The opening concert of New Music Dublin 2019 will premiere major new works by two of Ireland’s most accomplished composers.

RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 
Peter Dowling, electronics
David Fennessy, electric guitar
Jennifer Johnston, mezzo-soprano
Aaron Monaghan, actor
Jean Deroyer conductor

David Fennessy Conquest of the Useless (70’) 
I – Prologue
II – Caruso
III –Gold is the sweat of the sun, silver are the tears of the moon

The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, with the composer himself on electric guitar, perform David Fennessy’s iconoclastic Conquest of the Useless, a breathtaking composition about a musician’s obsession with the compelling vision of Werner Herzog.

The Conquest of the Useless – Werner Herzog’s account of the making of his film Fitzcarraldo – has fuelled the creation of David Fennessy’s monolithic work of the same name, which will be played in its entirety for the first time at New Music Dublin.

The composer himself will play electric guitar with the orchestra, and is joined on stage by Peter Dowling (electronics), singer Jennifer Johnston and actor Aaron Monaghan.

 “David Fennessy, Glasgow-based composer of deep sensitivity, style and a knack for doing imaginative things with old samples, has constructed his own kind of impossible Caruso obsession” The Guardian 


Jennifer Walshe The Site of an Investigation (30’) 

“Without a doubt, hers is the most original compositional voice to emerge in Ireland in the last 20 years.” Michael Dervan about Jennifer Walshe, The Irish Times 

Join us for a free drink during the interval to celebrate the start of what will be a wonderful festival of new music.

Presented by New Music Dublin with the support of NCH, RTÉ and The Arts Council