Review of the Year Top Clare Arts Events 2011

Top Clare Arts Events 2011 A personal selection

Although I have travelled far in pursuit of excellent arts events, some of the best events were right on my doorstep in Clare. Here is my personal selection of the highlights of 2011. Click on the highlighted text for my review.

Music 

Best Opera   Dublin Youth Opera Co. Jukebox Opera
A company of teenage opera singers at  Ennis Friary (including Ennis native Ruth Kelly) were stunning in their Jukebox opera , Thicker than Water       

Thom Moore

 Best Songwriter Thom Moore at Island Music Club. This is tricky, on one hand  Declan O Rourke, writer of my favourite 21st century song ever brought his Mag Pai Zai tour to Glór but after some deliberation my prize goes to Thom Moore after his charming gig at Minogues, Tulla as a guest of the Island Music Club when we were reminded of how many hit songs he wrote for other performers.


Best Blues   Johnny Fean House Shakers Blues. 
Well ok.  I didn't hear very much blues and I am not  particularly a  fan but I enjoyed this gig at Shannon . In fact I heard Fean twice in 2011, the second gig with bass player Stephen Travers. If anyone could make a case for the Blues, Johnny Fean could. Catch him at his Limerick gigs

Johnny Fean

Best Trad Gig Zoe Conway John McIntyre at SMB Folk Club
A pleasure to hear unamplified music of any genre but Zoe and John McIntyre were charming at the Courthouse as guests of the Sixmilebridge Folk Club. Superb violin technique and charming songs and a mix of genres with sympathetic guitar accompaniment. An accoustic delight.

Zoe Conway, John Mc

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Best Ensemble: Cornets by candlelight  Ennis Brass Band
Vladimir Jablokov brought his quintet to Glor as part of the Classical Twist tour and was my favourite small ensemble of the year
There is something thrilling about the sound of brass instruments en masse and the Ennis Brass Band are a super enesemble.  Even if they were only half as good they would still be my pick. I admire very much their sense of civic duty and they remain an honest to goodness marching band getting out in all weathers to cheer  Ennis folk. Listen back to the post concert interview with PRO Darragh McAllister in my report. I was very proud to be a guest performer at their 40 th celebration concert. Long may they prosper.

Best solo artist Peggy Seeger  
Peegy Seeger , a living legend was simply extraordinary at the Courthouse as a guest of Sixmilebridge Folk Club. Witty, charming and playing a fascinating collection of instruments.

Last play of Jukebox Opera in the Banner

 




Young Gifted and Back in Ennis in 2012
 
Tonight  The Ensemble  West Side Story Bernstein      Niall Gallagher Ruth Kelly 
Excerpt inc. O Mio Babbino Caro Gianni Schicchi Puccini     Ruth Kelly Cian Brady
Violin Duet (aria) Orpheus in the Underworld Offenbach        Ferghal Curtis /Clare Treacy
Love Unspoken Lehar The Merry Widow                Ferghal Curtis /   Niamh Abbey                 
What is this Feeling   Wicked  Schwartz                  Lindsay Curtain / Tara McSwiney
A'Amour est un oiseau rebelle Carmen Bizet          Katelyn Galvin
Che Faro Sensa Euridice   Gluck                             Jonathan  Gannon
La Ci Darem La Mano  Don Giovanni Mozart      David Howes /Ciara McMackin
Papagaeno Papagaena  Duet Magic Flute    Alex Otterburn/Ciara McMackin
Anvil Chorus  Il Trovatore  Verdi
One Day More Les Miserables Schonberg

 
 

  An unassuming notice in the church newsletter informed me that there would be a some third level singing students performing in the Friary when the Dublin Youth Opera Company would perform their jukebox opera 'Blood is Thicker than Water'.  The presentation far exceeded expectation and was a sophisticated  semi-staged presentation with a variety of arias, duets and ensemble numbers all woven into a lose narrative presented with verve and considerable panache by the company just shy of 20 members, all on the cusp of professional musical careers.  Clad in jeans and black and white tops the evening began in a very unassuming fashion with the ensemble taking up positions among the audience and gradually coming on stage, flashmob style  to make up the Jets and Sharks teams for the opening ensemble number from Bernstein's 20th century classic, West Side Story. This worked very well indeed as an opener and I don't think any of us were expecting the quite sizeable enesmble of seventeen singers and two accompanists, that gradually assembled into a cohesive ensemble in front of us.







                                                 Jets and Sharks Ruth Kelly as Maria centre

Ennis native Ruth Kelly played the role of Lauretta, daughter of Gianni Schicchi straight rather than as a manipulative young madam wrapping her father around her little finger. In the  violin duet aria , Orpheus  (Ferghal Curtis) pretends to play his latest '75-minute 'concerto' and completely ignores his wife's pleas for him to stop.  Revenge indeed for Eurydice's unfaithfulness. It was in Gluck's Orfeo that we had one of the most remarkable of  the evening's voices.  I have heard three renditions of Che Faro in Clare in the last ten days (exceeded only by a certain French operatic carol)  but wonderful as Maeve Cairney's version en francais and mezzo soprano Edel O Brien's  Italian, version nothing evokes the spirit of the grief  quite like high register  male voice. Countertenor Jonathan Gannon was an exciting new voice that I expect we will hear a lot more of with Baroque opera much in vogue. The baritone, David Howes has appeared in these pages before when he impressed in a performance of Puccini's  Messe di Gloria with Limerick Choral Union. His duet with Ciara McMackin was  really charming, the same young lady partnering Alex Otterburn in a nimble and lively Papageno's Duet . Katelyn Galvin caused quite a frisson among audience and cast with her sultry tones as the feisty Spanish seductress , Carmen. 

The company had the services of two excellent accompanists, Maria  Geheran and Adam McDonagh. I had a chat with Maria following the performance who spoke about the pleasure of being part of an ensemble experience with piano playing more often than not being  a solitary pursuit. Maria is a student of Padraig O'Cuinnegáin no stranger to Ennis audiences and who recently accompanied Regina Nathan in her Ennis recital  Into the Light  .

Michelle Hennessy's Junior Choir  accompanied by Leon Walsh were well schooled and sang a charming selection of their repertoire. The evening concluded with the opera company forming a choir for some strightforward  choral singing, including a lovely Polish carol,  In a Manger He is Lying. 



The clever programme was I gather devised and directed by student Andrea Basquille (first voice in the video below)  who acted as narrator today.  There was a great sense of energy with the young ensemble  clearly enjoying the camaraderie of ensemble performing which was very appealing. There was a decent programme note with plot synopsis notes to accompany each number . At circa 45 minutes long , this is a show that would work very well as  fringe event for a festival, a  supper theatre  offering in a hotel event centre or as a visit to a post primary school's senoir groups.  If you missed it, it is too bad as this was the final night of their tour where they visited five counties including Donegal. I don't think even Opera Theatre Company who take their touring remit very seriously got that far North! The group plan to return to Ennis in 2012 to present another Jukebox Opera at Easter.  Watch out for them and go see them while you can still afford them .  A most entertaining  evening .  I have no doubt we will be hearing from many of them again. Bravo tutti!



Dublin Youth Opera Co. Ferghal Curtis centre 'Violin Concerto'