         
CMC Brings New Irish Music to New York: Review
New Music – New Ireland This concert of contemporary Irish music was presented by the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland’s national archive and promotion centre for new music, with funding from Culture Ireland. Seven composers were featured, of whom four traveled from Ireland to attend the performance, while a fifth, Jennifer Walshe, already lives in New York. The excellent performers were bass clarinetist Carol McGonnell and pianist Isabelle O’Connell (both Irish and based in New York), and the ConTempo String Quartet from Galway, with violist Garth Knox making a guest appearance. The first half began with a scurrying Prelude and Toccata for string quartet. Composed by John Kinsella, it is a frenetic display piece that features an appearance of the so-called ‘Tristan chord’. Contrasted with this was between, a slow and sustained duet for bass clarinet and cello, by Deirdre McKay. This duet, as spare-sounding as the Beckett quote that inspired it, is evocative, resourceful and skillfully written, using as it does only some eight or so pitches. Breath by Ed Bennett followed. Written also for bass clarinet with violin and cello, it was inspired by another Beckett work, Ghost Trio, an intermission play in which music is heard coming from another room. Running string figures are punctuated by repeated hits in the bass clarinet, which at times influence the texture of this music. The first half concluded with a Piano Quintet by Jane O’Leary. This significant four-movement work is inventive in that the string effects, such as pizzicatos, soft tremolos and colorful bowings, are imitated by the pianist as she plays inside the instrument. The structure lends itself to a full exploration of these textures in contrasting movements. The program resumed with In fretta, in vento: String Quartet No. 6, a thoughtful, contemplative piece by Ian Wilson. He describes it as ‘bound up with ideas of loss and remembrance, particularly in relation to the 9/11 attacks...The piece is dedicated to the memory of my maternal grandmother, who died just after I completed it.’ Here Wilson creates harmonies that seem literally to slide one into the other. Following this was Don’t by Ailís Ní Ríain, another duet for bass clarinet and cello. Ní Ríain’s piece, like Deirdre McKay’s, uses the instruments resourcefully, with motivically-developed melodies that build to dramatic effect. Since Ní Ríain’s additional interest is theatre this is not surprising, and also fitting that she would have the players utter the word ‘don’t’ a couple of times to suggest an argument that won’t end soon. The program concluded with minard/nithsdale by Jennifer Walshe, for string quartet and boomboxes. Boombox musique concrête and clicking sounds produced by smacking lips are a major component of this innovative piece. Both man and machine dovetail in and out to create a tapestry of sound. It becomes difficult to separate the two; is the alla guitarra strumming coming from the players or from the speakers? You have to listen till the end of the piece to find out. This concert, which ended with a convivial reception and a toast from the Consul General of Ireland, Mr. Niall Burgess, was a stimulating introduction to Irish composition and performance. For those who would like to explore further, the web site of the Contemporary Music Centre offers extensive resources—visit www.cmc.ie Donald Hagar Donald Hagar is a New York-based composer. Posted: 24 November 2008
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