from early version of Sonata no. 6) Sonata no. 3 in E major BWV 1016 Duration 60 mins approx.

THU

FRI

1PM

13 14

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €16/€14 FOR EACH CONCERT

PROGRAMME II Friday 14 August 1pm Sonata no. 4 in C minor BWV 1017 Sonata no. 5 in F minor BWV 1018 Sonata no. 6 in G major BWV 1019 Duration 60 mins approx.

FRI

14 6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €16/€14

Poetry Workshop

Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet

Favourite Poem Project

In this workshop for poets, Robert Pinsky hopes to find examples of the relation between sound and imagination, discovery and purpose — some of the quick, intuitive processes of poetry. Participation is by application: email info@poetryireland.ie for further details. Places are strictly limited.

Join us at the Parade Tower to mark the publication of Kilkenny Arts Office’s Poetry Broadsheet, launched by former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. The Broadsheet aims to give local writers a platform for their work, and this year poems were selected by 2015 guest editor Tony Curtis. A highly accomplished poet and winner of the National Poetry Prize, Tony’s has published nine collections including Pony and Folk. His latest collection, Approximately in the Key of C, is forthcoming from Arc Publications.

In partnership with Poetry Ireland

Duration 90 mins approx.

When Robert Pinsky was appointed US Poet Laureate, he invited ordinary Americans to read aloud their favourite poem for an archive at the Library of Congress. Almost 20 years later, the Favourite Poem Project has amassed an archive of 25,000 letters and spawned three anthologies. Now Pinsky brings the project to Kilkenny, where a select group of Festival artists and local students will read their favourite poem before a live audience, and explain why it means so much to them. Duration 90 mins approx.

TUE

THE HERITAGE COUNCIL ATTENDANCE BY APPLICATION 10AM

THU

13 6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION FREE BUT TICKETED

SAT

15 3PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION FREE BUT TICKETED

Photo Eric Antoniou

Duration 60 mins approx.

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

The Cork Gamelan Ensemble Ireland

with special guests Colin Dunne, Kate Ellis, Julie Feeney, Martin Hayes, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Nick Roth, Duke Special & West Cork Ukulele Orchestra

In Javanese traditional music, a ‘gamelan’ is an orchestra composed of beautifully decorated, tuned percussion instruments. The brainchild of Mel Mercier, composer, performer and lecturer in Music at UCC, the Cork Gamelan Ensemble is a groundbreaking group that creates and performs a fresh, dynamic and enchanting repertoire of contemporary music. Performing a programme of original compositions in collaboration with a mouthwatering assembly of Irish and international guests – including artist in residence Martin Hayes, chanteuse Julie Feeney, saxophonist Nick Roth, cellist Kate Ellis, West Cork Ukulele Orchestra, fiddle player Martin Hayes, the inimitable Duke Special and dancer Colin Dunne – the Cork Gamelan Ensemble promises an unforgettable evening of music (and dance) as you’ve never heard it before.

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH/ MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Partitas & Potts

Aoife Ní Bhriain violin Ireland

Very few musicians feel equally at home in both classical and traditional music, but Aoife Ní Bhriain is one. A virtuoso classical violinist, she is also the winner of no fewer than seven All-Ireland titles at the Fleadh Cheoil. In these unique concerts Aoife explores her musical heritage on both sides, interweaving dance movements from Bach’s solo partitas and sonatas with tunes from the late fiddler Tommy Potts, whose album of radical reinterpretations of traditional airs, The Liffey Banks, is now regarded as a classic. Bringing together both Eternal Harmony and the Marble City Sessions in the 16th-century drawing room of Rothe House, Partitas & Potts charts the space between two very different forms of dance music. Duration 60 mins approx.

This performance celebrates the launch of the Ensemble’s first CD, The Three Forges. Duration 2 hrs approx. SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

See page 58

the Cork Gamelan Ensemble’s synthesis of Javanese and Irish trad, and more, has been a revelation Irish Examiner

THU THURS ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL

13 8PM

ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €27/€22 ZONE B REGULAR €23.50/€19

SAT

13 15 10.30PM 6PM

ROTHE HOUSE ADMISSION €16/€14

LIZ ROCHE COMPANY (IRELAND) IN A CO-PRODUCTION WITH THE ABBEY THEATRE AND DUBLIN DANCE FESTIVAL

Bastard Amber Roche’s choreography is delicately woven but its threads possess an elusive tensile strength. Entrancing. The Times TWO LECTURES EXPLORING VISIONS OF BYZANTIUM

Photo Luca Truffarelli

THE LOST MUSIC OF BYZANTIUM ALEXANDER LINGAS (Canada/Greece)

Co-commissioned by Kilkenny Arts Festival, Bastard Amber is a major new work by leading Irish choreographer, Liz Roche. Moving her rigorous exploration of the body into the realm of the soul, this enthralling piece is partly inspired by WB Yeats’ seminal poem ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ and the meditative golden paintings of the late Patrick Scott. A profound journey into humankind’s spiritual quest, Bastard Amber is filled with unforgettable imagery and stunning design, conjuring a lustrous Byzantine world of contradictory influences, a meeting place of East and West. With a sublime international company of dancers performing alongside live musicians and featuring an original score, Bastard Amber is a provocative and haunting experience.

YEATS’ BYZANTIUM ROY FOSTER (Ireland)

Co-commissioned by the Abbey Theatre, Dublin Dance Festival and Kilkenny Arts Festival. An Affiliate Event of Yeats2015, Ireland’s national celebration of WB Yeats.

See page 39 for details.

Duration 70 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

FRI

SAT

14 15 8PM

8PM

WATERGATE THEATRE ADMISSION €20/€17.50

Schubert’s last sonata took on a rare, devotional quality here ... Everything about this performance - from the music itself to Schiff’s own presence - felt transfigured

THE LAST SONATAS OF HAYDN, MOZART, BEETHOVEN & SCHUBERT

Sir András Schiff

piano

Sir András Schiff is an artistic titan of our time.

