Four masterful cellists perform together in an exciting new Music Network collaboration.

With its sonorous tone, swan-like elegance and an expressive range that gives the human voice a run for its money, no other instrument manages to play on our heart strings quite like the cello.
Performing together for the very first time and guided by their collective musical influences, William Butt, Rosalie Curlett, Martin Johnson and Ailbhe McDonagh have crafted an inspirational and varied programme which celebrates the beauty of their instrument.

Audiences can look forward to marvellous arrangements of works by Bach, Beethoven and Bartók, Mozart’s beautiful Ave verum corpus, a fiery exchange between two cellos in Barrière’s popular Sonata, as well as Debussy’s uber-romantic Clair de lune and Gershwin’s jazz-infused favourite ‘Summertime’. Contemporary music for this unusual combination is well catered for in Ailbhe McDonagh’s own Cellango and in An Autumn Night’s Dream, a new Music Network commission by Conor Linehan.

Along with this beautiful programme of music, viewers will hear from the musicians in interviews hosted by Music Network’s CEO Sharon Rollston, and composer Conor Linehan will introduce his new work in a short Composer Insight Session during the broadcast.

William Butt cello
Rosalie Curlett cello
Martin Johnson cello
Ailbhe McDonagh cello

Programme:
Claude Debussy Arr. David Johnstone Clair de lune
W.A. Mozart Arr. David Johnstone Ave verum corpus KV 618
J.S. Bach Arr. Claudio Jaffe and Johanne Perron Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor (BWV 1004)
Beethoven Arr. Ailbhe McDonagh Adagio cantabile (2nd movement) from Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 “Pathétique”

This is an online event. The concert will be available to ticketholders to view for 24 hours from Sunday 16th May at 8pm (up to 8pm on Monday 17th May).  Tickets are €10 (per device). If you are watching as two or more people, we suggest you purchase a ‘household’ ticket (€20) to support the arts. 

Presented in association with Music Network.