Author: Press Officer

It is with great sadness that The Dubliners announce the sudden passing of Barney McKenna this morning at his home in Howth, Co. Dublin.

The band, his family and friends would like to thank everyone for their kindness and support.  Words cannot describe how we all feel.

 He was one in a million.

The greatest tenor banjo player of his generation, Barney spent his life travelling the world playing Irish music.

He loved it. The world loved him.

May he rest in peace.

Funeral arrangements to follow in due course.

A Dublin City Centre Multi-Stage Music & Arts Festival

Saturday 2^nd-Monday 4^th June

June Bank Holiday Weekend

At The Royal Hospital, Kilmainham

SATURDAY LINE-UP ADDITIONS

FRIENDLY FIRES, HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE, and MMOTHS have officially been added to the Forbidden Fruit Saturday Line- up – joining previously announced LEFTFIELD, BOOKASHADE, BLOODY BEETROOTS, THE FIELD, FACTORY FLOOR, BEAR IN HEAVEN, LE GALAXIE and TOBY KAAR

School mates FRIENDLY FIRES have been together since their teens, covering songs and gigging locally. Their big break came in 2007 and since then have been featured on television shows and adverts all over the world. With just two albums under their belt the alternative lads are by no means slowing down and will be bringing their disco funk sound to Kilmainham.

After supporting Prince in Malahide Castle HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLEare back inDublinonce again. The 8 brothers boast an extremely musical family hailing from the ever soulful South Side Chicago. Extroadinarly individual the brothers compose their own music and occasionally their father writes for them. Mesmirising and spell binding don’t miss Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.

MMOTHS

won’t have too far to travel as Newbridge based Jack Colleran takes to the stage on Saturday June 2nd. Tipped to be one of the biggest stars of 2012 MMOTHS went global in less than a month of the first two Soundcloud uploads. Putting his Leaving Cert studies to the wayside Jack was quickly picked up and signed – catch MMOTHS at Forbidden Fruit and you’ll understand the fuss.

Haven’t got your ticket yet? Buy them from ticketmaster.ienow – Day Tickets: E49.50 / Two Day Tickets: EU89.50 / Weekend Tickets: EU115

The Contemporary Music Centre has joined forces with the ground breaking Kaleidoscope Night monthly salon series for its next new music::new Ireland salon. Kaleidoscope Night will present Kaleidoscope Premieres for the CMC new music::new Ireland salon. This will feature repeat performances of 3 premieres of contemporary music, which have taken place in Kaleidoscope Night to date.  Kaleidoscope Night co-curators and performers Cliodhna Ryan (violin) and Kate Ellis (cello) will perform. The new music::new Ireland salon takes place 6pm – 7pm, Wednesday 25 April 2012, in the Kevin Barry Room of the National Concert Hall. 

The 3 works on the night are David Fennessy, REST, which was commissioned by Kaleidoscope with funds from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 2011; David Stalling, Chrome, which was premiered at Kaleidoscope in 2009 and Enda Bates, Duo for Violin and Cello with Tape, which was commissioned by Kaleidoscope with funds from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 2010.

All 3 composers are represented by the Contemporary Music Centre and Enda Bates will be present at the salon to talk about his work. A launch, hosted by the Contemporary Music Centre, of a digital download of Enda Bates’s Duo for Violin and Cello with Tape, along with an electronic piece called Flock, will take place after the salon. The digital download will become available via bandcamp after the launch.     This digital download launch will be followed by the next New Sound Worlds concert, which features the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet and takes place in the Kevin Barry Room, 8.30pm, 25 April 2012. Truly a night of new music in the NCH!

