Camerata Comhcheoil Conductor Catríona Atkinson Soloist Cait Fleming March 29th 7:30 PM The Studio, LexIcon Library & Cultural Centre, Dún Laoghaire Grieg Hardiman-May Beethoven V IOLI N I Cait Fleming Caoilfhinn Tan Daire Connolly Naoise Hardiman May Jeanne-Marie O’Sullivan Lucy Kirby V IOLA Kamilla Kasabian Ilona Adams Caroline Joyce D OUBLE B ASS John Claffey O BOE Eimear Corby Rita Hogan B ASSOO N Katie Cody H OR N Christopher King Eleanor Hartnett Eileen Curran V IOLI N II Kayla Kennedy Clíodhna Heenan Louis Bourke Emily Sheehan Caitlin McGinn C ELLO Isolde O’Loughlin Emily Sheil Winifred Massey F LUTE Eoin Fallon Sadhbh McDaid C LARI N ET Sophie Dolan Ciarán O’Driscoll T RUMPET Niamh O’Donnell Cathal Ahern T IMPA N I Thibaud Empey Camerata Comhcheoil Two Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34 E DVARD H AGERUP G RIEG I - Heart’s Wounds (Allegretto espressivo) II - The Last Spring (Andante) Grieg was born in June of 1843 and died in September of 1903 in Bergen, Norway. He spent almost his entire life in residence there. Grieg said that he enjoyed writing for strings more than he did for full orchestra. In 1881, he transcribed Two Elegiac Melodies from two songs of a set he had published a year before. The songs were written on poems by the Norwegian poet A. O. Vinje. A Road Away N AOISE H ARDIMA N -M AY This original composition is a tentative, wide-eyed wander into the unknown. Thanks to Cait for allowing me to write for her musicality and character, and thanks to Catríona and all the Camerata players for their patience and generosity in putting this together. Symphony No.1 L UDWIG VA N B EETHOVE N I - Adagio molto - Allegro con brio II - Andante cantabile con moto III - Menuetto: Allego molto e vivace IV - Finale: Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace On April 2nd 1800, at the Hofburgtheater in Vienna, Austria, the first of Ludwig von Beethoven's symphonies, No. 1 in C major, debuted. Beethoven’s music was new, his style drifted from that of his teacher Haydn and from Mozart who had died in 1792, both of whom had already dominated the Symphony. This work follows the general structure of a Symphony being in four movements, the first with sonata form, followed by a slow movement, a minuet and trio and finally a fast triumphant movement. It is the harmony, or more specifically the opening chords that would have shocked audiences of Beethovens time. Though this piece is routed in C major, Beethoven boldly opens the work with a series of cadences, none of which resolve to the to the tonic chord. It isn’t until the end of the introduction that the piece lands on a C major chord in root position, making it the clear home key of the piece. I As usual, the first movement Allegro con brio is in Sonata (ABA) form, but begins with an Adagio Introduction and concludes with a Coda section. Adagio molto very slow - Introduction Allegro on brio fast with liveliness - Exposition - where we are introduced to the home key and presented with the the primary thematic material - Development Section - explores, breaks down, and manipulates themes from the exposition through rapid modulation (key changes), creating tonal instability and increased tension before returning to the home key - Recapitulation - now back to the home key, restates the thematic material from the exposition - Coda - the final concluding section of a movement, providing a definitive closure. II The second movement Andante cantabile con moto moderately slow tempo in a lyrical and expressive style is much more relaxed and slower, allowing for a new and slower material to be presented. III The third movement of a symphony tends to be dancelike and in three time, either a minuet (based on the old courtly dance) or a scherzo (meaning “joke” ). This movement is no different Menuetto: Allego molto e vivace Minuet: very fast and lively. IV The final movement , Finale: Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace is fast and furious, showing off the virtuosic skills of the orchestra and brining us back for the final time to the home key. The Programme Genuine, heartfelt thanks to... Clíodhna Heenan Robert Atkinson Rebecca Atkinson Redempta Atkinson Noel Collins ...for their truly Conn Laffan Adrian Smith Hilda Milner and St Agnes' Community Centre for Music & the Arts Kate Mason & Trinity Orchestra Róisín Heenan invaluable support! Camerata Comhcheoil’s debut concert took place in the James Joyce Centre in June of 2024. As a string orchestra, they performed Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings and works by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin with soloist David Vesey. Having recently finished her studies in Trinity College and two semesters conducting the orchestra, Catríona Atkinson founded the orchestra as both an opportunity to continue music making with her fellow players and as an opportunity to gain more experience on the podium. Having begun as a string orchestra, it has now grown into a chamber orchestra with the addition of wind, brass and percussion sections. Juxtaposing works by Grieg and Beethoven, we are especially excited to be presenting a work written by one of our members, Naoise Hardiman May. It has been as pleasure to work with composer Naoise and violinist Cait to bring this work to life for its premier. Naoise Hardiman May is a composer, songwriter, and producer from D u b l i n . I n 2 0 2 3 , Naoise graduated from Trinity College Dublin, where he studied composition with Evangelia Rigaki. He has recently completed a Master’s Degree in composition at King’s College London, studying under George Benjamin, Thomas Hyde, and Edward Nesbit. Naoise’s compositional style is typically bittersweet, interspersing melancholy atmospheres with hopeful and humorous gestures. Catríona Atkinson began conducting in her final y e a r o f M u s i c Education in Trinity College and TU Dublin Conservatoire when she had the opportunity to c o n d u c t t h e T r i n i t y Orchestra. She has since had the pleasure of learning from and working with several conductors including Marin Alsop, Tim Redmond, Dr. Mark Shapiro and Fergus Sheil. Catríona is pursuing a career in conducting and studies with both Karen Ní Bhroin and Peter Joyce. She is very grateful for the opportunity that players of Camerata Comhcheoil have given her continue this journey and really hopes you enjoy the concert! About the Orchestra.... The Composer... The Conductor...