Walls of sound: Derry’s Walled City Music Festival celebrates classical music

DERRY’S Walled City Music Festival returns next month for its seventeenth edition with another packed programme of world-class classical music.

This year’s festival runs from March 13 to 16 and will welcome guest artists Finghin Collins (piano), Kristīne Balanas (violin), Gerard McChrystal (saxophone), The Creviston Duo (saxophone/piano) and the Hellas Ensemble from Derry.

Gala concerts will take place in the Great Hall at Ulster University Magee, with audiences treated to varied programmes of classical music from across the ages and right up to the present day.

On Thursday March 13, Finghin Collins and Cathal Breslin will present Mozart, Rachmaninov and Milhaud for two pianos, along with a special performance of a selection of movements from Gustav Holst’s much-loved The Planets.

Friday March 14 will see a dazzling display from two of the world’s top saxophone artists, Gerard McChrystal (Derry) and Christopher Creviston (USA), alongside pianist Hannah Creviston and the festival’s co-artistic director Sabrina Hu (flute).

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The ensemble will perform a programme of music ranging in origin from the Americas to Europe, including selections by Jean-Baptiste Singelée, Charles Koechlin, Andy Scott and Irish composers Linda Buckley and Michael McGlynn.

On Saturday March 15, Latvian street musician and rock singer turned virtuoso violinist Kristīne Balanas will treat audiences to a performance of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Ravel on her 1694 ‘Rutson’ Stradivarius violin with accompaniment from the festival’s other co-artistic director, Cathal Breslin (piano).

Finally, on Sunday March 16 audiences can experience music and poetry intertwined in a lunchtime performance by The Hellas Ensemble inspired by Seamus Heaney’s Sonnets from Hellas.

The Hellas Ensemble, founded by Greek and Irish bouzouki players and composers Nikos Petsakos and Martin Coyle, celebrate Heaney’s love of Greece and its profound influence on his work, with narration from Derry-born actor, Ruairi Conaghan.

See walledcitymusic.com for tickets and full programme information.