Cliodhna Ryan enjoys a diverse and varied career as a violinist. As a founding member of the Rothko String Trio, she made her London debut to critical acclaim at the Purcell Room in 2005. Cliodhna has been a guest artist at the Shannon International Music Festival and the Cutting Edge and Meanwood Music Series in London. In addition to her work with the Rothko Trio, she has performed with the Vanbrugh String Quartet, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Chroma and Crash Ensemble. As a member of the Irish Chamber Orchestra she has played alongside such great artists as Richard Tognetti, Anthony Marwood and Pekka Kuuisisto. She performs regularly with the Northern Sinfonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. She is frequently engaged as principal violinist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Endellion Orchestra amongst others. Her education has taken her from the Royal Academy of Music in London to Dallas, as a Fulbright Scholar. More recently, she has been an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada. These residencies were supported by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and The Banff Centre for the Arts.

Kate Ellis is a dedicated soloist and chamber musician, as passionate about World Music as she is about New Music. Kate is cellist with the Crash Ensemble and performs and tours with Gavin Friday, the Karan Casey band and Yurodny. She is also a core member of the ensemble Tarab. As a soloist Kate has commissioned and premiered many new works for solo cello. Kate is a prize-winning graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music and studied at the Purcell School and junior department of the Royal College of Music in London. In July 2011 Kate became musician in residence at the Cork Opera House working as co-curator of the Reich Effect, a festival marking the 75th year of Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Reich. She is continuing her residency throughout 2012 with a series of solo concerts and collaborations with other Irish and International musicians. www.kateelliscello.com

Together, Cliodhna Ryan and Kate Ellis are co-curators of the ground breaking monthly music salon, ‘Kaleidoscope’. Founded in 2009, Kaleidoscope Night has been described by the Irish Times as “one of those life-saving, spirit-lifting, pioneering Cultural Ventures we keep hearing about”. Kaleidoscope brings a vibrant, dynamic musical experience to audiences and performers. Innovative and imaginative programming offers a diverse range of music from ancient to contemporary and experimental in a relaxed, intimate and beautiful setting. www.kaleidoscopenight.com

The CMC new music::new Ireland salon series aims to encourage newcomers and enthusiasts alike to engage with the music of Irish composers. Each performance takes place in an informal atmosphere with dialogue encouraged between composers, performers and audience. This is the Centre’s nineth series and salons will take place across the year on the last Wednesday of each month, apart from the summer months (June, July and August).

Ciaran Gribbin (INXS), And So I Watch You From Afar, RAMS’ Pocket Radio and Barry Lynn (Boxcutter) are the latest artists to be confirmed for BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle’s The Great Northern Songbook – 150 Years Of The Ulster Hallconcert , supported by Belfast City Council.

These four artists will join Cara Dillon, Brian Kennedy, General Fiasco, The Answer and Katharine Philippa at the special event which takes place in The Ulster Hall on Tuesday, May 22 to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the iconic music venue.

At the concert, each artist will join the Ulster Orchestra to perform the nation’s 10 favourite songs composed by local songwriters – as shortlisted by BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle specialist music presenters and voted for by the public. The artists will also perform one of their own original songs, accompanied by the Ulster Orchestra.

Voting has now closed and the public can now apply for complimentary tickets to The Great Northern Songbook – 150 Years Of The Ulster Hall event until 5pm on Friday, April 13 at www.bbc.co.uk/tickets. A maximum of four tickets will be allocated per household address using a random draw. No late applications will be accepted and duplicate applications will not be considered.

The concert will be hosted by BBC Radio Ulster presenters Ralph McLean and Lynette Fay and will be broadcast live on the station at 8pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012.

Ciaran Gribbin says: “It was a real honour to be asked to perform with the Ulster Orchestra for BBC Radio Ulster’s Great Northern Songbook event.

Since becoming the Singer/Songwriter in INXS nine months ago I have toured on three continents, in some amazing venues and cities. Belfast’s Ulster Hall is a truly great music venue with a rich history. I have seen many wonderful gigs there over the years and it is without doubt my favorite venue in the world.

“As a young musician I spent years gigging in the pubs and clubs of Belfast, and like most local musicians, I could only dream of performing in the Ulster Hall. I can’t wait to be back in Belfast and walk out of that great stage with the amazing Ulster Orchestra.”

