CLASSICAL A taste of France and musical polemics

Ulster Hall Tonight, 7.45pm

It’s an evening of French music tonight as Rafael Payare conducts Debussy’s iridescent sketches reflecting three moods of the sea, with Ravel’s iconoclastic La Valse ending the concert.

In between, Alisa Weilerstein, one of the leading cellists of her generation, performs Dutilleux’s Tout un monde lointain, an important 20th century addition to the repertoire for cello inspired by the poetry of Charles Baudelaire. Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice gets the concert off to a sparkling start.

For tickets (£10-£29), tel: 9033 4455 or visit www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk.

Lyric Theatre, Belfast Sunday, 8pm

Writer Mark Ravenhill and composer Conor Mitchell’s award-winning AIDS polemic comes to the Lyric stage for one night only, performed by the composer and Matthew Cavan (aka Cherrie on Top). Tracing one man’s journey through a city in crisis, Ten Plagues charts the great plague of 1665. Part torch song, part Schubert, this ground-breaking piece of music theatre was originally written for iconic singer Marc Almond and is presented here for the first time in Northern Ireland.

Ten Plagues is followed by a cabaret of Ravenhill/Mitchell’s Queer Cabaret Songs, performed by Nigel Richards (Phantom of the Opera).

For tickets (£24.50/£15), tel: 9038 1081 or visit website www. lyrictheatre.co.uk.

Rathcol