PROGRAMME

Born in Budapest, for decades he has performed in the world’s leading festivals and venues, releasing a string of acclaimed recordings, receiving countless international awards and becoming not only a towering representative of Central European culture but also a vocal advocate for broader civil rights and freedoms.

HAYDN Sonata no. 62 in E flat major Hob XVI:52

Direct from the Salzburg Festival, Sir András comes to Kilkenny to perform works at the very heart of his repertoire: the last sonatas by the great masters of Viennese Classicism – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. From Beethoven’s transcendent Sonata in C minor to Schubert’s otherworldly Sonata in B flat, Sir András takes us on a journey through the sublime, leavened with surprising touches of humour. This will be his first appearance in Ireland since 2011, and an unmissable chance to witness a master at work amid the splendour of St Canice’s.

SCHUBERT Sonata in B flat major D960

14 8PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €50/€45 ZONE B REGULAR €44/€39

BEETHOVEN Sonata in C minor op. 111 MOZART Sonata in D major K576

Duration 2 hours approx. (including interval)

Photo Nadia F Romanini

FRI

The Sunday Telegraph

o’neill foley

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

The Brooklyn Rider Almanac USA

Brooklyn Rider Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill

USA

Ireland

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Maighread & Tr íona Ní Dhomhnaill & Friends Ireland

Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomnhaill delivered from the get-go … theirs were voices of the gods, sent to elevate us all The Irish Times Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomnhaill have been at the heart of the Irish traditional music scene for over 40 years. Born into a celebrated singing family from the Donegal Gaeltacht, the sisters (along with their brother Mícheál) formed the legendary group Skara Brae while still in their teens. Tríona went on to join The Bothy Band, one of the most significant groups in the history of Irish music, and it was not until the 1990s that the sisters began to work together again, producing the classic album Idir an Da Sholas/ Between the Two Lights. Their live performances are heart-rending events, and the Black Abbey is the perfect venue for their spellbinding harmonies, with some special guests dropping by.

one of the wonders of contemporary music The Los Angeles Times Brooklyn Rider are one of the most adventurous string quartets of the 21st century. Named after the New York borough where they make their home, the quartet has spent the last ten years gleefully dissolving the boundaries between musical worlds and performing a repertoire that stretches from Bartók to contemporary composers like John Zorn, John Luther Adams and Philip Glass.

USA

The Marble City Sessions storm into the final weekend with this mouthwatering collaboration between artists in residence Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill and one of New York’s hottest ensembles, Brooklyn Rider. This pioneering group is celebrated for its collaborations with leading musicians from jazz, traditional, indie rock and a wealth of non-Western forms, and tours globally with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. Tonight these extraordinary artists come together for the first time in Europe on a new journey across musical frontiers. Duration 90 mins approx.

Making their Irish debut as artists in residence at the Festival, in this late-night concert Brooklyn Rider perform music from their new album, The Brooklyn Rider Almanac. Featuring compositions by members of the quartet and favourite collaborators including Bill Frisell and Wilco’s Glenn Kotche, The Brooklyn Rider Almanac ensures that “any previous notions you had of string quartet music will get shaken up and ultimately thrown out for good” (Times Union). Duration 75 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

Duration 75 mins approx.

7.30PM

THE BLACK ABBEY ADMISSION €22/€19

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

FRI

9.30PM

THE BLACK ABBEY ADMISSION €22/€19

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

Photo Sarah Small

FRI

See page 58

SAT

15 10PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €27/€23.50

Photo Dylan Vaughan

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

GREAT CONCERTOS

A BACH MEDITATION: THE VIOLIN SONATAS AND PARTITAS

Camerata Kilkenny with Maya Homburger (Switzerland) director/violin Rachel Beckett (UK) flute Claire Duff (Ireland) violin Malcolm Proud (Ireland) harpsichord

PROGRAMME Keyboard Concerto no. 1 in D minor BWV 1052 Concerto for Two Violins in D minor BWV 1043 Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 in D major BWV 1050

Maya Homburger (Switzerland) baroque violin

PROGRAMME The Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001-1006 Duration 3 hrs approx.

Duration 60 mins approx. This mouthwatering programme from Camerata Kilkenny features three of Bach’s greatest concertos. Malcolm Proud is the soloist in the Harpsichord Concerto no. 1 in D minor, a revolutionary piece with the expressive drama of Beethoven or Brahms. Two of Bach’s most popular creations follow: the sublime Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, with soloists Maya Homburger and Irish Baroque Orchestra leader Claire Duff; and Brandenburg Concerto no. 5, with Rachel Beckett joining Maya Homburger and Malcolm Proud as soloists.

SAT

15 1PM

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €16/€14

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

For this free late-night event in The Black Abbey, distinguished violinist Maya Homburger, who has recorded the magnificent sonatas and partitas to great acclaim, proposes a radical new approach. Instead of a conventional concert, Homburger will play in one continuous flow, moving around the abbey in a remarkable, contemplative journey for performer and audience alike.

SAT

9.30PM

THE BLACK ABBEY FREE AND UNTICKETED

The Lost Music of Byzantium

Yeats’ Byzantium

Alexander Lingas

Roy Foster Ireland

Canada/Greece In parallel with the performances of Bastard Amber, co-commissioned by the Festival and inspired in part by Yeats’ great poem ‘Sailing to Byzantium’, two talks explore visions of that ancient city. In the first of these, Alexander Lingas uncovers the lost traditions of Byzantine music. When Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453, sacred Byzantine chant (the eastern sibling of Gregorian chant) was lost and almost forgotten. Lingas – founder and Artistic Director of Cappella Romana, an ensemble celebrated for its recordings of this repertoire – takes us in search of the sacred music that was heard in Hagia Sophia, the great church built by the Emperor Justinian in the same century in which Canice founded his monastic settlement at Kilkenny.