Ralph says: “I’m delighted that Ciaran has been confirmed for the line-up.  It’s been an amazing year for him since he took up the lead singer role in INXS and I think May 22 will be a real homecoming for him.  A chance to celebrate for him and people like me who’ve known him for years.  It’s an amazing line up of local talent all round and when you combine names like RAMS’ Pocket Radio with Cara Dillon and The Ulster Orchestra in the legendary Ulster Hall you realise we’re talking about one amazing gig here.  It’s the sort of gig people will be talking about for years so do yourself a favour and stick your name in the hat for tickets.  If you’re not in you can’t win!”

Lynette says: “More names have been added to the bill, the voting has closed, now the excitement builds ahead of the Great Northern Songbook live concert on May 22. This will be an unforgettable night which will celebrate our diverse songwriting talent, our musical legacy and our future.  This will be a great occasion, another night to remember on our most famous musical stage and this is your chance to be there. Be part of it and enter the draw for tickets.”

A total of 32 songs have been shortlisted by BBC Radio Ulster’s specialist music presenters Gerry Anderson, Colin Murray, Ralph McLean, Lynette Fay, Stuart Bailie, Cherrie McIlwaine, Rigsy, John Toal, Hugo Duncan, John Bennett,  Alan Simpson  and Brian Mullen. The public could vote for their favourite song from: Rudi – ‘Big Time’/ The Undertones – ‘Teenage Kicks’/ Ash – ‘Shining Light’/ Brian Kennedy – ‘Captured’/ Stiff Little Fingers – ‘Alternative Ulster’/ Them – ‘Gloria’/ The Undertones – ‘My Perfect Cousin’/ Van Morrison – ‘Madame George’/ Two Door Cinema Club – ‘Something Good Can Work’/ Snow Patrol – ‘Run’/ Divine Comedy – ‘Tonight We Fly’/ Paul Brady – ‘The Island’/ Phil Coulter – ‘The Town I Loved So Well’/ Duke Special – ‘Freewheel’/ The Divine Comedy – ‘Songs Of Love’/ The Four Of Us – ‘Mary’/ The McPeakes – ‘Will You Go Lassie Go’/ David McWilliams – ‘Days Of Pearly Spencer’/ Bap Kennedy – ‘Moonlight Kiss’/ Jimmy Kennedy – ‘South of the Border’/ Van Morrison – ‘Moondance’/ Van Morrison – ‘Brown Eyed Girl’/ Henry McCullough – ‘Belfast to Boston’/ Clannad – ‘Theme from Harry’s Game’/ Jimmy Kennedy – ‘Red Sails In The Sunset’/ Snow Patrol – ‘Chasing Cars’/ Cara Dillon – ‘Hill of Thieves’/ Tommy Sands – ‘The County Down’/ Kieran Goss – ‘Brand New Star’/ Phil Coulter – ‘Scorn Not His Simplicity’/ Phil Coulter – ‘Congratulations’/ Jimmy Kennedy – ‘Harbor Lights’.

The 10 most popular songs as voted for by the public will be revealed on the night of the event.

·        This public vote ran for two weeks, from Friday, March 16 until Friday, March 30.

·        The public may register for complimentary tickets to the event until 5pm on Friday, April 13 at www.bbc.co.uk/tickets. A maximum of four tickets will be allocated per household address on the basis of a random draw. No applications will be accepted after the closing date and duplicate applications will not be considered.

·        The concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle at 8pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012.

BRIAN KENNEDY  Announces Live Performance of new single “BEST DAYS” on The Voice Of Ireland – Sunday 8th April

Single: “Best Days” will be released Friday 6th April

Album: “Voice” – released May 2012

Live: June 8th & 9th Olympia Theatre, Dublin 

Brian’s new single “Best Days” featuring the Dublin Gospel Choir and produced by Billy Farrell will be released on Friday 6th April.  The new album, “VOICE” is scheduled for release in May and on June 8th & 9th Brian plays at The Olympia Theatre.  Live regional shows will be announced shortly.  “Best Days” conveys not least Brian’s exemplary vocals and song writing prowess. Of the song itself, Brian says “I wanted to write something from a positive perspective, that gives us all a flicker of hope amongst the negativity we have to deal with on a daily basis.”

