Tionscadal na nAmhrán Ealaíne Gaeilge/ Irish Language Art Song Project - Déardaoin/Thursday 12 Márta/March

12 March 2020 19:30

Kevin Barry Recital Room, National Concert Hall

Welcome to the Irish Language Art Song Project. Irish is the oldest vernacular written language (i.e. non-Greek) in western Europe, and this longevity of tradition has created one of the great European literatures. Despite Irish language obliteration during colonization, the language has somehow, miraculously, survived. As the expression of a culture, the Irish language is immensely poetic and musical, and is ideally suited to the art song genre. However, in the classical music canon, the number of Irish language art songs is regrettably very small. In 2018, Bliain na Gaeilge/Year of Irish, in a desire to make a significant contribution to the canon of Irish language art song and to enliven interaction between classical composers and Irish language poets, Dáirine Ní Mheadhra commissioned fifty new art songs, set exclusively to Irish language texts, from Irish and International composers. All fifty songs are being recorded, and by November 2019 the song recordings and music scores (which include a pronunciation guide), will be available to download, at no cost, from a dedicated website generously hosted by the Contemporary Music Centre. This will allow any singer worldwide the possibility of singing an art song in Irish. The Arts Council of Ireland provided funding for this project.

This three-concert series in the Kevin Barry Recital Room at the National Concert Hall is the first public presentation of all fifty songs, and is most likely the first Irish language art song recital series in the history of the Irish state.

Magali Simard-Galdès soprán/soprano, Gavan Ring teanór/tenor, Louise Thomas pianó/piano

Programme:

Deirdre Gribbin
Sealbhú le/by: Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh
Emigrante le/by: Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh
Geimhriú le/by: Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh

Ailís Ní Ríain
An Chéad Phlaic le/by: Aifric Mac Aodha
An Dara Plaic, Nó Ath-Quoof 1 le/by: Aifric Mac Aodha
An Triú Plaic, Nó Ath-Quoof 2 le/by: Aifric Mac Aodha

Raymond Deane
Dar liom, is galar é an grá le/by: Maghnas Ó Domhnaill
Goirt anocht, deireadh mo scéil le/by: Maghnas Ó Domhnaill
Croí lán de smaointe le/by: Maghnas Ó Domhnaill

John Kinsella
Bóithre Bána le/by: Eoghan Ó Tuairisc
Filleadh ón Antartach le/by: Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh
An Muince Dreoilíní le/by: Michael Hartnett

Ann Cleare
Ceo le/by: Caitríona Ní Chléirchín
Eitilt le/by: Caitríona Ní Chléirchín
Glór le/by: Caitríona Ní Chléirchín

Fuhong Shi
Scáilbhean le/by: Colm Breathnach
Leaba Shíoda le/by: Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill