Live Broadcasts to Best Seat in Your House

There is nothing like being there. No- but  enjoying live music and drama in your living room is pretty damn good. You can curl up on your sofa in your pyjamas, and no one is going to poke you in the ribs if you snooze during the solo arias. For the cost of a cinema ticket, you can catch a new opera production every other week at my local Odeon multiplex, walking distance from my base in Waterford. There is something thrilling about enjoying the live  event at the same time as  patrons sitting in the parterre of the Met or Convent Garden.  I admit it -I  am hooked by the online experience. Here are some of the highlights of the last ten days.

London Orfeo at the Roundhouse
This co production between ROH and Roundhouse, London was broadcast live on January 29th .  A thrilling , visceral production with terrific performances and  rich new translation by Don Paterson . Available to view for a while longer. Watch it here  on  BBC Arts.

A smartstick plugged into your tv makes it easier to watch on a larger screen than a laptop. The signal failed intermittently  but on the whole, it was a good experience.

T

London Andre Chenier at the Royal Opera House 
Telegraph review here 
For €12.50 you got as good a view of the hot ticket,  tenor Jonas Kaufmann as you would if you were in the stalls of Covent Garden and if you pine for the crush bar experience, Phil Grimes pub next door has prosecco on tap.

Dublin  Friday Concert Live on Lyric Concert RTE Lyric FM

Friday's concert (Feb 6th) featured American violinist, Kurt Nikkannen in Korngold's Violin Concerto and a Schubert Symphony. The NSO sounded in fine form, the soloist shimmered in the lush Korngold score. Conductor Patrick Ringborg told a charming anecdote as a prelude to a Mahler piece,  I do miss the scripted interval piece though. The current interval filler features an informal chat with  two aficionados chatting at the bar. It doesn't make for good radio. Listen back here http://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/the-lyric-concert-with-paul-herriott/

NY Met Live on radio and on screen. Tales of Hoffmann

Most Saturday nights, you can tune in to RTELyric FM amongst others to hear a live broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera House . Last week it was Tales of Hoffmann. I went along to see the live broadcast the Odeon Waterford This was feast for the eye  and ear and great fun. You can read the NYT review here .  

I am not a fan of the interval chats with the performers. It spoils the illusion when the smouldering baddie turns out to be a genial pussycat, However, Deborah Voigt  with a touch of flirtation in her quizzing did a terrific job and almost convinced me. We were just a little star struck  when she replied to our tweet. 

@fidleir @MetOpera Hello IRELAND!
— Deborah Voigt (@debvoigt) January 31, 2015

Munich : Lucia di Lammermoor: Staatsoper: .

I had more than a passing interest in this production. In January,  I had climbed  in the Souffleur's box on a backstage tour and had a preview of the set before opening night. The run has been sold out for months.  I interviewed one of the cast, Dean Power and  interview is filed with the Irish Examiner. The most talked about production of the current season at Staatsoper had a fifties American makeover. The singing was superb from Diana Damrau and Pavol Breslik. Dean Power was excellent as Noramnno . Bachtrack review here http://bachtrack.com/kritik-lucia-di-lammermoor-petrenko-damrau-staatsoper-muenchen-februar-2015

Bravo @bay_staatsoper #BSOLucia Fantastic to be watching from a sofa in Ireland http://t.co/YUx31Wa5OK
— Fidleir (@fidleir) February 8, 2015

The interval feature put the spotlight on the glass harmonica  

Next live streaming features more Donizetti: L'Elisir d amore 21st April https://www.staatsoper.de/en/staatsopertv.html

Los Angelos Dean Friedman live @Kulak's Woodshed 
Finally if you are a fan of Dean Friedman you can watch his show at a small club in California. Friedman played at Garter Lane last year and I regretted not being free to hear his whole set. Through the wonders of modern technology, I can at least hear what I missed. 

Dean Friedman Live! @ Kulak'sWoodshed - Concert Video Now ON-LINE. Check it out - you'll dig it!: http://t.co/JkSS169QOe … Pay-What-You-Like
— Dean Friedman (@DeanFriedman) February 7, 2015

Q& A with Pianist Michael McHale

Michael Collins. the most distinguished British clarinettist returns to the Georgian Large Room, Waterford on Thursday (Feb 12th). Collins is one of the many fabulous international artists introduced to Waterford-Music audiences by John Ruddock, the Limerick impresario who died last year.  He will be partnered by  Belfast native, Michael McHale.

