Entertainment
Early Music Festival to celebrate 101 years of the Brothers Grimm
Arts Week with Judy Murphy – judymurphy@ctribune.ie
One hundred years after the first publication of Grimm’s Fairytales, the Galway Early Music Festival, May 9-12, presents ‘Sonnets for the Cradle’, a multi-media event based on fairytales, directed by Ireland’s foremost recorder soloist, Laoise O’Brien, with original artwork by tapestry weaver, Lorna Donlon.
Inspired by the folk tales collected by the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Anderson, Giambattista Basile and Charles Perrault, this music and art project takes a look at the dark side of fairy tales.
“I gathered music to make a fine story with heroes and villains, kings and queens, monsters and fairies, really as much as I could fit in to 40 minutes of music,” Laoise O’Brien explained.
“These tales didn’t always have the happy endings that they now have. The themes are abandonment, loss, neglect and impossible challenges that are answered by cleverness, humour and hope.
“I was largely led by the stories and the rhymes that my son liked and I found that he loved the stories that were a little bit scary. He loved Little Red Riding Hood (with the original ending – the wolf eats her, the end!) and anything with a deep dark wood in it.”
Tapestry artist Lorna Donlon’s response to the stories, rhymes and music are beautifully crafted collages and imaginative items that highlight the hidden messages in the stories. Although the project is inspired by the fairytales and nursery rhymes of childhood, it speaks to young and old.
The multi-media concert of Sonnets for the Cradle is on Friday, May 10, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc, Middle St, Galway. The art exhibition runs from Friday, May 10, to Friday, May 17, in the Rehearsal Room, An Taibhdhearc, during opening hours.
The Galway Early Music Festival, “Word Play: What came first, words or music?” runs from May 9-12 with an imaginative and wide-ranging programme. From 17th century Roman music to the performance of Early Irish poetry and a playful look at the dark side of fairytales, join us for a rich tapestry of medieval renaissance and baroque vocal and instrumental music in the liveliest medieval town in Europe!
For a full programme of events and to book tickets visit www.galwayearly music.com
Folk duo Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce are launching their new album What Will We Be, a blend of folk, Americana and acoustic music, this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc.
The success of their well-received 2020 release Taobh le Taobh, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, spurred the duo on to record this new album which represents many years of collaboration and musical development.
It features Niall and Pádraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc Ó hÉanaigh on double bass and Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. The catchy title track, What Will We Be, features contributions from percussionist Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.
Themes of love and hope are woven through Come Away with Me which features interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies.
People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on Martin and Tom, Guitar Gold, Memories of You and Achill Island. The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel Walden features on the tracks Simple and Wise and Walden, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core.
The album moves from minimalistic folk ballads such as Galway Ghost to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song Neptune, both of which are influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Much of the work on this album was supported by the Arts Council, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble Treo.
The album will be launched this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in an Taibhdhearc. Tickets €22, plus booking fee at Eventbrite.ie.
Dunmore is the place to be this weekend for lovers of traditional music, as the Galway County Fleadh will take place there from this Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 23.
It is 10 years since Dunmore last hosted a fleadh and the local Comhaltas branch, which has re-formed since Covid, is looking forward to facilitating this gathering of music, song, dance and craic.
The official Opening Concert will take place in Dunmore Town Hall this Friday at 8pm with the acclaimed Mulcahy family from Limerick. Mick, Louise and Michelle are well known throughout the country, thanks to their live performances, television appearances and numerous CDs. They were the winners of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Grúpa Ceoil Award for 2023. Tickets for their concert can be purchased on the door and a great night of music is promised.
Two days of competitions will kick off this Saturday at the town’s Community School, with more than 1,500 competitors taking part. Participants will be hoping to qualify for the Connacht Fleadh 2023, which will be held in Ballina, County Mayo, from June 23 to July 2.
Competitions for those aged Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15 will be held in a large variety of instruments on Saturday, as well as in singing and Comhrá Gaeilge. Sunday’s competitions will be for the Under 18 and Over 18 ages groups, as well as in dancing.
On both days a large entry is expected for Grúpaí Cheoil and Céilí Band competitions across all age groups.
Seventeen Comhaltas branches from across Galway will have participants in this weekend’s competitions, which will result in a large number of visitors to the Dunmore area.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the competitions, which offer a great opportunity to hear and see the talent on display. There will be sessions in local pubs over the weekend as well and everybody is welcome to attend these.
For more information on the County Fleadh, go to www.galwaycomhaltas.ie.
Music for Galway’s concert with renowned Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia which had been due to take place on April 27 but which had to be deferred, will now take place next Tuesday, May 23, at 8pm, in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall at the University of Galway.
This concert of German classics with Bach at its core, will brings the Bach element of Music for Galway’s 41st season to an end.
This world-class pianist who won the famous Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, has a repertoire that spans many eras from baroque to contemporary and he is widely known for his elaborate programmes. Cédric Pescia describes music as ‘language and movement at the same time’.
Audiences will have a chance to experience his soft, clear touch as he performs a programme for solo piano that will include classics such as Schumann’s popular Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), a suite of nine short pieces, and the penultimate of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, No. 31. These pieces will be interspersed with French Suites by Bach.
■ Ticket for Cédric Pescia’s concert are available at www.musicforgalway.ie, or by phone 091 705962 and on the door on the night. They cost €20/€18. The price for fulltime students of all ages is €6 while MfG Friends can avail of the friends’ rate of €16.
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