Composing the Island: A Century of Music in Ireland 1916-2016, September 7th - 25th

A new centenary project launched by Heather Humphreys (Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts & the Gaeltacht), Composing the Island presents 29 concerts of orchestral, choral, instrumental, song and chamber music by Irish composers written between 1916 and 2016. For more information visit www.nch.ie/Online/Composing-the-Island. Composing the Island:  A century of music in Ireland 1916-2016 is sponsored by Bord na Móna and presented by RTÉ and the National Concert Hall. In celebration of this wonderful project, RTÉ lyric fm will broadcast a host of live performances, recorded concerts and documentaries from the lyric archives, exploring the works and lives of Irish composers.

READ a full list of what you can hear on lyric

WATCH Composing the Island videos on the RTÉ Player 

LISTEN again to our live Lyric Concerts

Wednesday 7th September, 8pm
Charles Villiers Stanford: Irish Rhapsody No. 4 The Fisherman of Lough Neagh and What He Saw (1914) 
Norman Hay: Dunluce (1921) 
Ina Boyle: Symphony No. 1 Glencree (1927)
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Kenneth Montgomery (conductor)

Friday 9th September, 8pm 
Howard Ferguson Partita for Orchestra (1936) 
Frederick May Symphonic Ballad (1937) 
Hamilton Harty The Children of Lir (1938) 
Aloys Fleischmann The Four Masters (1944) 
RTÉ Concert Orchestra 
Máire Flavin (soprano) 
Gavin Maloney (conductor) 
 
Wednesday 14th September, 8pm
Brian Boydell: In Memoriam Mahatma Gandhi, Op. 30 (1948) 
Seán Ó Riada: Hercules Dux Ferrariae (1957) 
John Larchet: By the Waters of Moyle (1957) 
Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair: Waltz from Nocturne sa Chearnóig (1959) 
Thomas C. Kelly:  Fantasia for Harp & Orchestra, on two Irish Airs (O’Carolan’s Lament and The Heather Glen) (1960) 
Noel Kelehan:  Cuchulainn’s Lament (1967) 
Gerard Victory: In Memoriam James Connolly (1966) 
A. J. Potter: Sinfonia de Profundis (1969) 
RTÉ Concert Orchestra 
David Brophy (Conductor)  
 
Friday 16th September, 8pm
Seóirse Bodley: Configurations (1967) 
Roger Doyle: Four Sketches for Orchestra (1969) 
Gerard Victory: Miroirs (1969) 
Raymond Deane: Embers (1973/1978 rev. 2015) 
Raymond Deane: Sphinxes (1972 rev. 2015) 
Seóirse Bodley: A small white cloud drifts over Ireland (1975) 
Gerald Barry: From The Intelligence Park (1986) 
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 
Gerhard Markson (conductor) 
 
Wednesday 21st September, 8pm
John Buckley: Taller than Roman Spears (1977 rev. 1986) 
John Kinsella:  Symphony No. 3 Joie de Vivre (1990) 
Kevin O’Connell:  North (1998) 
Siobhán Cleary:  Alchemy (2001) 
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 
Gavin Maloney (conductor) 
 
Friday 23rd September, 8pm 
Deirdre Gribbin: Venus Blazing (2001) 
Donnacha Dennehy: Crane (2009) 
Stephen Gardner:  NEVER…NEVER...NEVER... (2003) 
Brian Irvine: Big Daddy, Motorhead (2009) 
Andrew Hamilton:  C (2016) *world premiere/RTÉ commission 
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 
Elaine Clark (violin) 
Gavin Maloney (conductor) 
 
Sunday 25th September, 8-9pm (Closing Concert) 
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir 
Mark Hindley conductor/chorus master 
Norman Hay The Wind Among The Reeds (1921) 
Rhoda Coghill Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Rocking (1923)