I asked Michael McHale  for an e interview and heard about his new projects and his forthcoming recital. 

 At a mere 31 years, Michael McHale has moved off the lists of ‘rising stars’ and  has firmly established himself among the first rank of pianists with an international career that has taken him all over the world to major venues in Europe, Asia, North and South America. McHale has had a broad musical education. One wonders how he has managed to fit so much in. As a teenager he gigged in a jazz band  around Belfast as well as playing cello in youth orchestras. In tandem with his paino studies he picked up a double first at Cambridge.  He first came to prominence when he was among the prize winners of the Axa Dublin Piano Competition  competition in 2006. His reputation was cemented when he took first prize at the prestigious Terence Judd/ Hallé competition in 2009.

 In addition to developing a busy carer as a concert soloist and chamber musician, he has made time to record two solo albums. His debut solo recording The Irish Piano was released in 2012 and got rave reviews. British music critic,  Norman Lebrecht praised the album selecting it as CD of the week describing it thus- The Irish Piano' is a scintillating and sometimes whimsical recital that takes John Field as its starting point and spreads out across the whole of the island's music… McHale strikes just the right tone of contemplative wonderment and mischievous mythology… Fascinating from start to stop…"Just released on the Naxos label , McHales’ second solo album ‘Miniatures and Modulations’ combines the efforts of Belfast musicians across two centuries.  Composer Phillip Hammond dips into the treasure trove of airs collected by Edward Bunting at the 1792 Harp Festival and uses these ‘miniatures’ as the basis  for a set of freestyle  ‘modulations’.    New solo recording projects include an album of Schubert and contemporary interludes for Ergodos.

Little taster of our fab artists Michael Collins/ Michael Mc Hale from The Lyrical Clarinet http://t.co/1ndB2LO234 FEB 12 #Waterford
— Waterford-Music (@Waterford_Music) February 4, 2015

  In great demand as a concerto soloist, McHale is also much sought after as a chamber musician. In May he teams up with London Winds at the Wigmore Hall and he is just back from playing with James Galway in Lucerne. He will back in the studio to record an album of flute and piano works by Schubert, Prokofiev and Liebermann with the incredible Icelandic flautist Stefan Hoskuldsson (Delos label). 

 Reviews for previous albums have been unanimous in their praise. A  BBC Music Magazine review  noted  ‘ It’s hard to imagine this varied programme better played than it is here by Collins and Michael McHale. They’re technically impeccable and stylistically flexible’. 

How did the association with Collins come about?

I first met Michael at Barry Douglas's Clandeboye Festival in Co. Down, where we were both guest artists and performed some chamber music together. We got on really well, and subsequently Michael invited me to do a few duo recitals with him, and we've been performing together ever since! He's an exceptional musician so it is always a great pleasure to share the stage with him.

How did you arrive at the programme?

Our programme is inspired largely by our latest album, released this month, which features the Brahms clarinet sonatas and a sonata by Carl Reinecke. It's our fifth album together for the Chandos label and we were both delighted with how it turned out. We've also included in our concert programme Weber's virtuosic Grand Duo Concertant to spice things up even further!

Highlight of last year?

I was fortunate to enjoy many great musical experiences in 2014 both at home and abroad - but the highlight for me must be my début with the amazing Minnesota Orchestra at their newly refurbished Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, performing Mozart's A major Concerto K.488 with my good friend Courtney Lewis conducting, live on radio, in front of a packed house and standing ovation - what a thrill!

What are you looking forward to most in 2015?

I'm very excited to perform one of my favourite works, Beethoven's 4th concerto, in July with the RTÉ NSO. And it's always a joy to return to London's Wigmore Hall, where I perform a coffee concert in May with London Winds and an evening recital in September with Michael Collins.

I also have a few new albums coming out in 2015, which I hope will be well received - there is a solo album of wonderful Irish music by Philip Hammond: Miniatures & Modulations (Naxos' Grand Piano label - see video), another solo disc of Schubert Impromptus op.90 with contemporary interludes (Ergodos label) and an album of flute and piano works by Schubert, Prokofiev and Liebermann with the incredible Icelandic flautist Stefan Hoskuldsson (Delos label).

With airports becoming increasingly stressful,  how do you cope with the hassle of travelling?

