RTÉ announces NCH Riverdance line-up
Cover of Eleanor McEvoyJoining composer Whelan and the RTÉ CO under conductor David Brophy will be: fiddle player Zoë Conway, accordionist Máirtín O'Connor, vocalist Eleanor McEvoy, uilleann piper Matt Cassidy, dancers Yolanda Gonzalez Obrado and Mick Donegan, Crash Ensemble and the UCD Choral Scholars.
The concert will include the world premiere of the Symphonic Suite from Riverdance, Caracena from The Seville Suite, The Currach and Evening Céilí from Inishlacken, An Chistin from Carna, Jazzical Cyclebike, Seabird, Flying Blind, Lift the Wings, Shivna and The Heart's Cry.
Whelan said: "The idea for a Riverdance Symphonic Suite has been on my radar for some time.
"Over the years I have often had requests from foreign orchestras for a full-length concert piece containing the music from the show.
"As my original score incorporated traditional instruments, it was not always easy to assemble the various ethnic elements for a concert in say, Japan.
"So what I have done with this new score is to present all the themes from Riverdance in a way that is playable by a full symphony orchestra anywhere in the world, without the traditional musicians.
"There were two principal challenges - the first was to arrange the themes and melodies as a colourful and dynamic concert piece.
"The second was to choose the instruments from within the orchestra to appropriately replace the original ethnic instruments and voices.
"As this will be its first performance, I look forward with anticipation as this augmented RTÉ CO under David Brophy brings the work of the last few years to life."
Tickets, priced from €11-€38 (concessions: €10-€35), are available from: (01) 417-0000 or
RTÉ announces NCH Riverdance line-up - RTÉ Ten:
The concert will include the world premiere of the Symphonic Suite from Riverdance, Caracena from The Seville Suite, The Currach and Evening Céilí from Inishlacken, An Chistin from Carna, Jazzical Cyclebike, Seabird, Flying Blind, Lift the Wings, Shivna and The Heart's Cry.
Whelan said: "The idea for a Riverdance Symphonic Suite has been on my radar for some time.
"Over the years I have often had requests from foreign orchestras for a full-length concert piece containing the music from the show.
"As my original score incorporated traditional instruments, it was not always easy to assemble the various ethnic elements for a concert in say, Japan.
"So what I have done with this new score is to present all the themes from Riverdance in a way that is playable by a full symphony orchestra anywhere in the world, without the traditional musicians.
"There were two principal challenges - the first was to arrange the themes and melodies as a colourful and dynamic concert piece.
"The second was to choose the instruments from within the orchestra to appropriately replace the original ethnic instruments and voices.
"As this will be its first performance, I look forward with anticipation as this augmented RTÉ CO under David Brophy brings the work of the last few years to life."
Tickets, priced from €11-€38 (concessions: €10-€35), are available from: (01) 417-0000 or
RTÉ announces NCH Riverdance line-up - RTÉ Ten:
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