(Archive) September 20th

This is just a quick warning friends: tickets for the Avishai Cohen Trio & E.S.T. (a fairly stupendous double-bill of trios) is almost sold-out (despite the fact that Jazz Fest programmes only seem to be hitting the streets today). I got a few tickets a couple of days ago and by then there was only back rows downstairs and the first few upstairs were gone - I highly recommend snapping up the last ones soon if you're hoping to go! It's on Friday 29th October in the Everyman, their booking office number is 021 450 1673 - tickets are a hefty €35 but to be honest if they were playing in separate gigs I'd be recommending seeing em both anyway so it's really good enough value...

On other jazz fest notes Diego Ramirez (drummer extraordinaire with Clear Sky Ensemble) told me Elaine Elias is amazing, she's sharing a bill with the Phil Woods Quintet on the Saturday also at the Everyman.


Sure while I'm at it I may as well keep you up to date with gigs this weekend (it was nice to bump into friends on this mailing list at the 'em' gig in the Triskel last Thursday by the way - bloody hell that was a great gig, looking forward to the rest of the series, did anyone get to Tomas Stanko last night? - so I am going to continue sending these out because it seems it gets used!).

Right this weekend:

TONIGHT -
I'll be at the Cork School of Music with my Cork Orchestral Society cap on enjoying the sweet soundworld of music for flute, harp and viola in the capable hands of William Dowdall (flute), Andreja Malir (harp) and John Lynch (viola). Lots of French romantic music going down (Faure, Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saens etc.) - perfect for drifting off to after a glass or two of wine in Movida?
...most winning in tone and musicality... The Times (London)

Or you could nip out to Fota House for the second East Cork Early Music Festival concert for a performance of (not terribly early) Schubert's Winterreise performed by John Elwes, the hook here being that pianist Una Hunt will perform on an 1807 Clementi square piano. You'd want to be a lieder-lover (there are plenty) and it's a small (and exquisite) space so I'd say call 021 4270022 fast if you want to try and get a ticket.

TOMORROW Friday-
Boy am I sorry to have to miss the Irish Chamber Orchestra's first gig this season when they will be joined by the (I know it sounds preposterous) reputedly rather sexy recorder player Piers Adams (it's the fella from Red Priest who people have been going crazy about) - described by Classic CD mag as "Beyond virtuosity into the realms of improbability". And if you haven't yet heard the best orchestra in Ireland, well - they are seriously, seriously good. (This one's also in the Cork School of Music)

SATURDAY
I'll be helping the East Cork Early Music Festival out in the Cork School of Music where they are hosting the London Handel Players with a gorgeous programme of concertos by Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, Telemann (who I've been getting into recently) and Quantz (who I've never heard of). I totally trust festival director Sarah Cunningham and can confidently recommend this one.

SUNDAY
Richard Sweeney's in Fota House at 1pm performing bewitching music by Bach Weiss and Baron on the Baroque lute. This is part of the East Cork Early Music Festival also - there's loads more going on but I'm just mentioning the stuff close to the city, check out www.eastcorkearlymusic.ie for the full programme.



All classical gigs this weekend that I'm mentioning - there's loads of gigs listed in the Whazon but I haven't heard any of them live so I ain't going to give any recommendations but I would draw your attention to the fact that John Martyn's playing Cyprus Avenue on Monday night - if he's on form it'll be great, you know yourself...