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Barrow River Arts Festival! 2nd - 4th March 2012
Date: 2nd - 4th March 2012
Location: In Duiske Abbey, Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny (the Labèque Sisters) and Borris House, Borris, Co. Carlow (all other events)
Michael Dervan, chief music critic of the Irish Times said of the first Barrow River Arts Festival, which took place in March 2011 – ‘This new event may be a boutique festival but its directors (Homburger and Guy) are pursuing an all encompassing vision’.
Founded and curated by long time Irish residents, Swiss violinist Maya Homburger and English bass player Barry Guy, the Barrow River Arts Festival presents, in one packed weekend, a programme of classical music, free improvised jazz, theatre, story-telling and visual art in two beautiful settings along the River Barrow in Counties Kilkenny and Carlow - Duiske Abbey and Borris House.
The 2012 festival begins in the magnificent early 13th century Duiske Abbey in Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny with the celebrated French piano duo of Katia and Marielle Labèque performing music by Debussy, Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein (Suite from West Side Story) and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
From Duiske Abbey the festival moves to the ancestral home of the Kings of Leinster, Borris House, Co. Carlow (www.borrishouse.com) where on Saturday 3rd March the outstanding Calmus Ensemble presents a programme of à capella vocal music from Germany, Italy and Spain entitled ‘Sacred and Profane’ by composers Schütz, Monteverdi, Bach, Franke (b.1959) and Mateo Fletcha (15th century Spain).
The following day Sunday, 4th March international award-winning ensemble Camerata Kilkenny joins forces with the Calmus Ensemble for a performance of two of J.S. Bach’s sacred cantatas Ich habe Genug (BWV 82) and Nach dir, Herr verlanget mich (BWV 150), his second Orchestral Suite in B minor for solo flute, strings and basso continuo (with its famous Badinerie movement) and Mystery Sonata No 4 by H.I.F. Biber.
An exhibition, celebrating the 90th birthday of the English Abstract Expressionist painter Albert Irvin (A painter who lets the sun shine into the city) will open in the presence of the artist on Saturday, 3rd March at 2 pm in Borris House and will run until Sunday, 11th March.
Evan Parker (among Europe’s most innovative and intriguing saxophonists) will play at the opening. More free improvised jazz can be heard later that evening (following a Tapas supper with the performers) when the Spanish/ English AURORA Trio of Agustí Fernández (piano), Ramón López (percussion) and bass virtuoso Barry Guy join forces. (There is no better place to consider the heavens - All about jazz).
For more information, please visit www.barrowriverartsfestival.com or contact barrowriverartsfestival@gmail.com / 056 776-1497.
Download the BRAF programme here [PDF 1.4MB].
Download the Press Release for BRAF here [DOC 186KB].