In the 150th anniversary of Yeats’ birth, Roy Foster discusses the background and meaning of the two famous poems about Byzantium. His talk traces some unexpected Irish inspirations and echoes, as well as exploring what the poems say about sex and death: the two topics (according to Yeats) “of the least interest to a serious and studious mood”.

Duration 60 mins approx.

SAT

15 11AM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

Roy Foster is Carroll Professor of Irish History at the University of Oxford and a well-known cultural commentator, critic and broadcaster. His many books include the two-volume authorised biography of Yeats, a number of works on Irish history and literature, and the widely praised Vivid Faces: the revolutionary generation in Ireland 1890-1923, just published in paperback.

SAT

15 6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €16/€14

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

The Cardinall’s Musick UK

In 2010, The Cardinall’s Musick’s performance of works by Tallis and Byrd was one of the highlights of the Festival and, this year, the celebrated British ensemble makes an eagerly awaited return with two concerts. This first programme presents a selection of masterworks by Thomas Tallis, the great Elizabethan who wrote some of the most beautiful and profound music of the Renaissance. As a special addition to the programme, The Cardinall’s Musick joins forces with leading Irish choral singers to perform Tallis’ spectacular 40-part motet Spem in alium – one of the summits of choral music – in the glorious acoustic of St Canice’s. Formed by Andrew Carwood in 1989, The Cardinall’s Musick has established itself as one of Britain’s foremost choral ensembles. Taking its name from Cardinal Wolsey, the group has developed an outstanding reputation in the music of the English Renaissance, winning no fewer than four Gramophone Awards for Early Music (including one for their recording of Tallis’ Ave rosa sine spinis), while also embracing a wide variety of styles and periods from Bach to world premieres by composers such as Michael Finnissy, Simon Whalley, Matthew Martin and Judith Weir.

ETERNAL HARMONY: THE MUSIC OF JS BACH

the voices of Andrew Carwood and his eight cohorts could probably start a blaze in the Antarctic!

Photo Dylan Vaughan

THOMAS TALLIS: A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

The Times

THE MUSICAL OFFERING

BACH’S MOTETS AND THEIR FOREBEARS

Maya Homburger (Switzerland) violin Rachel Beckett (UK) flute Marja Gaynor (Finland/Ireland) violin/viola Sarah McMahon (Ireland) cello Malcolm Proud (Ireland) harpsichord

the best ensemble singing talent Britain can produce

Camerata Kilkenny PROGRAMME Videte miraculum E’en like the hunted hind Jesu salvator saeculi Why brag’st in malice high Gaude gloriosa Magnificat a 5 Iam Christus astra ascenderat Homo quidam fecit Homage to Tallis (by Cheryl Frances-Hoad) Spem in alium Duration 1 hr 45 mins approx.

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €30/€26 7.30PM ZONE B REGULAR €26/€23 SAT

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

The Cardinall’s Musick UK International Record Review

PROGRAMME The Musical Offering for harpsichord and chamber instruments BWV 1079 Duration 55 mins approx. In 1747, when Bach was finally admitted to the presence of Frederick the Great of Prussia, the king played a theme and commanded Bach to improvise a fugue, which he did in a manner that astonished those present. Bach followed this feat by composing one of the pinnacles of his art: The Musical Offering, a collection of works all based on that same theme. On the final day of the Festival, ensemble in residence Camerata Kilkenny perform this mysterious late masterpiece, which they recorded in 2011 to great critical acclaim. SUN

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT

See page 58

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €16/€14

1PM

Airs on a Bach String Ian Fox Ireland SUN

16 11AM

o’neill foley

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

PROGRAMME JS Bach: Lobet den Herren BWV 230 JS Bach: Fürchte dich nicht BWV 228 JS Bach: Komm, Jesu, komm BWV 229 JS Bach: Singet dem Herrn BWV 225 And works by Heinrich Schütz, Melchoir Franck and Johannes Eckard Duration 80 mins approx. Bach’s magnificent Motets look back to the composers who first merged the Renaissance motet with the German Lutheran chorale. For this final programme in the Bach series, The Cardinall’s Musick sets Bach’s work in the context of his forebears, combining the work of masters such as Heinrich Schütz with four of Bach’s six Motets, including Singet dem Herren, which features one of Bach’s most uplifting melodies. SUN

16 3PM

THE BLACK ABBEY ADMISSION €25/€22

No other composer has had so much of his music adapted, orchestrated, jazzed up or messed about as Bach – an indication of his continuing pre-eminence. As the Festival’s epic Bach series draws to a close, critic and broadcaster Ian Fox introduces and plays some of the most intriguing examples of the afterlife of the great composer’s music, from symphonic adaptations to jazz and electronics. Duration 70 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 58

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Festival Finale hosted by Martin Hayes with Thomas Bartlett Brooklyn Rider Dennis Cahill Maya Homburger Aoife Ní Bhriain Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill Iarla Ó Lionáird Robert Pinsky

Jane Smiley USA America’s Tolstoy The Guardian

Last year saw the introduction of a new Kilkenny highlight: the Festival Finale, featuring a constellation of artists who were in residence during the Festival, plus special guests. Continuing the tradition of that sold-out, unforgettable night, this year’s Finale is again hosted by Marble City Sessions co-curator Martin Hayes, and features a wealth of performers not only from the Sessions but also from our Bach series, as well as poet in residence Robert Pinsky. This unique evening will also premiere some new collaborations and projects which the artists have been developing during the Festival. With special guests including Gloaming members Thomas Bartlett and Iarla Ó Lionáird, it promises to be a spectacular climax to ten days and nights of artistic adventures in the Marble City.

