There's no shortage of highlights this coming week. The fresh approach to repertoire of Opera Ireland's artistic director, Dieter Kaegi, is bringing Irish music-lovers their first opportunity to see one of the greatest operas of the 19th century, Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (at the Gaiety Theatre tomorrow night, with further performances on Tuesday, Thursday, and this day week) - Gidon Saks (left) plays the title role. The Limerick Music Association has two all-Beethoven programmes from the Takacs Quartet at the Peppercanister Church in Dublin (tonight, and tomorrow afternoon). The Association of Irish Composers' new music concert at the Hugh Lane Gallery tomorrow at noon features works by Deirdre Gribbin, Tom Johnson (his highly amusing Failing for solo double bass), Salvatore Sciarrino, John Cage, Jonathan Harvey and Kevin O'Connell. And on Friday, the Sligo Contemporary Music Festival opens at the Factory Performance Space, and, in Belfast, Sarah Chang plays the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Ulster Orchestra under Takuo Yuasa.