It’s easy to see why Brian Kennedy was selected as one of the four coaches on The Voice Of Ireland TV series in Ireland.  Quite simply, he has all the credentials.

A multi-talented artist, Brian is now reaping the rewards of his phenomenal twenty-year career in the music industry.  It’s been a steady ascent towards deserved recognition and the past two years have been especially significant.

Brian is first and foremost a live performer and songwriter.  His own words, “Music is my lifeblood,” are reflected in his relentless schedule, from his first gig in the ‘90s, to present time.  His constant touring from Ireland and UK to Australia and the USA, including the major global festivals, has resulted in a thriving international fan base. 

Brian’s work with Van Morrison has been well documented.  As featured lead singer on the legend’s ‘Blues & Soul Revue’ he shared stages over that six-year tour with Van and other all-time greats: Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles andJohn Lee Hooker.  He also accompanied Van on five of his major albums.   However, you might be less familiar with Brian’s performances with Stevie Wonder together with being one of only a few to perform with the now legendary Jeff Buckley at Sin É in New York. 

Throughout the continuous touring, Brian managed to maintain a stream of a dozen or so chart-making albums. ‘A Better Man’ (1996) and ‘Now That I Know What I Want’ (1999), both went platinum at No.1 and earned him the awards of Irish Best Male Artist and Irish Best Male Album.  His single, ‘You Raise Me Up’, from the 2005 ‘Tribute’ album to George Best entered the Top 5 in UK charts, as did the highly acclaimed  ‘Homebird’ (2006) and cover album ‘Interpretations’ (2008). 

A born communicator, it’s natural that Brian’s abilities have carried him into other aspects of Arts & Entertainment. His abilities as a Radio/TV presenter are proven, exemplified in the successful TV two-part series ‘Brian Kennedy On Song’(2003), covering traditional Irish songs, in which he was both presenter and performer.  At the same time, he’s managed to weave into a staggering workload, several short stories, and two best selling novels: ‘The Arrival of Fergal Flynn’ (2004), and ‘Roman Song’ (2005). Both books entered the Best Seller list and resulted in the award of an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters, from Ulster University for his contribution to the Arts.

Release date – JUNE 15 (Plateau)

SONGS FEATURED ON THE HUNGER GAMES SOUNDTRACK
ONCE, THE MUSICIAL OPENS ON BROADWAY AND RECEIVES CRITICAL ACCLAIM
EUROPEAN TOUR DATES CONFIRMED

Over 20 years in the making, singer songwriter Glen Hansard will release his first solo album, Rhythm and Repose, on Plateau on June 15 (Anti Records for the rest of the world).

Best known for his work with The Frames, The Swell Season and in the feature film Once, for which he won an Academy Award, Rhythm and Repose is Hansard’s first album of new material since his 2009 release Strict Joy with The Swell Season.

Rhythm and Repose is a result of Hansard’s last year and a half of living in New York City. The album was recorded by Patrick Dillett (David Byrne, Arto Lindsay, Laurie Anderson) and produced by Thomas Bartlett (Doveman, The National, Antony and the Johnsons). The record features the musical talents of Brad Albetta (Martha Wainwright) on bass, Ray Rizzo on drums, Nico Muhly and Rob Moose on strings (Bon Iver, Y Music), David Mansfield on slide guitar (Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Tour), Javier Mas (Leonard Cohen touring band) and half of Bruce Springsteen’s current horn section. Assisting on vocals are Cristin Milioti (Once, The Musical), Sam Amidon, Marketa Irglova and Aida Shahghasemi (Marketa Irglova touring band).  

In recent months Hansard has been seen in the documentary The Swell Season which has toured the film festival circuit this year, contributed two songs to the blockbuster soundtrack, The Hunger Games, and been active in the promotion of Once, The Musical which successfully opened on Broadway on March 18 to rave reviews, including the New York Times who explains, “what was always wonderful about ‘Once,’ its songs and its staging, has been magnified.”

