Saturday 25th October to Friday 31st October

THE HAMILTON SCORES

Let the Hamilton Scores become one of your regular weekend fixtures as George kicks off an unbeatable line-up of musical greats and tales from his travels.

RTÉ lyric fm, Saturday 25th October, 10am-1pm

OPERA NIGHT WITH PAUL HERRIOTT

Wexford Festival Opera presents Delius' The Magic Fountain

A ship off the coast of Florida is becalmed, and the sailors are heard voicing their fears as the Spanish nobleman Solano (Dominick Chenes) sings of his obsession with the fountain of youth he has learned of and come to discover. Thunder announces the approach of a storm that hurls the ship to destruction. On the Florida coast, the young American Indian girl Watawa (Axelle Saint-Cirel) finds Solano, seemingly the sole survivor, and very weak. And so, the story unfolds as Francesco Cilluffo conducts the Wexford Festival Opera Orchestra and Chorus in this production which was recorded on Sunday 19th October in the National Opera House in Wexford.

RTÉ lyric fm, Saturday 25th October, 7pm-10pm

VOX NOSTRA WITH VLAD SMISHKEWYCH

Vlad finishes off October with a salute to the many composers of colour and of African descent that have been present, if not always visible, in the millennium of music that he brings to Sunday mornings on Vox Nostra. Also included in the playlist will be some of early music's top performers and several up-and-coming artists, who enrich the world of historically informed performance with their experience as part of the African diaspora and hail from many, varied Black communities and cultures around the world.

RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 26th October, 7am-10am

THE LYRIC FEATURE

Black Syren

A 1750 advertisement for a concert in Dublin's Crow Street Theatre claimed that the concert's performers aimed to convince their audience that the "power of music is not confined to colour". Top of the billing is singer Rachel Baptiste described as "a real black woman, a native of this country". Black and Irish is sometimes considered a new identity. For some it might begin with Paul McGrath or Phil Lynott but this is a story that goes back to the theatres and pleasure gardens of Georgian Ireland where Baptiste sang a mix of Handel arias and popular Irish tunes like Eileen Aroon to her well-heeled audiences. Black Syren pieces together the story of Rachel Baptiste from the fragmentary accounts provided in reviews and newspaper adverts of the time. It's a story not just about music but about Ireland's place in the Atlantic slave trade and in a colonial era which was defined by racial hierarchies.

Shortlisted for the IMRO awards 2025.

Featuring music as Rachel might have sung it from the Irish Baroque Orchestra's recent release 'Ireland's Black Syren' and original recordings from TUD Conservatoire musicians Clíodhna O'Regan (voice) and Dylan Donegan (harpsichord).

Presented by Saibh Downes
Sound Supervision by Ciaran Cullen
Produced by Saibh Downes and Eoin O Kelly
Additional research by Michael Lee.
(First broadcast - 11th May 2025)

RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 26th October, 6pm-7pm

THE FULL SCORE WITH LIZ NOLAN

The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Alan Gilbert perform Debussy's La Mer, while Rafal Blechacz performs Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1. Shirley Keane presents a showcase of unabridged musical masterworks, featuring live recordings of Irish and international performers, plus selections from the latest CD releases.

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
Beethoven: Scherzo from 'Piano Sonata No. 3 in C, Op. 2/3'
Debussy: La Mer, L. 109
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
Alan Gilbert, conductor
Rafal Blechacz, piano

RTÉ lyric fm, Monday 27th October, 1pm-4pm

LORCAN MURRAY'S CLASSIC DRIVE

Classic Drive brings you the perfect musical soundtrack, including Lorcan's Pick of the Week: Paris - Hollywood from Orchestre de Paris captures some of the brightest treasures from four decades of film music by Alexandre Desplat, one of the great modern masters of film composition. Desplat conducts the Orchestre de Paris in new arrangements from fifteen of his best known film scores. And with news, weather and sports, Lorcan's with you all the way!

RTÉ lyric fm, Tuesday 28th October, 4pm-7pm

NIALL CARROLL’S CLASSIC DRIVE

Niall Carroll plays music from the heart of the classical repertoire, with Sounds on Screen, a piece from the big or small screen each day at 11am, and each day at midday one of Niall's Five of a Kind. This week Niall chooses five pieces by Henryk Gorecki.

RTÉ lyric fm, Wednesday 29th October, 10am-1pm

THE FULL SCORE WITH LIZ NOLAN

We'll revisit one our Summer Lunchtime concerts with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra on today's Full Score. Be beguiled by an enchanting concert celebrating the brilliance and beauty of the Baroque era - from the triumphant Prelude to Te Deum by Charpentier to the luminous serenity of Albinoni's Adagio. Liz Nolan presents a showcase of unabridged musical masterworks, featuring live recordings of Irish and international performers, plus selections from the latest CD releases.

RTÉ lyric fm, Thursday 30th October, 1pm-4pm

RTÉ LYRIC LIVE WITH PAUL HERRIOTT

'Against All Certainty: A Celebration of Michael D. Higgins'

This special event, recorded in September, was a celebration of not only President Higgins's rich legacy as a poet and cultural champion throughout his presidency, but also of the creative spirit he has inspired across the country. This concert was hosted by presenter Tommy Tiernan, with live performances of President Higgins's own poems, coinciding with the release of his debut spoken-word album. The National Symphony Orchestra Ireland conducted by David Brophy also included performances by acclaimed Irish singer/songwriters Mary Coughlan, Paul Brady, Imelda May, Andy Irvine & Brían Mac Gloinn (of Ye Vagabonds), musicians Myles O'Reilly and Rónán Ó Snodaigh, Martin Hayes, Niamh Bury, Muireann Bradley and Seán Boylan.

RTÉ lyric fm, Friday 31st October, 7pm-10pm