Since A Thousand Acres, her reworking of King Lear, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992, Jane Smiley has been feted as one of the great contemporary American novelists. A writer with Dickensian range, she has tackled everything from fourteenth-century Greenland (The Greenlanders) to contemporary Hollywood (Ten Days in the Hills), and she comes to Kilkenny with her most ambitious project yet. The 1,300-page ‘Last Hundred Years’ trilogy tells the multigenerational story of the Langdons, Iowa farming folk, from 1920 to 2019. Told from multiple points of view, with an unerring feel for the changing historical landscape and the tensions of family life, the trilogy is already being hailed as her finest achievement.

Duration 2 hrs 45 mins approx. (including interval)

Duration 60 mins approx. SUN

SUN

16 5PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €16/€14

Photo Ross Costigan

7.30PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €40/€35 ZONE B REGULAR €35/€30.50

Secret Garden Music

Photo: Ross Costigan

Following a huge audience response to its introduction in the 2014 Festival, Secret Garden Music returns with a unique series of free, popup concerts, twice each afternoon, for audiences of all ages from 2 to 102. Major international and Irish musicians, many of them in residence at the Festival, perform in six of Kilkennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most beautiful historic city gardens. This year, the locations are expanding to include two new garden venues: the 13th-century Black Abbey, and the River Court on the banks of the Nore with a stunning view of the castle. Drop by each afternoon to discover who is playing and enjoy world-class music in these magical, hidden spaces. Duration 15 mins approx. Performances are subject to weather conditions.

SAT

TUES

FRI

SAT

TUES

FRI

SUN

3PM

4PM

3PM

11 14

BUTLER HOUSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

11 14

BLACK ABBEY GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

WED

12 3PM

CASTLE ROSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

SAT

SUN

3PM

4PM

WED

12 4PM

SAT

MON

THU

4PM

3PM

HERITAGE COUNCIL GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

10 13 RIVER COURT GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

SUN

MON

THU

3PM

4PM

16 10 13 ROTHE HOUSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

SUN

16 4PM

A Festival Portrait

Meta-Perceptual Helmets Cleary Connolly Ireland

Mick O’Dea Ireland

Have you ever wondered how the world looks from the point of view of a hammerhead shark, with its hyper-stereo vision? How about a horse, which has exceptional peripheral vision? Or a chameleon, which can look backwards and forwards at the same time? Now, thanks to artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly, you can find out. Cleary Connolly have developed a series of wearable sculptures called ‘Meta-Perceptual Helmets’ – helmets that enable you to see what an animal sees. Drop into Rothe House every day during the festival, where you can try on a range of helmets – for creatures both real and imaginary – and wander around the gardens, transforming yourself into a living, moving sculpture to see and be seen. At once playful and serious, Meta-Perceptual Helmets is an innovative and interactive exhibition that meets art’s greatest challenge – to make us see the world afresh.

Cleary Connolly’s meta-perceptual helmets ingeniously invite us to set aside our preconceptions and to experience things in ways quite different from the norm

Photo Conor Horgan

The Irish Times

a master draughtsman and a painter who relishes the processes of image-making Irish Arts Review

JAMES STEPHENS BARRACKS SUNDAY 9 – SUNDAY 16 AUGUST 2.30-4PM ADMISSION FREE

Mick O’Dea is one of Ireland’s bestknown artists, President of the Royal Hibernian Academy and a winner of countless awards, including the Arnotts National Portrait Award and the Ireland-US Council/Irish Arts Review Portraiture Award.

As both a portraitist and a landscape artist who thrives on working en plein air, O’Dea is uniquely placed to take on the role of visual artist in residence for the 2015 Festival. Throughout the ten days, O’Dea will portray key Festival artists, while also capturing the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the Festival, sketching performances and events as they happen.

Mick O’Dea’s studio will be located in Kilkenny’s historic James Stephens Barracks, home of the 3rd Infantry Battalion and just a few minutes’ walk from most venues. Festival-goers are invited to visit each afternoon from Sunday 9 August onwards (details below). Why not drop in and watch a great artist at work? And, as the Festival progresses, look out for completed paintings and sketches on display in a range of venues around the city.

ARTIST’S TALK SUN

3PM ADMISSION FREE BUT TICKETED

ROTHE HOUSE SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 16 AUGUST 11AM-5PM ADMISSION FREE

National Craft Gallery

Curated by Emmett Scanlon

Nine Lives is an exhibition showcasing the work of a new generation of architects who, together with curator Emmett Scanlon, were selected to represent Ireland at three international architecture festivals in 2015, as part of the New Horizon_architecture from Ireland initiative. These exciting young architects collaborate across disciplines to develop new modes of practice for the 21st century. The exhibition presents extracts from the ongoing ‘life stories’ of nine rooms – stories that were made concrete through architectural design and continue to develop through occupation and use. Moments from each room’s story are presented here side by side, using photographs and drawings. Featuring the work of acclaimed architects TAKA, Clancy Moore, Hall McKnight, Steve Larkin, GKMP, A2, Ryan Kennihan, AP+E, Urban Agency and Emmett Scanlon, Nine Lives is a fascinating contribution to the ongoing story of how we design and use built space. New Horizon_architecture from Ireland forms part of Irish Design 2015 (ID2015), a year-long initiative backed by the Irish government exploring, promoting and celebrating Irish design throughout Ireland and internationally.

Installation

The Sky’s the Limit with artists Órla Kelly and Deirdre Rogers Build, make and explore a magical city using light, paper and fabric. Come on a creative journey through this magical handmade cityscape with artists Órla Kelly and Deirdre Rogers. ReCreate will supply a variety of unusual materials to make this a unique creative experience for the whole family. This is a drop-in activity for all ages.