Hansard is celebrated as the principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for The Frames. He garnered a reputation as not only an unparalleled front man, but also for his dedicated following and his grounded, real-life songs. Whether he’s busking the streets of Dublin, where he got his start, or at the Hollywood Bowl, Hansard is always earnest and in-the-moment.

Hansard is also one half of the acclaimed duo The Swell Season. In 2007, he and Czech songstress Markéta Irglová took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly” off the Once soundtrack. Hansard and Irglová continued the success of Once with the 2009 release Strict Joy under the namesake of The Swell Season. 

“Glen Hansard is a gifted, emotive frontman who sings as if he must, with a heart on his sleeve that is constantly throbbing.” —The New York Times

Tracklist

1. You Will Become
2. Maybe Not Tonight
3. Talking with The Wolves
4. High Hope
5. Bird of Sorrow
6. The Storm, It’s Coming
7. Love Don’t Leave Me Waiting
8. What Are We Gonna Do
9. Races
10. Philander
11. Song of Good Hope

GLEN HANSARD TOUR DATES

06 July – Wiesen – Harvest Of Art Festival
20 July – Sittersdorf – Acoustic Lakeside Festival
24 July – Amsterdam – De Duif
25 July – Amsterdam – Carre Theater – Supporting Eddie Vedder
26 July – Amsterdam – Carre Theater – Supporting Eddie Vedder
28 July – Manchester – O2 Apollo – Supporting Eddie Vedder  
30 July – London – HMV Hammersmith – Supporting Eddie Vedder
31 July – London – HMV Hammersmith – Supporting Eddie Vedder

31Aug-2 Sept –Stradbally, Laois – Electric Picnic

Photo – Conor Masterson
Painting – Colin Davidson

LP Released June 15th on School Boy Error/ Co-operative Music

 
“Brilliant” – Sunday Times Culture
“Speedy-paced…whooping indie pop” – The Sun Something For the Weekend
“Juddering…the infectious chorus alone is definitely worth three cheers” – Daily Star

The propulsive singles “Family” and “Animals” have already hit the radio airwaves and hooked listeners, and now, Irish quartet The Cast of Cheers are getting ready to unleash their first proper album, released June 15th on School Boy Error/ Co-operative Music.

Of course, it would be a bit of a misnomer to call this their debut – that would be “Chariot”, the album the band recorded themselves in 3 days, which they subsequently put up on BandCamp for free. It received over 150,000 downloads and netted them a nomination at the Choice Music Prize, sending their star into rapid ascendance – their next single, the blistering “Family” saw the band championed by the influential likes of Zane Lowe, Fearne Cotton in the UK and more, while their follow-up single “Animals”, due out this month, has neatly repeated the same trick.

Anticipation is therefore riding high for the next phase, and to that end, “Family” (produced by Luke Smith, ex of Clor) surely does not disappoint. As their rousing live shows have indicated, this band know their way around an aggressively infectious hook and riproaring 3 minute song, with tracks like the pummelling “Human Elevator” and the driving “Goose” – imagine an amped up Battles jamming with vintage Gang of Four and you’ll be somewhere close – demonstrating an impressive ability to write sharp, concise, math-rock tracks that pack a punch even as they are moving your hips.

Which is not to say, however, that the band only have one note. The mid-tempo “Go Getter” is a lovely, warm-hearted mini-anthem in waiting, with lead singer Conor singing “you’re out of the thorns, you’re out of it now”, while “Marso Sava” is a tender love song recalling Simon and Garfunkel as much as it does a jittery XTC. Closer “They Call It a Race”, meanwhile sees the band in more wistful mode, with Conor asking “is anybody else losing heart tonight?” over a gorgeous, euphoric rush of rattling guitars and sweetly cooed backing vocals. It is a fine, reflective end to a fine record, and a powerful introduction to the world of The Cast of Cheers.

