Limerick performance caps three-date tour with Richard Egarr conducting Handel masterwork
THE Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) will conclude its September Water Music tour with a performance at University Concert Hall, Limerick on Saturday September 20, under the baton of internationally acclaimed conductor Richard Egarr.
The Limerick concert forms the culmination of a three-date tour that begins at Dublin’s Whyte Recital Hall, RIAM on Thursday September 18 before moving to the Clifden Arts Festival on Friday September 19.
The programme showcases the orchestra’s ability to traverse musical eras, from contemporary Irish composition to Baroque masterworks.
The evening opens with Meltwater by Deirdre McKay, a hauntingly beautiful meditation on change and nature’s quiet power that promises to take audiences on an elemental journey. The contemporary Irish work provides a thoughtful opening to an evening that celebrates both musical innovation and tradition.
The concert’s centrepiece is Handel’s Water Music, one of the Baroque era’s most enduring and beloved works. Under Egarr’s expert direction, audiences can expect to experience the full grandeur and festive brilliance that has made this composition a concert hall favourite for centuries.
The work’s celebration of water—originally composed for King George I’s royal barge procession on the Thames—takes on new resonance in the modern concert hall setting.
The Limerick performance represents the finale of ICO’s busy September, which also includes a one-night appearance at the Westport Chamber Music Festival. That concert, led by ICO violinist André Swanepoel, features works by Haydn, Mozart, and Bach, alongside a world premiere of Woven by acclaimed Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy.
Richard Egarr’s involvement in the Water Music tour brings significant international prestige to the performances. The conductor’s reputation for historically informed interpretations and dynamic leadership promises to deliver fresh insights into Handel’s celebrated score whilst highlighting the orchestra’s technical excellence.
Irish Chamber Orchestra performs Water Music at University Concert Hall, Limerick on Saturday September 20 conducted by Richard Egarr.