Music is probably Ireland’s greatest export, but to most people ‘Irish music’ means The Chieftains or Riverdance or U2. Few realise that in addition to the traditional and rock music which is known all over the world, new music is thriving here too.
Our promotional series, Contemporary Music from Ireland, aims to give you a fresh perspective. This, the fifth CD, is another ‘musical calling card’: a snapshot of what’s going on right now.
Showcasing Irish music
The twelve tracks, all written in the last five years, show the composers covering a wide spectrum from adventurous electro-acoustic and mixed media works through complex ensemble pieces to more melodically-based music.
As well as showcasing the composers, the album introduces some of Ireland’s most interesting performing groups: the Callino Quartet, the National Chamber Choir and conductor Celso Antunes, Concorde, the Crash Ensemble, and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Also represented are the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, the Brian Irvine Ensemble from Northern Ireland, and pianists Evelyn Chang and Finghín Collins.
Funding and support
The project would not have been possible without joint funding from the Arts Council of the Republic of Ireland (An Chomhairle Ealaíon) and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (through the ‘Awards for All’ scheme). Additional funding was supplied by Culture Ireland and we sincerely thank them all for this support.
We are very grateful to all the performers who so generously gave their services and whose support for Irish composers is a constant encouragement. We also sincerely acknowledge the kind co-operation of radio stations and other copyright holders in making recordings available to us.
As with earlier CDs in the series, some 3000 copies of this new release will be distributed internationally to radio stations, festivals, concert promoters, performers, libraries, schools and universities.