TRACKLISTING

1.    Family
2.    Posé Mit
3.    Human Elevator
4.    Animals
5.    Palace and Run
6.    Goose
7.    Go Getter
8.    Marso Sava
9.    Trucks At Night
10.    They Call It A Race

UPCOMING UK DATES

April

27 – Concorde 2, Brighton
28 – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
29 – O2 Academy, Oxford

May

1 – Trinity, Bristol
2 – Waterfront, Norwich
3 – Heaven, London
4 – HMV Institute, Birmingham
5 – Academy, Manchester
7 – Zanzibar, Liverpool
8 – The Cluny, Newcastle
9 – Tunnels, Aberdeen
10 – King Tuts, Glasgow
12 – Cockpit, Leeds
13 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

Available to buy for €15 here or also available on iTunes, cdbaby and Amazon

Reviews:

Album: Various Artists: Night Music: Voice in the Leaves (Louth Contemporary Music Society) ***** ANDY GILL   The Independent London FRIDAY 30 MARCH 2012

Named after a piece by the Uzbek composer Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky, Night Music: Voice in the Leaves explores music from the former Soviet Asian republics, played with dexterity and sensitivity by performers including the theremin virtuoso Lydia Kavina, who excels on Iraida Yusupova’s “Kitezh-19”, in which her eerily plaintive keening is allied to a tape of varispeeded chimes and plucked strings.

Elsewhere, Yanov-Yanovsky’s two pieces explore different times of day: the sombre choral setting of Robert Lax’s poem “Morning” is invaded by flurries of woodwind, vibes and low strings; while the title track weaves a web of crepuscular mystery from sparse string tones, tiny chimes, and trickles of piano and flute. Andy Gill

Mojo’s May 2012 4* review of LCMS Night Music: Voice in the Leaves.

LCMS’ third release ( following 2009’s A Place Between and 2012’s Path) showcases Soviet Orient composers Iraida Yusupova, Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh and Sofia Gubaidulina. Interpreted by the Hilliard Ensemble, Thereminist Lydia Kavina, cellist Ivan Monighetti and the Dublin Guitar Quartet, the result is stunning: spooky, melancholy music of space, beauty, and unease. AM

Night Music:Voice in the Leaves Irish Times Review 25 February 2012 MICHAEL DERVAN

Hilliard Ensemble, Ivan Monighetti (cello), Lydia Kavina (theremin), Dublin Guitar Quartet, EQ Ensemble/Jean ThorelLCMS 1201 ****

Louth Contemporary Music Society’s latest CD has music by composers Iraida Yusupova, Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh and Sofia Gubaidulina, who were all born in the then the Soviet Union but whose birthplaces would be given as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Tatarstan. You could describe the works as mood pieces. Yusupova’s Kitezh-19 evokes resonances of invisible and closed cities. Yanov-Yanovsky’s Night Music: Voice in the Leaves pits ruminative solo cello against often spaced-out commentary from ensemble and tape – but his Morning never seems to cohere fully. Ali-Zadeh’s Ask Havasi finds solo cello in ecstatic mode. Gubaidulina’s Repentance revels in the combination of unusual instrumental sonorities and the pleasures of parallel movement, including Hawaiian guitar effects. louthcms.org

Night Music: Voice in the Leaves CD

Music by Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky,Sofia Gubaidulina, Iraida Yusupova, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
Performed by Ivan Monighetti, The Hilliard Ensemble,EQ Ensemble, Jean Thorel, Lydia Kavina,Malachy Robinson, Dublin Guitar Quartet
Cat. No.: LCMS1201
Release date: 19 March 2012

Cellist Ivan Monighetti – Mstislav Rostropovich’s last student at the Moscow Conservatory – is at the centre of a mesmerising new album issued by Louth Contemporary Music Society. It’s a recording that weaves together music by composers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, once part of the ancient silk trading routes, for a voyage of discovery that stretches from Tashkent to Dundalk in Ireland.

