Irish Culture in Britain A Centenary Celebration Festival Artistic Director John Gilhooly Supported by Culture Ireland as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme A Message from President Michael D. Higgins a mhaith liom tréaslú leo siúd a d’eagraigh an mórcheolchoirm seo anocht agus, dar ndóigh, leis na ceoltóirí, damhsóirí agus na h-ealaínteoirí ar fad atá ag glacadh páirt sa chéiliúradh céad bhliain seo B den chultúr Ghaelach sa Bhreatain. I would like to extend my congratulations to the organisers and many artists involved in tonight’s Gala Concert, Irish Culture in Britain: A Centenary Celebration. If it is in the shadow of each other we live, it is in the cultural space we celebrate our heritage of words and music, a heritage in which we are both intertwined. As we commemorate the courage, dignity and ideals that characterised the events and people of 1916, we also celebrate the depth of connection between Ireland and Britain. Tonight you celebrate not only the rich cultural tradition across these islands, but also its contemporary expression, our new imaginings, and the many creative ways to sustain the artistic work that will form the next chapter of our shared story. Sabina and I would like to thank and congratulate all of those involved in tonight’s performance for their dedication and hard work in bringing about such a special evening, and in particular to John Gilhooly, who has made such an important contribution to the Ireland 2016 centenary programme. I wish to also congratulate Ann Murray on the presentation of the Wigmore Medal, in recognition of her significant international career. Tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh an-taitneamh as an ocáid speisíalta seo. Beir beannacht. Michael D. Higgins Uachtarán na hÉireann President of Ireland 1 A Message of Welcome from our Royal Patron HRH The Duke of Kent, KG aving recently become Patron of Wigmore Hall, I am very pleased that my first duty is to welcome you to this evening’s concert, an occasion underlining the friendship and good neighbourliness that marks H relations between Ireland and Britain. In particular, I think of the warm and reassuring Irish voices that have graced the airwaves in Britain in recent years, including, of course, the very much missed Sir Terry Wogan. It is often in a cultural sphere that we are able to listen best, with the help of music, song and story. Tonight’s concert is a celebration of the great connection that we have, particularly through music and literature. Looking back over the hundred years of our turbulent past, as Patron of Wigmore Hall, I welcome this opportunity to acknowledge the events of 1916, once a source of division and discord, in an inclusive, harmonious way, whilst also focusing on the possibilities of the future and on the extraordinary capacity of our cultural links to bring us together. I am very pleased that such a distinguished audience has gathered at Wigmore Hall tonight, with many representatives of both the Irish and British governments, as well as diplomats from all over the world. I wish everybody in the Hall and those listening to the concert’s live stream in Ireland, the UK and beyond a most enjoyable evening. HRH The Duke of Kent, KG 2 A Message from Ambassador Mulhall n behalf of our Embassy team, I would like to extend our thanks to Wigmore Hall, and especially to John Gilhooly, for this celebration of the Irish contribution to the cultural O life of Britain. As we commemorate the centenary of 1916, and the legacy of that transformative era in Irish history, we want to focus also on the future direction of relations between Ireland and Britain, which have always been particularly strong in the cultural field. It is fitting that this evening’s programme includes songs based on two poems by Francis Ledwidge, for his own story captures some of the complexities of that time. Ledwidge enlisted in 1914 and fought in the British army at Gallipoli and on the Western Front where he was killed in 1917. He was also a committed Irish nationalist and his most famous poem, ‘Lament for Thomas MacDonagh’, was written in memory of one of the leaders of the Easter Rising. He shall not hear the bittern cry In the wild sky, where he is lain, Nor voices of the sweeter birds, Above the wailing of the rain. I look forward with enthusiasm to this evening’s concert and want to pay a warm tribute to everyone who helped to make it possible. Daniel Mulhall Ambassador of Ireland 3 Ann Murray DBE Ann Murray was born in Dublin. She has close links with both English National Opera, for whom she has sung the title roles in Handel’s Xerxes and Ariodante and Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, and the Royal Opera House, where her roles have included Cherubino, Dorabella, Donna Elvira, Sian Trenberth Rosina, Octavian, new productions of L’enfant et les sortilèges, Ariadne auf Naxos, Idomeneo, Mitridate, re di Ponto, Così fan tutte, Mosé in Egitto, Alcina