Sonata masterpieces
ARTS page has had reason, based on past experience, to recommend the Autumn Classic Concert 2009 series organised by Limerick County Council Arts Office. Selecting Beethoven as this season’s lionised composer, arts officer Joan Mac Kernan has invited a crack line up of musicians and singers to express his music to a local audience.
The venue is gorgeous. All Saints Church in Castleconnell is candle-lit and beflowered for the recitals taking place on the second Tuesday of each month, 8pm.
Maria McGarry on piano opens the Beethoven series on Tuesday September 8 with his last three piano sonatas. Sonatas No. 30, Op. 109; No. 31, 110 and No. 32, 100 are regarded by many as forming a trilogy.
McGarry describes them as “introspective, spiritual and dramatic works”.
This pianist made her concert debut aged just 6 and among her glittering prizes was the Artist Diploma in Performance accolade from Juilliard School, 2003. She has won numerous bursaries and scholarships and taken the John Field and Brennan Prizes at the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition.
According to Tony Rodgers, PRO for Castleconnell dates, “This opening concert in the Beethoven season is an exciting prospect. It’s rare enough to hear anyone of these three masterpieces programmed but to hear all three together, performed by someone with pianist Maria McGarry’s burgeoning reputation, is something no lover of good music will want to miss”.
This classical concert series is assisted by Arts Council and Music Network.
Cuisle Poetry Slam 2009
CUISLE’S International Poetry Festival Poetry Slam 2008 will take place at the White House, O’Connell Street on Saturday October 17. The surprising news in this impecunious year is that there is an increased prize fund for the winners – more dosh for the kosh of verbal slam.
As well as a trophy for the overall winner, the top prize this year rises to 300 euro for first with 100 euro for second and third places.
Would-be entrants should let the organisers know in advance that they wish to take part as places will be limited. There is no entry requirement and all styles are allowed but as usual slam rules and protocol re content, performance and audience reaction will apply. “Those who can commit to memory their poems will, no doubt, be in with the better chance of being crowned this year’s champion,” we are told.
Previous winners of this popular slam include Galway’s Michael Kearney, John Carmody and current champion Ciaran O’Driscoll.
Email whitehousepoets@eircom.net to reach the hardworking Dominic Taylor with your application.
American wordsmith in town
LOOK to Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Harvard for formative influences in the work of US/ Irish poet Chris Magee. Based in Ireland since the late ‘70s, he’s the invited guest of White House Poets for Wednesday September 2 at 9pm.
Much published, Magee reviews regularly for The Irish Times and is editor of Irish pages, a journal of contemporary writing based at the Linen Hall Library, Belfast.
