The influence of American new music pioneer Morton Feldman is to be explored in a two-day festival in Dublin on 15-16 December.

Life After Feldman is the second Printing House Festival of New Music in Trinity College, Dublin. It opens and closes with performances of Feldman’s The King of Denmark and Trio. The international reach of his music is explored in seven concerts across the two days that will include music from Ireland, England, Germany, Japan and the United States.

Irish composers featured in the opening concert, to be performed by the Royal Irish Academy of Music Percussion Ensemble directed by Richard O’Donnell, include Donal Sarsfield (with Amarimba Grey), Aengus Ó Maoláin and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly.

The premiere of a festival commission by Donnacha Dennehy, Ian Wilson’s String Quartet No.6 (In fretta, in vento) and minard/Nithsdale by Jennifer Walshe form part of the programme for the 8pm concert given by ConTempo Quartet on 15 December.

The Dublin Guitar Quartet open the festival’s second day at 1pm with a programme that includes Andrew Hamilton’s Is it useful, Martin O’Leary’s Prelude No.6 and White Man Sleeps by Kevin Volans as well as a number of one-minute-long works by members of the Young Composers’ Collective. At 4.30pm, Ronan Guilfoyle will perform some of his own works for bass guitar.

Prominent composers whose music is also included during the weekend include John Cage, Toru Takemitsu, Walter Zimmermann and James Tenney.

For further details, please see our calendar, or visit www.printinghousefestival.com.

Posted: 30 November 2007