SUCCESS ON A MAJOR SCALE
HUNDREDS of music lovers descened on New Ross over the weekend for this year’s piano festival.
Now in its 11th year, the festival began on Thursday and over four days provided a feast of classical music to the district at venues throughout New Ross.
Festival Director Connie Tantrum said this year’s festival was a great success, drawing crowds from throughout the country to the Barrowside town.
Internationally renowned pianists Nicholas Angelich, Finghin Collins and Piers Lane headlined the festival.
Angelich, who has appeared with many famous orchestras and conductors in America and in Europe and Asia, wowed the crowd at St Mary’s Church where most of the performances took place.
Lane’s solo, chamber and concerto repertoire impressed the audience, as did Collins, who is regarded as one of the most significant musicians to emerge from Ireland in recent times.
Collins is Artistic Director of the New Ross Piano Festival since its inception in 2006, and has also been Artistic Director of Music for Galway since 2013. Performing with these three pianists was the fantastic Quatuor Ebène, a string quartet that also performs as a jazz band.
Young pianists from the region gave solo recitals, including Nathalia Milstein who won the Dublin International Piano Competition last year, the first female to do so.
Two jazz pianists gave free half hour programmes around the town, where grand pianos were played by members of the public. Jazz pianist Philip Ware performed and on Saturday a similar group of short concert sessions were performed by Dr Patrick Molitor, who is principal of the Wexford School of Music.
Five newly commissioned piano works inspired by the Ros Tapestry were premiered by five pianists (Raymond Deane, Marian Ingoldsby, Garrett Sholdice, Philip Martin and Grainne Mulvey), completing the ambitious three year project, The Ros Tapestry Suite, during which 15 Irish composers have composed works around the 15 embroidered panels. The performances got a great reception from the audience.