I am Wind on Sea
Sometimes wrongly dismissed as a land only of ancient folk tunes and soggy ballads, Ireland is surprising many with the resurgence of a host of talented composers and performers in the contemporary music arena. Six composers represented here show the amazing variety and diversity of recent compositions. Mezzo-soprano Aylish Kerrigan is famed for her one-woman shows and performance of both contemporary Irish music and also German theatre music, she is particularly active in the world of contemporary art-song, as demonstrated here with her longstanding partner Dearbhla Collins.
For more modern music from Ireland see:
Track Listing
-
Ina Boyle:
- Three Songs by Walter de la Mare - I. Song of the Mad Prince (1:48)
- Three Songs by Walter de la Mare - II. The Pigs and the Charcoal-Burner (2:16)
- Three Songs by Walter de la Mare - III. Moon, Reeds, Rushes (1:45)
- Sleep Song (2:30) Elaine Agnew:
- April Awake - I. Mid-April (1:15)
- April Awake - II. THe Hill-Farm (3:44)
- April Awake - III. April Awake (1:31) Seoírse Bodley:
- After Great Pain - I. After Great Pain (2:35)
- After Great Pain - II. 'Tis not that Dying (2:18)
- After Great Pain - III. I am the mashed fireman (3:06)
- After Great Pain - IV. Tie the strings to my life, my Lord (1:55)
- Remember (4:02)
- The Tightrope Walker Presents a Rose (2:48) Anne-Marie O'Farrell:
- The Hoopoe Song (10:18) Rhona Clarke:
- smiling like that … (5:07) John Buckley:
- I am Wind on Sea (9:40)
Reviews
“The [Buckley] work, and its performance on this CD, represents a tour de force in contemporary Irish vocal music. It is significant to have this neglected figure [Ina Boyle] and her music included on this CD. Her ability to capture a mood with short gestures is clearly in evidence here, as is her operatic leaning.
” —Martin O'Leary
“A fascinating array of poetic moods… the album is noteworthy for the way in which music and text are married to haunting effect. Kerrigan’s mezzo is most convincing in its lower register, but she also has the ability to float some ethereal lines, and she is a master of dramatic delivery of text. Collins provides evocative sup¬port on the piano with the crystalline clarity of her tone and the fluidity of her line. The sound on the CD is crisp, clear, and nuanced nicely. The packaging of the CD is commend-able, with complete texts, informative liner notes about each work and composer plus both performers. For fans of contemporary art song, this collection will be a welcome addition to their libraries.
” —Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold
““By contemporary we mean the last century or so and by Irish we don’t mean songs about whisky in jars: while some parts of this CD are charming, others are more challenging. Interesting and not at all inaccessible, though some sections take some getting used to.”
” —Jeremy Condliffe
