Music

NRE National Symphony Orchestra

We attended a performance of Mahler’s Third Symphony at the National Concert Hall. The symphony is one of the longest in the repertoire and requires a large orchestra, two choruses, and a mezzo-soprano soloist. We heard a near flawless rendition of this great symphony.

Jazz

Dublin doesn’t seem to be a big jazz town, but there was some to be heard. The most comfortable venue was the Leeson Lounge, where a quintet has been performing weekly for some time.

The Music Cafe was kind of crowded, with the musicians in a loft overhead. The Grand Social had a spirited jam session one night, but it was too dark to photograph.

Traditional Irish Music

According to the guide book, the traditional Irish music is everywhere in Dublin. Despite a reasonable effort, I wasn’t able to get to the right place at the right time to hear very much. I did attend a slow session at a music school, reading through the music at slow to medium tempos with group of people playing tin whistle, flute, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar.

Buskers

The colder weather might have been a factor, but there was not much busking in Dublin. Busking was mostly confined to Grafton Street, a major shopping area.

Play at the Abbey Theatre: Last Orders at the Dockside

We saw a play at the historic Abbey Theatre. The theatre was well designed, with great acoustics and no bad seats. The play “Last Orders at the Dockside” depicted the social and economic struggles of dock workers and their families during the early 1990s, when dock work was in decline. The play featured some excellent musical performances by the cast.