The unique and colourful heritage of the countries that once made up the “Soviet Orient” is still very much apparent – epitomized by the disc’s major work, Night Music: Voice in the Leaves by Uzbek composer Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky which was written in 2000 for Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. Ivan Moody says in the liner notes “Timbre is, in many ways, the connecting thread in this work, an extraordinary, delicate nocturne that seems to build up an electric atmosphere from almost no material.”

Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky’s music also has a strong connection to the rhythms and colours of the natural day. His second piece, Morning, a setting of the American meditative poet, Robert Lax, is an LCMS commission, which was given its world première by the artists here, Ivan Monighetti, The Hilliard Ensemble and the EQ Ensemble conducted by Jean Thorel, in Drogheda in April 2011.

The opening work is one of a series of pieces by Turkmenistan-born Iraida Yusupova with the title Kitezh, a name familiar from Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Legend of the Invisible City Of Kitezh. She now lives in Moscow, but her music has never ceased to evoke an exotic past: Kitezh-19 is a kind of Russian Atlantis, a mythical city that disappeared under water when the Mongols were about to attack, eerily suggested by theremin and tape.

Pieces penned for Ivan Monighetti by two more female composers complete the album. Sofia Gubaidulina, who was born in Chistopol in what is now the Republic of Tartarstan, turned 80 last October, an occasion much celebrated internationally. She has reworked an earlier piece (Ravvedimento for cello and guitar quartet) as Repentance, for cello, three guitars and double-bass. Repentance has in common with Azerbaijan-born Ali-Zadeh’s Ask havasi a long, ravishing – silken – thread for solo cello. To this the three guitars played here by the Dublin Guitar Quartet react, very often with quite different, more chorale-like material. The double bass which opens this journey from darkness to light is in some senses a mediator, partaking of both of these quite different sound worlds.

Franghiz Ali-Zadeh‘s Ask havasi (the title, in Turkish, is one of multiple meanings – “aşk” means love; the meanings of “havasi” encompass air, emotion, impression, melody, dance and mode) was composed in 1998 as a 50th birthday present for the cellist. It is like an extended improvisation on the theme of the madness of love, sighing, pulsating, yearning, in essence a vastly extended single, singing melodic line.

Ivan Monighetti, born in 1944, has won many top prizes collaborated with many leading contemporary composers such as Penderecki, Xenakis, Dutilleux, Schnittke, Tan Dun, Gubaidulina, Alexander Knaifel and Valentin Silvestrov. He is founding director of the Moscow Early Music festival (he is highly respected for his expertise in the performance practice of the 18th and 19th centuries), Professor of cello at the Basle Academy of Music, and has recorded widely (repertoire ranging from Bach and Haydn to Boris Tishchenko and Tigran Mansurian) for different labels, including Orfeo, Berlin Classics, Wergo, DUX and ECM New Series.

Night Music follows two previous and acclaimed discs issued by Irish concert promoters, Louth Contemporary Music Society, A Place Between and Path. Both also featured premiere recordings, by composers such as Sir John Tavener, Arvo Part, Alexander Knaifel, Valentin Silvestrov and Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky.

The album is presented with funding from the Music Network/Arts Council Music Recording Scheme and financially supported by Create Louth. Night Music will be available for purchase both as a CD, and online at the iTunes Store from 19 March 2012.

Tracks:

1. Iraida Yusupova (b. 1962)

Kitezh-19 (2004) ………………….9.11

Lydia Kavina (theremin) and tape

2. Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky (b. 1963)

Night Music: Voice in the Leaves (2000) …………16.58

Ivan Monighetti, EQ Ensemble, Jean Thorel (conductor) and tape

3. Franghiz Ali-Zadeh (b. 1947)

Aşk Havası (1998)……………….9.47

Ivan Monighetti

4. Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931)

Repentance (2008)……………..23.17

Ivan Monighetti, Malachy Robinson (bass) and the Dublin Guitar Quartet

5. Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky (b.1963)

Morning (2011)………………18.33

The Hilliard Ensemble, Ivan Monighetti, EQ Ensemble, Jean Thorel (conductor)

Total time: 77.56