RTÉ lyric fm releases new albums of music by Donnacha Dennehy and Kevin Volans

The two discs, volume 9 and 10 in RTÉ lyric fm label’s Composers of Ireland Series, are available for purchase online and shortly through CMC’s shop.

Featuring the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and conductors Alan Buribayev and Gavin Maloney alongside soloists including Isabelle O’Connell and the Storioni Trio, both discs provide an overview of the composers’ orchestral works to date.

Donnacha Dennehy’s release features one of his earliest orchestral works, The Vandal, from 2000, as well as his work from 2009 for the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Crane. This was subsequently one of the recommended works by the International Rostrum of Composers in 2010. Chamber Choir Ireland also feature in the recording of his work commissioned by BBC Radio 3 for the Ulster Orchestra in 2005, Hive.

Kevin Volans’ disc includes two concertos - his Trio Concerto from 2005, and a first recording of his revised Concerto for Piano and Winds, with pianist Isabelle O’Connell, originally from 1995 and revised in 2012. Also featured is his Symphony: Daar kom die Alibama (2010), described by the composer as ‘a meditation on the sea and the role of ships and their cargoes in our history … the piece hovers in a state of unfulfilled anticipation from beginning to end.’

Listen to both albums on Spotify