NCH, Dublin

RTÉ’s

Horizons

, the annual series of free lunchtime contemporary music concerts, began by

marking the launch of a Lyric FM CD of orchestral works by Belfast-born composer Deirdre

Gribbin. Conductor Gavin Maloney and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra performed two items from their new recording: the violin concerto

Venus Blazing

(2002), with soloist Bradley Creswick, and

Empire States

(2003).

What impresses most about the concerto is its scale. At surface level, the sectionalising doesn’t go much further than a division into three movements, but beyond that, the ideas are drawn-out, intermingled, and seldom punctuated by attention-grabbing events. The whole thus resembles three vast arcs that amply span their combined duration of more than 35 minutes. The movements address a range of cultural allusions to the planet Venus, taking their names from Greek, Mayan and Egyptian lore. Past performances have further developed the extra-musical side, with theatrical touches involving soloist and composer; on this occasion, however, the only accessory was a varied scheme of colourful platform lighting.

The decision to place Creswick literally under a spotlight made it all too clear that he was often

occupied with more detail than could be heard above the ever-busy orchestra. On disc, that

needn’t be a problem, but this live performance offered only snatches – such as in the finale’s

unexpectedly rhetoric-laden conclusion – of the violinist’s limpid playing.

For a work inspired by New York, high hopes, and the mutual opposition of imperialism and

democracy, there couldn’t be a pithier title than

Empire States

. While those topics represent a

purely optional agenda for listening to Gribbin’s composition, there can be no mistaking its trongly

architectonic cast.

The style is close to that of high-end minimalism, but with the decisive difference that variation takes priority over mere repetition.