ELEGY LIVESTREAM CONCERT FRIDAY 17 JULY 2020
Chamber Choir Ireland and chamber ensemble Andrew Synnott conductor Iarla ร Lionรกird Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi Claire Duff violin An evening of music presented as a concert of reflection dedicated to those who have passed away during the Covid-19 crisis. NCH Registered Charity Number: 20011987
WELCOME ‘ELEGY’ is an evening of musical reflection and remembrance dedicated to those who have passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic. The culmination of the programme is the sublime Requiem by Gabriel Fauré, a work of consolation, peace and serenity. The composer himself said of it: “Everything I managed to entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest” Before the Fauré, we will hear three works from different musical traditions – European baroque, Irish sean-nós and American folk - that nonetheless share the same very human need to reflect on, and be reconciled with, the transience of human life. There could be fewer words more apt for this evening than those of the Wayfaring Stranger: “There is no sickness, toil, or danger In that fair land to which I go…… I’m just going over Jordan I’m just going over home”. We would like to thank all the artists performing this evening for their contributions to what we hope will be a unique demonstration of the healing and restorative power of music, as we remember all of this who have fallen victim to Covid-19, their families and loved ones. Our thanks also to The Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Davy as Innovation Partner, Culture Ireland, RTE.ie and The Irish Times for their continued support. Sincerely
Maura McGrath Chair
Simon Taylor CEO
PROGRAMME
Wayfaring Stranger Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi Biber (1644-1704)
Passacaglia in G minor Claire Duff, baroque violin
Éistigh liomsa sealad Iarla Ó Lionáird Fauré (1845-1924) Requiem Op.48 (1893 version) Chamber Choir Ireland and ensemble. Conductor, Andrew Synnott Soprano, Aisling Kenny (Pie Jesu) Baritone, Eoghan Desmond (Libera me) Bass, Jeffrey Ledwidge (Hostias)
1. Introït et Kyrie 2. Offertoire 3. Sanctus 4. Pie Jesu 5. Agnus Dei 6. Libera me 7. In Paradisum
One of the most sublime works in the sacred classical canon, Fauré’s Requiem, is performed in its intended chamber form by the Ireland’s leading choral ensemble Chamber Choir Ireland with conductor Andrew Synnott and chamber ensemble in its 1893 version edited by John Rutter. An agnostic, Fauré aimed at music to offer comfort, much of which can be found in the transcendental beauty of the The Requiem. From Cúil Aodha, Iarla Ó Lionáird is one of Ireland’s most distinctive voices with all its midnight depth and soaring breadth. Iarla Ó Lionáird has carved a long and unique career in music both internationally and in Ireland. From his iconic early recording of the vision song Aisling Gheal as a young boy to his ground breaking recordings with The Gloaming. For this concert Iarla performs the lament, Éistigh liomsa sealad. Recently resident here, Rhiannon Giddens is a celebrated artist who excavates the past to reveal bold and candid truths about our present. Here she performs with Dublin-based Italian multi-instrumentalist, Francesco Turrisi. Their collaboration there is no Other (Nonesuch) is a celebration of the spread of ideas, connectivity, and shared experience. Internationally renowned baroque violinist Claire Duff has her stylish solo violin playing described as having ‘all the excitement of a high-wire act’ by The Irish Times. She performs Biber’s Passacaglia in G minor. Part of a set of Mystery Sonatas, each sonata corresponds to one of the fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary. The Passacaglia for solo violin which closes the collection possibly relates to the Feast of the Guardian Angel. ‘Requiem’ by Gabriel Fauré, transcribed and edited by John Rutter © Hinshaw Music, Inc. 1984. Assigned to Oxford University Press 2016. Used with permission. All rights reserved. ELEGY is supported by The Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Davy as Innovation Partner, Culture Ireland, RTE.ie and The Irish Times. The concert will be available to view from NCH YouTube channel and Facebook.
Chamber Choir Ireland
Sopranos Aisling Kenny MĂŠav NĂ Mhaolchatha Catherine Redding Altos Constance Gardiner Leanne Fitzgerald Dominica Williams Tenors Alan Leech Stuart Kinsella Shane Barriscale
Conductor Violin Viola 1 Viola 2 Cello 1 Cello 2 Bass Horn Horn Harp Organ
Basses Jeffrey Ledwidge Simon Morgan Eoghan Desmond Soloists: Soprano: Aisling Kenny Bass (Hostias): Jeffrey Ledwidge Baritone (Libera Me): Eoghan Desmond
Chamber Choir Ireland is funded by the Arts Council
Andrew Synnott Sarah Sew Beth McNinch Robin Panter Ailbhe McDonagh Paula Hughes Aura Stone Liam Duffy Hannah Miller Dianne Marshall Fergal Caulfield