Photo Noel Bowler

Nine Lives

TALK Gallery 1 Tuesday 11 August, 5.30pm

Children’s Workshops

Occupation and Craft in Architecture talk, followed by Q&A with curator Emmett Scanlon, Nathalie Weadick (director of the Irish Architecture Foundation) and selected architects from the Nine Lives exhibition. See www.nationalcraftgallery.ie for details.

NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY CASTLE YARD SAT 8 & SUN 9 AUGUST 1PM–4PM

Workshops are free. Book by calling the Festival box office from 6 July. Due to limited capacity, maximum of one workshop per child. Parents/guardians must stay in the Castle Yard area during workshops.

Clay Skyscrapers with Maeve Sookram This experimental workshop invites children to construct a skyscraper using clay and an assortment of found objects. Create fascinating forms and see how you can build a tall structure with ceramist Maeve Sookram. Each child will have the opportunity to make a ‘mini’ skyscraper with air-dried clay that can also be taken home and painted.

Modular Towers with Billy McDonald The Modular Towers workshop gives children the opportunity to explore architectural design through the tactile process of model making. Participants will transform a simple cardboard box into an apartment unit, experimenting with form and texture. Each apartment will then be stacked to create a modular tower. This architectural experiment will encourage children to play with the process of design.

Building Patterns with Caroline Ryan

4PM

NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY, CASTLE YARD MON-SAT 10AM-5.30PM, SUN 11AM-5.30PM (EXCEPT FRI 14 & SAT 15 AUG: OPEN 10AM-4PM) EXHIBITION CONTINUES UNTIL 27 SEPTEMBER ADMISSION FREE

Photo Paul Tierney

OPENING SAT

Create unique patterns inspired by the architecture featured in the Nine Lives exhibition. Take a closer look at structure, explore lines and identify shapes and patterns through the medium of print. Each child will learn the skill of silkscreen printing and take home their own unique design. NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY, CASTLE YARD TUES 11, WED 12 & THURS 13 AUGUST ALL OF THE ABOVE WORKSHOPS RUN AT 2PM, 3PM & 4PM DAILY AGES 5-13 DURATION 45 MINS PER WORKSHOP

BUTLER GALLERY & CARTOON SALOON PRESENT

Song of the Sea: THE EXHIBITION Butler Gallery, one of Ireland’s most vibrant contemporary art spaces, in collaboration with twice Oscar®-nominated Cartoon Saloon, presents an interactive, multimedia exhibition of original drawings, prints, storyboards, animation and scene realisation, revealing an insider’s view of Cartoon Saloon’s movie-making process.

Shapeshifters: Character Design Workshops

The exhibition includes a timeline of the Song of the Sea history, from initial drawings to the delivery of a world-class animation film. Visitors will be able to create their own animations on-site while projections bring the gallery walls to life with music and image. With thanks to the exhibition funders: Arts Council, ID 2015: A Year of Design, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Gorilla Creative Post Production, Grant Thornton, Allied Irish Bank, Kilkenny County Council, TV Paint, Wacom, Costellos Brewing Company.

Song of the Sea animator in residence Rory will invite participants to discover how simple shapes can create complex characters! Accompanying adults may book a place to participate, or remain on-site for duration of workshop. Book via Kilkenny Arts Festival Box Office.

BUTLER

GALLERY

BUTLER GALLERY BUTLER GALLERY, THE CASTLE, KILKENNY TEL: +353 56 776 1106 WWW.BUTLERGALLERY.COM

BUTLERRECEPTION GALLERY SPECIAL TO CELEBRATE KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL (FEATURING COSTELLOS BEER) SATURDAY 8 AUGUST 3PM - 5PM EXHIBITION RUNS FROM 4 JULY TO 11 OCTOBER 10AM – 5.30PM DAILY

Song of the Sea, Acadamy Award® Nominee - Best Animated Feature, IFTA Award Winner - Best Film.

MUNIMENTS ROOM, KILKENNY CASTLE 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 AUGUST 11AM - 12PM DURATION 60 MINS ADMISSION €5 PER PERSON SUITABLE FOR AGES 6+

Become a Festival Friend!

THE GREGORY WALKERS (IRELAND)

Bake!

The Isle is Full of Noises, Sounds and Sweet Airs

Bake! takes the familiar ritual of a birthday party and turns it into something extra special The Irish Times It’s Prince Fredrik’s ninth birthday, but who will bake the royal birthday cake? As things heat up in the busy kitchen of the queen’s palace, young apprentice baker Madeleine attempts to prove herself to her father.

A delightful new theatre experience for young audiences performed by Paul Curley, designed by Ger Clancy and directed by Philip Hardy, Bake! invites you into the action of the royal palace. Get stuck in, but be warned: things could get messy. Duration 40 mins approx.

Duration 50 mins approx.

12PM & 3PM

SUN

12PM & 3PM

PATRON Reidy & Foley Solicitors

From Othello to The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare’s plays are full of references to music and popular songs. But how did they actually sound? In this delightful programme for the whole family, strolling players The Gregory Walkers perform a collection of popular Elizabethan tunes, from timeless folk songs like ‘Greensleeves’ to fashionable dances like the volta.

SAT

As an individual or business, you’ll find a range of Friend options and benefits available, from complimentary tickets and discounts to Festival Club membership and special events. Friends membership starts at just €95 (€50 for under-35s). To join, call the Festival Office on 056 7763663 or visit kilkennyarts.ie/support-us to find out more.

Photo: Ross Costigan

PAUL CURLEY (IRELAND)

Help make Kilkenny Arts Festival one of Europe’s finest artistic celebrations. For over 40 years we’ve brought a host of the world’s best artists to the beautiful surroundings of Ireland’s medieval city, showcasing Kilkenny on the global stage each August and generating more than €5 million per annum for the city and county. Making this possible is the support of dozens of local businesses, hundreds of local volunteers and thousands of loyal Festival-goers from near and far.

