The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra is launching its 2021–2022 season with three concerts at The Helix.

Concerts normally take place at the National Concert Hall, but the first three will be presented at the alternate Dublin venue in order to accommodate larger orchestral works while still adhering to social distancing guidelines.

The first concert on 13 September will be conducted by Chief Conductor Jaime Martín and will feature renowned Latvian violinist Baiba Skride performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The concert will also feature Frederick May’s Sunlight and Shadow and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

On 17 September (Culture Night), popular comedian Tommy Tiernan will act as narrator for Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, also conducted by Martín. This will be followed by Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. 

On 24 September, Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma will be the soloist for Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, followed by Dvořák’s Symphony No. 5. The concert will be conducted by Estonian conductor Mihhail Gerts.

Commenting on the opening of the season, Anthony Long, General Manager of the RTÉ NSO, said:

This season is all about the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra returning to that which symphony orchestras do best: larger scale symphonic repertoire for larger orchestral forces and working with major artists. Equally it will be about us returning to live audiences, with caution and in time.

Continuing to work within social distancing guidelines we are thrilled that we can use both the large stage and the auditorium space of The Helix to accommodate the larger orchestra required for works such as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Sunlight and Shadow by Frederick May, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony and the Sibelius Violin Concerto.

The NSO will be announcing additional concerts for the 2021–2022 season shortly, featuring Brahms, Mahler, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich and work with Irish and international artists.

All three concerts will be live-streamed on www.rte.ie/culture and broadcast on RTÉ lyric fm on Fridays at 7.30pm. They will be presented by Paul Herriott.

For more, visit https://orchestras.rte.ie/