The festival opens with Transfigurations, a programme exploring transformation and reinvention. Donnacha Dennehy’s Bulb (commissioned by the Fidelio Trio with funds provided by the Arts Council of Ireland) brings a distinctly contemporary Irish voice to the programme. The composer describes it below;

“It takes as its basis the overtone series built on a very low G, and it grows outwards from a small band of these overtones by means of pulsing glissandi (in the violin and cello). Well in fact these pulsing glissandi are for the most part made of two notes (one moving, the other providing a reference drone by its repetitions). By the end, the violin and piano have swapped registral places. It’s an artificial vandalism of a natural phenomenon (the overtone series), like the way electric lighting is of the visual spectrum, or the paintings of Bridget Riley are of various natural perceptions.” - Donnacha Dennehy

The shifting textures and energy of Dennehy’s work is set against Ravel’s exquisite Ma mère l’oye (Mother Goose Suite), heard in Benjamin Martin’s arrangement for piano trio. The trio then present a new work by Irish composer Frank Lyons, before the evening culminates in Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), in the intimate arrangement by Eduard Steuermann. Written at the dawn of the 20th century, Schoenberg’s richly expressive work traces a journey from darkness towards transformation and light.

With Darragh Morgan, Tim Gill and Mary Dullea, the Fidelio Trio bring together works separated by more than a century, revealing unexpected connections between the music of Ravel, Dennehy, Lyons and Schoenberg.

Donnacha Dennehy, Bulb

Maurice Ravel, Ma mère l'oye (Mother Goose Suite) arr Benjamin Martin

Frank Lyons, New Work 

Schoenberg, Verklärte Nacht arr Steuermann 

Fidelio Trio

Darragh Morgan, Violin

Tim Gill, Cello 

Mary Dullea, Piano

Tickets €25/€20 (conc.) available at this link.