PROGRAMMING for the Bank of Ireland RTE Proms concerts at the RDS in Dublin has always emphasised the popular end of the classical repertoire; but this year's series is in danger of being renamed Top Of The Pops. Out of a total of eight concerts, just one could be said to be a fully fledged symphonic evening - and even that has Nigel Kennedy, one of the most populist, not to say popular, of violinists playing the Elgar violin concerto, one of the best known and certainly best loved of all concertos.
Certain components of the series have, by now, grown into events in their own right. Thus tonight's opening Viennese Evening, which features the RTE concert Orchestra, conducted by Proinnsias O Duinn and led by Michael D'Arcy in a selection of elegant offerings from the golden age of Lehar and Strauss; the audience will be almost as elegant, since masks, balloons and feathers are pretty much de rigueur for properly dressed opening night promenaders. The Last Night, meanwhile, speaks for itself, and this year's closing revels on Saturday May 24th will be orchestrated by Albert Rosen and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, with special guests the Classic Buskers and the pianist Mikhail Rudy; the latter will play Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto.
The family show Music For Fun is also a well established Proms tradition and this year the RTE Concert Orchestra, conducted by Gareth Hudson, will be joined by Joe Conlon for an afternoon of musical mayhem tomorrow at 3.30 p.m. Musicals without the mayhem can be found in The Music Of Andrew Lloyd Webber on Friday 23rd, in which the same orchestra and conductor will be joined by a plethora of Irish soloists for excerpts from Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, The Phantom Of The Opera et al. A strong dramatic streak also runs through the music of Shaun Davey, and on Tuesday May 20th, the NSOI under the baton of Gearoid Grant will perform the Relief Of Derry Symphony and The Brendan Voyage with Liam O'Flynn on uilleann pipes, Rita Connolly on vocals and Gerard McChrystal on saxophone.
Opera fans are in for a double treat with the return of the vivacious English soprano Lesley Garrett on Wednesday May 21st to sing a programme which ranges from Handel to the Habanera from Carmen via a Gershwin medley with the RTE Concert Orchestra under Colman Pearce; and this coming Monday's A Night At The Opera, in which Mary Hegarty (soprano), Imelda Drumm (mezzo), Justin Lavender (tenor) and Nicholas Folwell (baritone) sing arias, duets and ensembles in the company of the indefatigable RTE Concert Orchestra under Proinnsias O Duinn. The compere for the latter evening will be Bill Golding.
Last, but assuredly not least, there's the aforementioned Nigel Kennedy and the Elgar violin concerto in an exciting programme which sees the NSOI, under the baton of Gerhard Markson, perform Mussorgsky's Introduction To Khovantchina (arranged by Shostakovich) and Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring. All concerts begin at 8 p.m. except Music For Fun, seated tickets are still available for most nights and there's still plenty of promenading room - but get there early.