BARNSTORM THEATRE AGES 4-6 ADMISSION €7

SUN

1PM & 2.30PM

PARADE TOWER AGES 5+ ADMISSION €7

BEST FRIEND Boland & Company Solicitors O’Reilly’s Wallpaper, Paints & Gifts

SPECIAL FRIEND Allens Ann Phelan TD Aut Even Hospital Beatrice Ryan Bluett O’Donoghue Architects Butler Court Guest House The Butterslip Countrystyle Foods

Dores Nostalgia Café - Michael Dore Edward Hayden’s School of Cookery Folkster Happy Times Haven Pharmacy O’Connells John’s Green Medical Centre Kilkenny Castle Tea Rooms - Michael Dore Kilkenny Modern Printers Ltd Mary Mahony & Jimmy Lenehan Michael Hutchinson Moth to a Flame Mugshot Café Murphy Jewellers Murphy Stuart Insurance Newpark Pharmacy O’Brien Butchers Patrick M Farrell Accountants Patrick O Byrne Petronella’s Restaurant PWC Stonehouse Books

FESTIVAL TEAM

Street Entertainment SAT 8 AUGUST CANAL WALK 1PM MacDONAGH JUNCTION 3PM

Street entertainment around Kilkenny City each weekend!

SUNDAY 9 AUGUST MacDONAGH JUNCTION 1PM THE PARADE 3PM

SATURDAY 15 AUGUST MacDONAGH JUNCTION 1PM THE PARADE 3PM

SUNDAY 16 AUGUST THE PARADE 12PM CANAL WALK 4PM

Susan Mosse Violet Twomey WH Good Ltd

FRIEND Cllr David Fitzgerald Donohoe Town and Country Florence Ryan The Gourmet Store Jim Ryan Kilkenny Crafts Cllr Malcolm Noonan Cllr Michael Doyle Mocha’s Vintage Tea Rooms Cllr Peter Cleere Rudolf Heltzel Three Sixty

PATRON

Festival Director Eugene Downes

Marketing Manager Nollaig Healy

Artist Liaison Assistant Graphic Design Hazel Doyle Íde Deloughry

Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland

Festival Producer Olga Barry

Box Office Manager Cathy Hogan

Programme Editor Alistair Daniel

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Festival Administrator Valerie Ryan

Development Manager Marketing Consultant Siobhan Donohoe Annette Nugent

Production Manager Aidan Wallace

Artist Liaison Cornelia McCarthy

Publicity Gerry Lundberg PR

Web Design Pixel Design Official IT Provider BITS

Emer Foley (Chair), Fergus Cronin, Orla Kelly, Maureen Kennelly, Conor Langton, Anna O’Sullivan, Michael O’Toole, Thomas O’Toole, Isabell Smyth, Bill Whelan

CULTUREFOX.IE

NEVER MISS OUT The Arts Council’s new, upgraded CULTUREFOX events guide is now live. Free, faster, easy to use – and personalised for you. Never miss out again.

Great Places to Stay

Coordinated by

Discover the past. Build the future.

22nd-30th August

heritageweek.ie

Celebrating our 10th Festival

2015 New Ross Piano Festival

Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel 056 775 0200

Hotel Kilkenny 056 776 2000

Kilkenny Pembroke Hotel 056 778 3500

Kilkenny River Court Hotel 056 772 3388

Langton House Hotel 056 776 513

FINGHIN COLLINS / ALEXEI GRYNYUK OLGA SCHEPS / CÉDRIC TIBERGHIEN DARIA VAN DEN BERCKEN / FIDELIO TRIO RTÉ CONCERT ORCHESTRA

For best rates book your accommodation at kilkennyarts.ie

Newpark Hotel 056 776 0500

Lyrath Estate Hotel 056 776 0088

Great Places to Eat

Special Festival menus available

ROS TAPESTRY SUITE VI TO X

Thursday 24 – Sunday 27 September St. Mary’s Church, New Ross, Co. Wexford Booking: 051 421255 • www.stmichaelsnewross.com info@newrosspianofestival.com • www.newrosspianofestival.com

Callsave

1850 200 878

Campagne 056 777 2858

The Club House 056 772 1994

Anocht 056 772 2188

Ristorante Rinuccini 056 776 1575

Matt the Miller’s Bar & Restaurant 056 776 1696

Paris Texas 056 776 1822

NEW ROSS PIANO FESTIVAL IS SUPPORTED BY NEW ROSS

PIANO WEXFORD COUNTY COUNCIL

FESTIVAL

Rive Gauche 056 775 0016

Sol Bistro 056 776 4987

The Springhill Court Hotel Statham’s Bar & Grill 056 772 1122 056 778 3500

Zuni Restaurant 056 772 3999

Great Places to Drink

The Blue Bar 056 777 1888

Brewery Corner 056 780 5081

Bridie’s 056 776 5133

Cleere’s Bar 056 776 2573

Langton’s 056 776 5133

Left Bank 056 775 0016

Matt the Miller’s Bar & Restaurant Marble City Bar 056 776 1696 056 776 1143

Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny tells the story of Ireland’s most popular ale, and was recently included in ‘New In Travel’, one of the top 26 hottest new attractions in the world to visit in 2015, by The Lonely Planet. Located in the heart of Ireland’s Medieval Mile, it is a must-see for all visitors to Kilkenny.

