Growing up in a proud Irish-American family, I am an unapologetic fan of all things Irish: the food, the literature, the craic. And, especially the music: a high-spirited blend of bodhráns, flutes and fiddles, usually played around a table filled with pints of Guinness. And, while nothing compares to hearing live music in Ireland, there's no shortage of quality Irish music right here in NYC, with more than a dozen regular seisúns across the five boroughs (shout out to Hartley's in Clinton Hill.)

But 25 years ago, Belfast native Barry Douglas, winner of the 1986 Tchaikovsky piano competition, decided it was time to think more broadly about Irish music and where it fits within the western musical tradition. With the ink barely dry from the Good Friday Agreement, Douglas founded Camerata Ireland in 1999 with an ambitious agenda to perform both classical and traditional Irish music with some two dozen musicians drawn from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (similar to Daniel Barenboim's West-East Divan Orchestra, which began performing in the same year.)

Douglas brought Camerata Ireland to Carnegie's Zankel Hall last night with a program that showcased both aspects of their musical mission. The first half of the concert was devoted to the classical repertoire, with Douglas conducting from the piano. Eimear McGeown, a two-time All Ireland winner on the Irish flute from County Armagh, opened with a concerto for flute and strings (1814) by little-known Italian composer Saverio Mercadante, a contemporary of Donizetti and Bellini. Though it was a light, Mozartian piffle, McGeown played brilliantly, effortlessly tackling the ornamental solos. The same, unfortunately, couldn't be said for the strings, which to my ears lacked shape and tone. Perhaps it was their distinct Irish style of bowing (or is it fiddling?), or maybe I still had the magic of the Vienna Philharmonic ringing in my ears, but there was a distinct lack of blend here which I just couldn't get over. 

by Pete Matthews

In a world that's sometimes feels it's on the brink of chaos, it's comforting to know that some things can still be relied upon as winter turns to spring: buds appear on the trees, birds return from warmer climes, blossoms begin to poke through the pebbles. And the Vienna Philharmonic comes to Carnegie Hall.

For those who need a primer, the Vienna Philharmonic is one of the world's great cultural treasures, a living, breathing avatar of western classical music. From its founding in 1842, the Vienna Phil has either premiered or been closely associated with many of the boldest names in musical history, including Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Strauss, and Wagner. But, far from resting on its laurels, the Vienna Phil has maintained its reputation as one of the best - if not the best - performing orchestras in the world thanks to its unique sound and performance practice that balances precision and theatrical flair to ultimate effect. And while they still have a long ways to go to reach the gender parity of orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, this self-governing institution is creeping ever closer to becoming an ensemble built on merit rather than some outdated notion of "emotional unity." 

This past weekend, the Vienna Phil arrived in NYC - as they have each and every year since 1984 with the exception of 2020-21 - with music from the first three decades of the 20th century. With no principal conductor, they brought along with them one of their supposed favorites: fellow Austrian (and current Carnegie Perspectives artist) Franz Welser-Möst for the first time since 2017. Having recently announced his intention to curtail his conducting activities due to health issues, these concerts had a hint of wistfulness to them: Welser-Möst, 63, walked across the Carnegie stage much more gingerly than he has in the past.