Sir, - I am delighted to read about the success of the NSOI tour in Hong Kong (August 13th), and would like to add my own tuppence worth to the praise for this band. Recently I had occasion to be in Bulgaria, where in addition to a dozen or so other pieces by other composers, an NSOI commission of my own (Samsara, 1991) was being recorded by the Russe State Philharmonic Orchestra for the Vienna Modern Masters label.
Many of the composers present at the recording sessions had heard the NSOI on the Naxos label for the first time and were raving about the standard of its playing. Not only that, but they were wildly jealous of the fact that I had had a commission from the NSOI, and wanted to know if it had been commercially recorded (it hadn't, sadly, hence the reason for being in Bulgaria in the first place).
Now, I always knew that the NSOI was a good band, but to be in Bulgaria and hear Americans and Germans saying so was a real thrill and a source of great pride to me. I know many of the players personally, and I know how much it means to them to get positive feedback on their work.
Having said that (here it comes ...), my only criticism of the tour itself would be that the programming seems to have been entirely dictated by outside interests, and consequently no contemporary Irish compositions were played. This was a great shame, because when the orchestra doesn't tour that much, opportunities for our own composers of orchestral music to be heard abroad are virtually non existent, just as are the opportunities for the players to play them. After all, at the piano conference held a couple of years ago, orchestra representatives themselves were publicly asking: "why aren't we playing more music by Irish composers?"
So more performance tours definitely; the band both needs and deserves them, but more home produced stuff on the programmes as well, because we both need and deserve performances too. Next time, maybe, Mr Taylor, and the time after that, and the time after that . . ?
Or do we have to hire the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra? - Yours, etc.,
Cill Maodhog
Nas na Ri,
Co Chill Dara.