Sligo New Music Festival

The Model, Sligo Today-Sun, 071-9141405 MARK DULEY (ORGAN) NCH, Dublin Tonight 6

The Model, Sligo Today-Sun, 071-9141405

MARK DULEY (ORGAN)

NCH, Dublin Tonight 6.30pm Adm free 01-4170000

PETER JABLONSKI (PIANO), RTÉ NSO/HANNU LINTU

NCH, Dublin Tonight 8pm 10-35 01-4170000

Ian Wilson’s choices as artistic director of the Sligo New Music Festival since 2003 have been anything but predictable. Among the composers he’s focused on have been Salvatore Sciarrino, Rebecca Saunders, Andrew Toovey, Luigi Nono, Morton Feldman, Aureliano Cattaneo, Gabriel Erkoreka, Jakob TV and Gavin Bryars.

This year is Wilson’s last with the festival, and, instead of looking outwards, he’s chosen to focus on himself (above). Friday’s opening concert is an all-Wilson affair, featuring his new

The Book of Ways(a collaborative, improvisatory work for saxophonist Cathal Roche and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet), as well as Across a clear sky

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and re:play. Wilson also appears with Roche in an improvised set (Wilson controlling the live electronics) on Sunday.

Improvisation is one of this year’s major concerns, with Australian guitarist Oren Ambarchi in a late-night slot on Saturday, and in partnership with Australian recorder player Genevieve Lacey at noon on Sunday. Lacey also performs a programme of works with tape, computer and electronics at lunchtime on Saturday.

The NSO's principal guest conductor Hannu Lintu is back in action at the NCH on Friday, teaming up with pianist Peter Jablonski in a double concerto offering (Scriabin's sole concerto and Liszt's First), framed by Liszt's Orpheusand Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements.

The Lisztian theme is filled out in an early evening performance by organist Mark Duley of Liszt’s Fantasia and Fugue on the theme BACH, and a pre-concert talk by Philip Hammond.