Tribute to musical greats

McCormack and Kreisler – an Homage will be performed by Scottish tenor Nicky Spence together with Irish violinist Elizabeth Cooney and pianist Fiachra Garvey on Monday 19 September at 8.00pm in the city’s Town Hall Theatre. This is part of a concert tour to Roscommon, Limerick and DunLaoghaire.  

John McCormack , who was born in Athlone in 1884 and died in Dublin in 1945, was the most celebrated tenor of his time while violinist Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) left an amazing legacy of recordings and compositions. McCormack and Kreisler performed and recorded together over many years, both in the UK and USA, and their friendship lasted until McCormack’s death.

This programme is a tribute both to the repertoire of these great musicians and to their close musical relationships. It includes duets performed regularly by McCormack and Kreisler, together with piano pieces either composed or arranged by Kreisler and songs that McCormack sang with either Edwin Schneider or Vincent O'Brien at the keyboard.

A piece the musicians thought would complement the programme is Anach Cuan, arranged by John Gibson, a living Cork composer. This lyrical piece evokes the Corrib drowing tragedy of 1828 when 17 people lost their lives.

Nicky Spence’s concert performances include a Britten Song-Cycle Series in Aldeburgh and at Kings Place London, world premieres at the Wigmore Hall and the Royal Festival Hall, and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings with l’Orchestre National d’Ile de France.  

Elizabeth Cooney has performed as soloist with several European orchestras and is a regular soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra. The National Concert Hall 2006 ‘Rising Star’, she has played with many distinguished partners in the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, Victoria Hall, Geneva and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie in New York.

Fiachra Garvey was a prizewinner at the 2009 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition and represented Ireland at the first EU Piano Competition in Prague. On reaching the final, he made his concerto debut with the Janá?ek Philharmonic, performing Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. In June 2010 Fiachra received the Audience Prize at the third Soirees-Concours Internationales de Piano a Collioure, France. Recently presented with the ‘Rising Star’ award by the National Concert Hall, Fiachra gave his debut recital in the NCH in January. His recently recorded debut CD will be released by RTÉ Lyric fm in 2012.

Tickets for the concert at €17 (€15 concession) at www.tht.ie or 091 569777