D OA

REET

St Canice’s Cathedral

See the epic DruidShakespeare (p.4) over two nights (Wed 12 & Thurs 13) and the opening night of Bastard Amber (Fri 14, p.32) for €55 - save up to @12

Sol Bistro

’S HN

ST IAM HOLE IN

WIL

THE WALL

Paris Texas

T YS IAR

Rive Gauche

STR

R PE UP ST

R WE

Langton House Hotel

Bridie’s

Langton’s

BUTLER GALLERY

KILKENNY CASTLE PARK

PARADE TOWER

Anocht

3 17

BUTLER HOUSE GARDEN

K ST

ROA D

SET THEATRE

LIN

KILKENNY RIVER COURT HOTEL

LONG GALLERY

EP AR

E Ristorante 11 Rinuccini Pembroke Hotel Statham’s Bar & Grill

Butler House

The Blue Bar

OND E ORM

Kilkenny Castle

IC PATR

Club House Hotel

ET RE ST

Zuni

W NE

To Hotel Kilkenny

OND ORM Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

Both choral concerts by The Cardinall’s Musick (Tallis on 15 August, p.40, and Bach’s Motets on 16 August, p.41) for €45 - save up to @11

Great Places to Stay Great Places to Eat Great Places to Drink

KILKENNY CASTLE ROSE GARDEN

14 24

Eight concerts (including your choice of either performance of Partitas & Potts [p.31], but excluding the Festival Finale) for €130 – save up to @60

Kilkenny City Map

RIVER COURT GARDEN

LEFT BANK

The Cardinall’s Double

E ST

EET

Marble City Sessions

T REE

Matt the Miller’s

BRI

ELL

Three events inspired by the ancient city of Byzantium: Bastard Amber (Fri 14 or Sat 15, p.32), The Lost Music of Byzantium and Yeats’ Byzantium (both Sat 15 & p.39) for €35 – save up to @13

To Lyrath Estate Hotel

HN SS

N’

LAN

EET

JO KIE

STR

’S IER

HIGH

Three Epic Nights

N PAR

Two classic concerts in the Black Abbey on Mon 10: Jordi Savall (p.22) and Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos (p.21) for €40 – save up to @11

St John’s Priory

TREET

LAN

PEL

Byzantine Trio

Marble City Bar

T REE

TRAIN STATION

BOX OFFICE

Baroque Double Bill

ES S

JAM

MILL S

See both The Human Voice (p.7) and Susanna’s Secret (p.12) (your choice of dates) for €25 – save up to @8

MacDONAGH JUNCTION

Rothe House

Opera Weekend

ENT

IAM

ROTHE HOUSE GARDEN

BLACK

Two legendary world musicians performing with their sons: Toumani & Sidiki Diabaté (Sat 8, p.13) and Amjad, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Khan (Wednesday 12, p.27) for €45 – save up to @10

ANE

ING L

ILD W BU

MIC

1710 COURTYARD, SMITHWICK’S EXPERIENCE

L PAR

All three performances of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (pp 8, 23 & 26) for €52 – save up to @13

Fathers & Sons

ET TRE

Three Goldbergs

WATERGATE THEATRE

Campagne

The Black Abbey

BLACK ABBEY GARDEN

DEA

Cleere’s Bar & Theatre 22 Brewery Corner 20

EET

JAMES STEPHENS BARRACKS

NIC

N ST

A double bill on Fri 14: Brooklyn Rider Almanac (p.36) and your choice of either Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill (p.36) or Bastard Amber (p.32) for €32 - save up to @13

Brooklyn Friday Night

P E’S

LFE

ROSE IN

All ten lunchtime concerts for €99 – save up to @70

Bach Quintet Complete Bach At Lunchtime

IRI

Any three lunchtime concerts for €35 – save up to @15

RR ME

HERITAGE COUNCIL GARDEN

A double bill of two grand masters of music: Zhu Xiao-Mei (p.26) and Amjad Ali Khan (p.27), on Wed 12 for €39 – save up to @14

Bach Trio

R ST VICA

Grand Masters From The East

BARNSTORM THEATRE

To Newpark Hotel

CO LE ST CA

EN GRE

Special Ticket Deals

Any five lunchtime concerts for €54 – save up to @30

RIDG

’S B

To The Springhill Court Hotel

Castle Yard NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY

2cm = 100m approx.

1 inch = 400 feet approx.

Kilkenny Arts Festival 2015 Schedule Friday 07

St Canice’s Cathedral

Saturday 08

Sunday 09

Hubert Butler Lecture 6pm, p.9

Bach: Les Arts Florissants & William Christie 7.30pm, p.18

Bach: Mass in B Minor 8pm, p.14

Castle Yard

DruidShakespeare (Full Cycle) 5pm, also Thurs 6 August 5pm, p.4

St John’s Priory

Bach: Well-Tempered Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1/I Clavier Book 1/II 1pm, p.6 1pm, p.6 Bach and the Chain of Being 4.30pm, p.6

Black Abbey

DruidShakespeare (Part 1) 7.30pm, p.4

Monday 10

Tuesday 11

Wednesday 12

Thursday 13

Bach: The Art of Fugue 1pm, p.23

Bach: Clavier Übung III 1pm, p.25

MCS: Jordi Savall, Martin Hayes & Friends 7.30pm, p.24

DruidShakespeare (Part 2) 6.30pm, p.4 Bach: Cello Suites I 1pm, p.16

Sunday 16

MCS: Cork Gamelan Sir András Schiff: Ensemble & Special Guests Last Sonatas 8pm, p.30 8pm, p.34

The Cardinall’s Musick: Thomas Tallis 7.30pm, p.40

MCS: Festival Finale 7.30pm, p.43

DruidShakespeare (Part 1) 7.30pm, p.4

DruidShakespeare (Part 2) 7.30pm, p.4

DruidShakespeare (Full Cycle) 5pm, p.4

Bach: Violin & Harpsichord Sonatas II 1pm, p.28

Bach: Great Concertos 1pm, p.38

Bach: Violin & Harpsichord Sonatas I 1pm, p.28

MCS: Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill & Friends 7.30pm, p.36