I guess it's an occupational hazard - although the one silver lining with travelling so regularly is that one can join up with the frequent flyers' clubs and then avail of the priority check-in, fast-track security and airline lounges - this can make all the difference and over the course of a year save a lot of time.

What did you study in Cambridge?

I read Music at Cambridge - and although the degree was almost entirely academic, I was fortunate to study many disparate areas of music, such as composition, analysis, history, score reading, figured bass realization, film music, science of music, etc etc - some of which has hopefully ended up informing and enriching my approach to performance.

Where is your home base when not travelling?

I'm based in London, and have been for 10 years, since studying for two years as a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music. It's a wonderful city, and when I'm there I regularly go to concerts and gigs of all different kinds of music. It's a real artistic melting pot, and importantly it also has many well-connected airports!

Any repertoire /chamber music collaboration on your wish list in the long term

Another great highlight of 2014 was working with Camerata Pacifica (in California) - as well as playing some solo Schubert, I enjoyed a wonderful collaboration with violinist Paul Huang (see video) - I hope very much to return to give more concerts with this superb ensemble in the future.

I know you've played in Waterford before (I am told you were first to play the new piano in Christchurch). . How do you think the acoustic /setting  will suit the combination?

Yes that was a lovely evening at Christchurch with their new Yamaha piano! I've played in Waterford many times, and I particularly love the Steinway piano at City Halls, it's a beautiful instrument, and impressively well maintained, too. My last two concerts there were a solo recital and a chamber music performance with the Cappa Ensemble. Michael has played all over Ireland in every possible venue you could imagine, stretching back to the 1980s and his great friendship with (the late) John and Doreen Ruddock, to whom we will be dedicating our concert. The setting will be absolutely perfect and we're both very much looking forward to it.

 Michael Collins and Michael McHale perform at The John Ruddock Memorial Recital Georgian Large Room City Hall Waterford Feb 12^th as part of Waterford-Music Season http://www.waterford-music.org/ 8pm  €18/5

McHale play new work by Hammond last night on  Bernard Clark's Nova slot RTELyricFM Listen back here http://t.co/g4CYU4IbOk 

Listen to Aedin Gormley's interview  http://t.co/B8Cp9lPInD

Review Brahms CD on Nemmblog.com

Irish Chamber Orchestra at NCH : István Várdai

ICO in chamber music mode at the NCH


Shostakovich: 2Two pieces for octet
Schumann Cello Concerto  arr Vygen and Kahl
Nimbus for String Orchestra  Sam Perkin
Chamber Symphony for Strings op110a

The Irish Chamber Orchestra's current outing is titled World Premiere placing  Sam Perkin's commissioned piece, Nimbus for String Orchestra at the centre of their programme, bookended by works by Shostakovich.  The atmospheric, one movement work mixed a shifting palette  of string effects.  Drones set against shimmery,  tremolo violins , chuggy bass riffs, ghostly harmonics and stocky pizzicato ebbed and flowed in this freestyle piece inspired by an 'aura of radiance'. I originally thought it might have been inspired by cumulonimbus clouds and I could just imagine the music played to accompany shifting cloud patterns.

Hungarian cellist, Istvan Vardai joined them for a rendition of Schumann's Cello Concerto in a slimmed down arrangement for strings.  While some cellists can appear to wrestle with their oversized instrument, Vardai's cello seemed almost like a plaything held between his  wide arm span. The performance,  full of grace charm and effortless skill was well received by the NCH audience and we were treated to an encore, Schumann's Abendlied.   (Vardai returns to Ireland for three dates in March with pianist Finghin Collins). You can hear Vardai play the work in the video below)


The Irish Chamber Orchestra are arguably Ireland's most excellent string ensemble. The NCH is  the nation's  premier venue. So what was there not to like. The 18 standing musicians  had loads of room on the NCH platform. In the opening work, two pieces by Shostakovich for octet,  the orchestra was shorn of half it's troupe . Size matters. It felt rather like a glass of fine wine in a pint glass. The main auditorium just  lacked the intimacy that the chamber music programme, pared down to a single timbre needed to enfold the players and give the music it's full potency.

Two more dates in tour

• 20:00, Thursday, February 5, 2015

  University Concert Hall, Limerick
  Find Ticket

• 20:00, Friday, February 6, 2015

  The Model, Sligo
  Find Ticket

Hungarian Cellist with Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Budapest