Mighty Ukes :Ukulele Orchestra of GB at the Theatre Royal Waterford

One of the choice musical moments in the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain's concert at the Theatre Royal, Waterford on Saturday night had a resonance with another major event. Around the same time as the Italian maestro of the silver screen was raising his baton to conduct the 97 strong Roma Sinfonietta in Dublin, the singing , whistling and strumming octet were giving the epic film theme to the Good,the Bad and the Ugly their own inimitable treatment. I don't know if Morricone has seen it but I think he would approve.

My new uke

The Ukulele Orchestra were last in Waterford as part of Spraoi in 2007 , a particularly rain sodden year in which their performance in the Tower Hotel Ballroom was a highlight, and a gig it seems everyone in the city claims to have been at. With a mix of  droll banter and physical clowning along with highly skilled playing in clever inventive arrangements, there is a whiff of a Blackpool End of the Pier show about the ensemble. One wonders if they miss the  relative simplicity of their pub and village hall gig days now that their schedule takes them literally to the ends of the earth and to lofty grand halls of the world such is their popularity. 

To say that the repertoire is eclectic is an understatement. They seem to consciously eschew that traditionally associated with the instrument in favour of more contemporary material and apart from a Tiny Tim hit, the set list doesn't dwell on nostalgia.

Earlier in the day, there was an opportunity to meet the members in person as the full complement turned out for a workshop in the Central Hall, the only such event, I believe scheduled on their busy tour. There were some fascinating insights into the inner workings as members graciously explained their various tunings, the division of musical roles among the group and recalled personal highlights of their performances now incredibly spanning almost three decades. There was a sing along to a mash up of camp fire songs. Following the session attendees and several ensemble repaired to Jordan's for more uke chat. Hanging out with the world famous Ukulele Orchestra in Jordan's. Saturday afternoon in Waterford doesn't get any cooler than that!

Venue Notes: The balcony was uncomfortably hot and sticky from early in the evening. The effect of any air conditioning was not detected until towards the end when there was a pleasant cooling blast. 

The Central Hall is  a useful venue on the Quay near the Reginald's Tower End. Managed by Red Kettle Theatre Co., the acoustic is very good and it has tiered seating for a capacity of 50. 

Related articles Report form Ukuhooley


Hurrah for Hollywood
Kiss Prince_
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
Satellite of Love
Anarchy
Shaft
Limehouse Blues
Rolling in The Deep
Mash Up Life On Mars /My Way/For Once in My Life
Woo Hoo Heavy Metal
The Good The Bad The Ugly

Road Runner

Badiniere Bach
Bang Bang
Dance Macarbre
Thunderball
Le Freak
Handel Mash Up 

You can hear my interview with promoter Pat Byrne below

listen to ‘Pat Byrne Promoter’ on Audioboo

'Come The Sails' - Launch of Tall Ships Waterford Festival - A view from the Plaza

Niall Crowley conducts the massed choir and orchestra at Tall Ships Opening Ceremony



Urbs Intacta Manet Waterfordia

 Lend us your sails, your stories too,
Taller than skytails in the blue,
Stowaways to the future
Lend Us Your Sails.

Tall Ship Waterford 2011

The Tall Ships Festival was officially launched on Thursday afternoon  in Waterford with a world premiere of a specially commisssioned cantata for choir and orchestra as the focal point of the opening festivities. The work commissioned by the Waterford Choirs Association features rich settings by five composers  of  poems by five  poets, all  with strong Waterford connections with the recounting of the city's maritime history a common theme. I love the pithy  narrated interludes by Michael Coady set by Marion Ingoldsby.  Even the titles hinted at the richness of the lines. Eric Sweeney's  semiquaver rhythms of A Prosperous Port contrasted with the more stately metre of Greg Scanlon's settting of Calico Dress sung by mezzo soprano, Bridget Knowles. There was a rousing anthem, Come The Sails to finish with a setting of words by John Ennis in a setting by my contemporary Sue Furlong well known in liturgical  composition and choral circles. It was good to see young poet Megan Nolan included in a setting of her poem, Child of Mine by Ben Hanlon,  known throughout the land for his work with De La Salle Choir.

The choir clad in colour coded tee shirts and orchestra met for a final rehearsal before adjourning to the courtyard of Christchurch Cathedral where mountains of sandwiches were consumed and tea drunk before we returned fortified to the splendid William Vincent Wallace Plaza with fingers firmly crossed for fair weather.  Enda duly arrived accompanied by his entourage and Derek Mooney bounded on to the stage to crack open the champagne , so to speak, on the procedings.




Crowd at the Plaza, Waterford



My spot in front of three tenors

 There was an anxious moment when a technical problem with the microphone forced a restart but conductor Niall Crowley calmly waited for the nod and on the second go the 200 strong choir and 40 strong orchestra were off. There was the menace of rain threatening to spoil the party but it mercifully didn't spill.

 Contemporary  music by Irish composers does not often receive such a large audience for premieres.  Afficionados I spoke to praised the innovative work  drawing on Waterford's rich history and maritime heritage and it is good to see the city further cementing its reputation as a hot spot for new music. (See my report on  Waterford New Music Week).  Huge credit is due, I understand, to Niall Crowley of the Waterford  Choirs Association? producer Joan Dalton and the Waterford City Council for bringing   this project from a good idea on paper to an actual performance. For myself, it is  many years since I performed with an orchestra in Waterford and it was thrilling and a privilege   to take an active part  in this gala day in my home city.

Déise Abú!
'Magnificence of rigging above a mile of quay' Mark Roper

Urbs Intacta  Manet









Thursday 30th June 2011