THE 20TH Galway Early Music Festival returns, from Thursday May 14 to Sunday 17, with ancient, medieval, Renaissance and baroque music and dance. This year’s theme is ‘Time’, focussing on the cycle of the seasons, the monastic hours, the ‘ages of man’, and the ages of the world.
A highlight will be the opening concert Ludus Danielis in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church on May 14. Originally performed c1200 by the teenage choristers of Beauvais Cathedral, it tells the story of Daniel, from Belshazzar’s Feast to his ordeal in the Lions’ Den, through catchy, rhythmic choruses, improvisation, and expressive solos.
John Kenny, founder and director of Pandora’s Box, is one of the world’s outstanding trombonists, and he and Pandora’s Box will give a concert using the earlier form of the instrument - the sackbutt - in St Nicholas on May 15. Sequentia - Benjamin Bagby (voice, harp ), Norbert Rodenkirchen (medieval flutes ) - are one of the big names in medieval music performance, and the duo perform the concert, Fragments for the End of Time, on May 16. Other highlights include Moonfish Theatre Company presenting a commissioned family theatre show combining storytelling and early music, a Renaissance dance workshop, and concerts by Aoife NicAthlaoich and Yonit Kosovske, and the ABC Baroque Club.
For more information see www.galwayearlymusic.com
