Great music fills the chambers of Irish houses

Four new venues and a subtle change of name have allowed this classical festival to broaden its horizons, writes Nicki ffrench Davis

THE KBC Great Music in Irish Houses Festival 2012 opened last night. A subtle name change has seen the ‘Great’ in the festival’s name moved to lend its emphasis to the music. It opens broader possibilities for venues into the future, while great Irish houses remain a key feature.

Since 2007, Ciara Higgins has been artistic director of the festival, which has been running for more than 40 years. “I don’t work with themes for the festival,” Higgins says, “it’s very free programming. This year I guess we have a little less standard repertoire for four of the concerts. The other four concerts are the kind of chamber works that were written for the great salons of Europe just like the kind of houses where they’ll be heard in the festival.