A Bach Meditation: Violin Sonatas & Partitas 9.30pm, p.38

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 7.30pm, p.21

Bach: Goldberg Variations III 7.30pm, p.26

Jordi Savall: The Spirit of the Viol 9.30pm, p.22 Guthrie & Shakespeare 11am, p.17 To Find a Heathen Place and Sound a Bell 6pm, p.17

Bach: The Man Behind the Music 6pm, p.21

MCS: The Brooklyn Rider Almanac 9.30pm, p.36 Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet 6pm, p.29

Robert Pinsky 6pm, p.29

The Human Voice 8pm, p.7

The Human Voice 3pm, p.7

Susanna’s Secret 3pm, p.12

Susanna’s Secret 6pm, p.12 Toumani & Sidiki Diabaté 10pm, p.13

Da Lata 9.30pm, p.20

MCS: Amjad Ali Khan 9.30pm, p.27 Meta-Perceptual Helmets 11am-5pm, p.47

Set Theatre

Meta-Perceptual Helmets Meta-Perceptual Helmets Meta-Perceptual Helmets Meta-Perceptual Helmets 11am-5pm, p.47 11am-5pm, p.47 11am-5pm, p.47 11am-5pm, p.47

Rothe House

The Lost Music of Byzantium 11am, p.39 Favourite Poem Project 3pm, p.29

Watergate Theatre

Bach: The Musical Offering 1pm, p.41

Bach: Goldberg Variations I 9.30pm, p.8

Parade Tower

Saturday 15

Bach: Cello Suites II 1pm, p.16

Friday 14

Cleary Connolly artist talk 3pm, p.47

The Tao of Bach 6pm, p.26

Shakespeare & Ireland 4.30pm, p.4

Yeats’ Byzantium 6pm, p.39

Bastard Amber 8pm, p.32

MCS: Brooklyn Rider, Hayes & Cahill 10pm, p.37

Meta-Perceptual Helmets 11am-5pm, p.47

MCS: Partitas & Potts 10.30pm, p.31

Bach’s Motets and their Forebears 3pm, p.41

Airs on a Bach String 11am, p.41 The Isle is Full of Noises 1pm & 2.30pm, p.52 Jane Smiley 5pm, p.42

Meta-Perceptual Helmets 11am-5pm, p.47

MCS: Partitas & Potts 6pm, p.31

WORKSHOPS Shapeshifters: Character Design Muniments Room, Kilkenny Castle Sat 8, Sun 9, Wed 12, Thurs 13, Fri 14, Sat 15, Sun 16, 11am-12pm p.51 The Sky’s the Limit National Craft Gallery Sat 8 & Sun 9 1pm–4pm p.49 Clay Skyscrapers National Craft Gallery Tues 11, Wed 12 & Thurs 13 2pm, 3pm & 4pm p.49 Modular Towers National Craft Gallery Tues 11, Wed 12 & Thurs 13 2pm, 3pm & 4pm p.49 Building Patterns National Craft Gallery Tues 11, Wed 12 & Thurs 13 2pm, 3pm & 4pm p.49

Castle Park

Mirazozo 11am-6pm, p.10

Mirazozo 12pm-6pm, p.10

Mirazozo 11am-6pm, p.10

STREET EVENTS

Other Venues

Diplomatic Coffee Club Hole in the Wall 11am, p.9

Bake! Barnstorm Theatre 12pm & 3pm, p.52

Secret Garden Music River Court Garden 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Butler House Garden 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Castle Rose Garden 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music River Court Garden 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Butler House Garden 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Castle Rose Garden 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music River Court Garden 3pm, p.44

Bake! Barnstorm Theatre 12pm & 3pm, p.52

Secret Garden Music Castle Rose Garden 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Rothe House Garden 4pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Black Abbey Garden 4pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Rothe House Garden 4pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Black Abbey Garden 4pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Heritage Council Garden 4pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Rothe House Garden 4pm, p.44

Sat 8 August Canal Walk 1pm MacDonagh Junction 3pm p.52

Secret Garden Music Butler House Garden 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Heritage Council Garden 4pm, p.44

Bach: Goldberg Variations II Long Gallery 10pm, p.23

Secret Garden Music Black Abbey Garden 4pm, p.44

A Festival Portrait Mick O’Dea studio 2.30-4pm, p.46

National Craft Gallery

Song of the Sea: The Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.50

Sat 15 August MacDonagh Junction 1pm The Parade 3pm p.52

A Festival Portrait Mick O’Dea studio 2.30-4pm, p.46

Song of the Sea: Song of the Sea: The Exhibition 10am-5.30pm The Exhibition (reception 3pm), p.50 10am-5.30pm, p.50

Song of the Sea: The Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.50

Nine Lives Opening 4pm, p.48

Nine Lives 10am-5.30pm, p.48

Nine Lives 10am-5.30pm (panel 5.30pm), p.48

Nine Lives 10am–5.30pm, p.48

Nine Lives 10am–4pm, p.48

Nine Lives 11am–5.30pm, p.48

James Stephens Barracks Butler Gallery

Sun 9 August MacDonagh Junction 1pm The Parade 3pm p.52

Secret Garden Music Heritage Council Garden 4pm, p.44 MCS: Martin Hayes & David Power 1710 Courtyard, Smithwick’s Experience 6.30pm, p.25

Imaginary Saloon Left Bank 4.30pm, p.8

FREE EVENTS

Dante in Dunmore Dunmore Cave 3.30pm, p.25

Nine Lives 11am–5.30pm, p.48

Sun 16 August The Parade 12pm Canal Walk 4pm p.52

Back Cover image: Ian Allen

BOOKING TICKETS FOR KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL 2015 ONLINE today at

kilkennyarts.ie

BY PHONE from 6 July on +353 56 775 2175

IN PERSON from 6 July at the Festival Box Office 14 John Street, Kilkenny Weekdays: 10am - 5.30pm (closed Monday 3 August) During the Festival: daily 10.30am - 7.30pm