THE National Symphony Orchestra is at last to have a principal guest conductor. Members of the orchestra were told last Friday that the Russian Alexander Anissimov is to take up the position, which has remained vacant since 1990. Anissimov's next concerts with the orchestra are at the NCH in April and May (he conducts all Rachmaninov programmes on April 19th, and May 3rd), and he can already be heard with the orchestra on CD, in the Marco Polo recording of the Wexford Festival 1994 production of Rubinstein's The Demon.

Meanwhile, the NSO's world premiere of Ian Wilson's organ concerto, Rich Harbour scheduled - for tomorrow night has been postponed after soloist Peter Sweeney injured his arm in a fall. The premiere has been rescheduled for June 21st, as part of the Dublin International Organ and Choral Festival.

Tomorrow night instead of the Wilson premiere, the NSO will play Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23, with soloist Rachel Quinn, along with Bruckner's Symphony, No. 3.