and Giulio Cesare. Her international operatic engagements have taken her to Hamburg, Dresden, Cologne, Berlin, Munich, Paris, Zurich, Brussels, Amsterdam, Milan, Vienna, Salzburg, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Recent opera engagements include return visits to ENO for Pilgrim’s Progress and The Turn of the Screw, Welsh National Opera playing Countess in Pique Dame, Royal Opera House for Le nozze di Figaro, Hänsel und Gretel and La fille du régiment, Opéra de Paris in Le nozze di Figaro, Metropolitan Opera for Le nozze di Figaro and La fille du régiment, Glyndebourne in Le nozze di Figaro, and her debut with Los Angeles Opera for The Turn of the Screw. Most recently, she performed The Turn of the Screw at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, and she returns to the Salzburg Festival this summer for Le nozze di Figaro. In concert she has appeared with the world’s leading orchestras and her recital appearances have taken her to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva, Dresden, Zurich, Frankfurt, Madrid, London, Dublin, the Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Munich and Salzburg festivals and both the Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna. Her discography reflects not only her broad concert and recital repertoire but also many of her great operatic roles. In 1997 Ann Murray was made an Honorary Doctor of Music by the National University of Ireland, in 1998 she was made a Kammersängerin of the Bayerische Staatsoper and in 1999 an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music. In the 2002 Golden Jubilee Queen’s Birthday Honours she was appointed an honorary Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. In 2004 she was awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit. Wigmore Medal The Wigmore Medal, inaugurated in 2007, recognises major international artists and significant figures in the classical music world. Awarded at the discretion of the Director of the Hall, the medal honours figures who have made a significant contribution to Wigmore Hall, widely regarded as the world’s leading chamber music and song recital venue. Ann Murray has been awarded the Wigmore Medal in recognition of her pre-eminence as an international singer and her contribution not only to Wigmore Hall, but her close links with ENO, the Royal Opera House and her long list of international operatic and recital accomplishments over more than four decades. She is an inspirational figure and a magnificent representative of Ireland all over the world. The presentation will be made on the stage during tonight’s concert. A special medal has been commissioned by the Hall, designed and made by British artist and medallist Irene Gunston. 4 Thursday 21 April 2016 Song Recital Series/Chamber Music Season Irish Culture in Britain A Centenary Celebration Ailish Tynan soprano Ann Murray DBE mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught mezzo-soprano Robin Tritschler tenor Gavan Ring baritone Lucy Wakeford harp Jonathan Ware piano Finghin Collins piano Michael Collins clarinet RTÉ Contempo String Quartet Bogdan Sofei violin • Ingrid Nicola violin Andreea Banciu viola • Adrian Mantu cello Choir from RIAM Sarah Brady soprano • Niamh O’Sullivan mezzo-soprano Eoin Conway countertenor • Andrew Gavin tenor • Seán Boylan baritone Choir from RAM Iúnó Connolly and Phillippa Scammell soprano Carolyn Holt and Olivia Warburton mezzo-soprano Hiroshi Amako and William Blake tenor Richard Walshe and Thomas Bennett bass During the concert, Ann Murray DBE will be presented with the Wigmore Medal Tonight’s concert will be introduced by Sean Rafferty and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and RTÉ Lyric FM, and streamed live on the Wigmore Hall website and RTÉ Player. As the concert is broadcast live, please take your seats in a timely manner following the interval. There is a complimentary drink for every member of the audience at the interval of tonight’s concert Please go to the following designated areas: Bechstein Room: Front Stalls Rows AA–I (Please use the doors on either side of the stage) Foyer: Stalls Rows J–R Restaurant: Rear Stalls Rows S–X; Balcony Rows A–D 5 6.30 pm Centenary Ireland Irish Ambassador H E Daniel Mulhall gives the keynote address on 100 years of Ireland, including culture. 7.30 pm Gala Concert British National Anthem • Irish National Anthem Franz Schubert Impromptu in C minor D899 No. 1 An die Musik • Nacht und Träume • Die Forelle Die Sterne • Licht und Liebe • Erlkönig Ellens Gesang III • Der Hirt auf dem Felsen • Ständchen Interval Gerald Barry String Quartet No. 1 (revised) (world première) Co-commissioned by RTÉ and by Wigmore Hall with the support of André Hoffmann, president of the Fondation Hoffmann, a Swiss grant-making foundation John Field Andante inédit Michael Balfe I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls Traditional/Irish Galway Bay • She moved through the fair Arr.