Join Michael McHale, his friends and BBC R3 for a Winter Weekend at Portico, Portaferry
Winter weekends in January can be bleak but, for a stunning and heartwarming winter treat, Portico has the answer: Ulster pianist Michael McHale is returning to Portaferry but this time with his friends, oboist Juliana Koch and clarinettist Michael Collins, for three recitals over two days, for BBC Radio 3.
Come to all three, stay a night, enjoy all that Portaferry has to offer from picturesque shoreside accomodation to the freshest of seafood.
Michael McHale needs no introduction to Ulster audiences – in his stellar career he has given recitals in most of the major concert venues in Europe and much further afield but it is always a joy to welcome him back to Portico in his native Ulster. In his first recital on Friday 31 January, Michael will play Mozart, Barber, Brahms and, to finish, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.
On Saturday 1 February at 1pm he will be joined by Juliana Koch, Principal Oboe of the London Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Oboe at the Royal College of Music, London, for a lunchtime recital to include Britten and Prokofiev.
There’s time, then for a good walk along the shores of Strangford Lough and indulgent refreshment before returning in the evening when Michael will be joined by the international clarinettist Michael Collins, fresh from engagements with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. His astounding career has included stints with the Philharmonia, Minnesota, Swedish Chamber, Rheinische Philharmonie, Kyoto Symphony, BBC Concert and Kuopio Symphony Orchestras as well as tours in South Africa, Australia, Japan and Mexico. The two Michaels will play works by Finzi, Ferguson, Brahms and Poulenc.
Tickets are £17 per show or, for all 3 recitals the special price of £34. Portico’s specialist music programme is supported by National Lottery Good Causes through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. For more details and to purchase tickets visit www.porticoards.com