The combination of a superlative programme and an unfamiliar conductor meant that last Friday's concert by the RTÉ NSO was preceded by a keen sense of anticipation.
Bach/Webern - Ricercare à6; Berg - Violin Concerto; Mahler - Symphony No 5
It was a delayed debut for Georg Fritzsch, who last season had to cancel his first guest appearance with the orchestra - yet he proved to be a conductor well worth waiting for.
His beat is clear, flowing and generous, while his left hand describes expressive shapes that are exactly realised in sound.
He lavishes attention on all the right players at all the right moments.
In Webern's version of the Ricercare from Bach's Musical Offering, he obtained clean results from the neo-classical instrumentation, but - perhaps wisely - he did not over- indulge in the neo-romantic tempo changes prescribed in the score.
There was similar moderation in the Berg - a concerto for orchestra as much as for violin, and not one designed to win shallow plaudits for the soloist.
Elaine Clark delivered the formidable solo part with care, individuality, and a fitting stoicism. Although a light touch was wanting in certain portions of the first movement, this was an engrossing performance of a work which is not easy to co-ordinate and characterise.
While Fritzsch did not take many risks with Mahler's Symphony No 5, he clearly got exactly what he wanted in a 78-minute reading that was constantly interesting and thoroughly satisfying.
All three works gave the players considerable exposure, and they baulked at none of it.
With the 2nd violins and cellos having exchanged places, the strings were unusually transparent, while the wind playing, particularly in Mahler's Scherzo, was notable. But special mention must be made of the symphony's celebrated Adagietto.
Superbly conducted and superbly played, it made for one of those rare occasions when the moment everyone has been waiting for exceeds all expectations. - Andrew Johnstone
Hip-hop cabaret - Crawdaddy, Dublin
After years of not taking the game too seriously, it's good to see some Irish hip- hop fellas (and it is mostly fellas) get organised. Satyrix, a five-man hip-hop outfit from south Dublin, staged a showcase night and a glimpse of what's happening on the Dublin scene.
But the line-up was muddled.
The two hottest acts - Disfunktional and Urban Intelligence - took to the stage early when they were more suitable as headliners. Disfunktional, three emcees and a DJ from north Dublin, would put you in mind of the Beastie Boys. They have the same bouncy, energised influence, matched with tight lyrics. All in their late teens and early 20s, the group has already found its feet.
Urban Intelligence did what they do better than everybody else: pass a cutting social commentary on Irish life.
Former ITF champ DJ Flip was also in attendance and gave a sneak preview of his forthcoming release with The Arsonists. Nu-Centz, a 19-year-old emcee from Tallaght, took to the stage with the ever-experimental DJ Needlz.
A guitarist and a hype-man, Rawsoul, soon joined them. But this mish-mash of styles did not gel well and, having heard Nu-Centz online, he is capable of better.
Headliners Satyrix premièred their music video, Ninja Skater, an excellent production that rivals many videos with TV airplay. As their name suggests, Satyrix take a light approach but the difference between satire and unfunny is a thin line - "My life's been cursed by a terrible affliction. I once was in love with a girl with a heroin addiction" - and the latter won out.
But Crawdaddy management had the last laugh. The early gig was over by 11pm and, as punters who paid a tenner cover charge moved to check out the rest of the nightclub, they were met with a locked door. Bouncers promptly ushered everyone out a side exit, explaining that we could pay in another tenner at the front entrance if we wished.
A sour ending. - Ali Bracken
