Yorkshire Folk: Reg Meuross at The Heeley Institute, Sheffield

Troubadour Reg Meuross with Jess Vincent in Sheffield

I have to confess to being a tad disappointed not to find the Wallace Hartley's violin on display at the Titanic Centre in Belfast. One of my favourite songs of Reg Meuross heard at The Heeley Institute in Sheffield was one which cast some light on the ill-fated bandleader's  violin strapped to the musician's chest and rescued from the icy seas. Meuross described seeing the violin in a Somerset auction house near his home before it was sold.

Reg Meuross had a gentle unassuming style that reminded me of Clifford T Ward but there was a bite to his eloquent songs  that referenced William Morris, Emily Davison, Tony Benn along with  more lighthearted fare.  A good raconteur he regaled us with self deprecating tales of his travels around the North of England folk clubs and set the context for his material with thoughtful softy spoken introductions.  For the latter part of his opening  set he was joined by Jess Vincent on various instruments.

The event was hosted by the Sheffield Committee to Defend Assylum Seeker's I am happy to report that the venue the venue was full and the audience responded warmly to the graceful troubadour and his accomplice.

 Listen to the first track of England Green and England and Grey here What Would William Morris Say  I note that the album features Chris Haigh on fiddle.

Read Martin Chiltons  ' 5 * review in the Daily Telegraph  here 

I bought my love a violin so he could play for me

I bought my love a violin to calm the waves of a stormy sea

There are those who say Wallace Hartley played

‘Nearer my God to thee’

But our souls were bound as that great boat went down

And in my heart the band played ‘Sweet Marie’

What Would William Morris Say

Tony Benn's Tribute to Emily Davison

DRiver Rail and  Road

Counting My Footsteps

The Band Played Sweet Marie

Pirate Song 

Lovesick Johnny 

I Won't Fall Asleep without your love 

It's Me or Elvis

Related post Yorkshire Folk:  Royal Traditions at Dungworth http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2015/03/yorkshire-folk-royal-traditions-at.html

Music for Galway: BBC Music Mag Cuttings

An extract from my review appears in the print edition of this month's BBC Classical Music Magazine.   You can read the full review on their website here http://www.classical-music.com/you-review/you-review-music-galways-midwinter-festival

Director of 'Music for Galway', Finghin Collins has a number of recitals coming up this weekend with Hungarian cellist Istvan Vardai, who returns to Ireland after  recent appearances with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. Details below

March 21st 2015 8.00pm Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Co. Kilkenny March 22nd 2015 12 noon Dublin City Gallery, the Hugh Lane March 24th 2015 8.00pm HP, Ballybrit, Galway

Beethoven Sonata in A major Op. 69 Brahms Sonata in E minor OP. 38 De Falla Siete Canciones Espanolas Shostakovich Cello Sonata Op. 40 with István Várdai cello  István Várdai is a very exciting young Hungarian cellist who recently won first prize at the ARD Competition in Munich. These concerts are presented by Music in Kilkenny, Dublin City Gallery Sunday at Noon concerts and Music for Galway respectively.

Waterford New Music Week: Meet Sue Rynhart

Waterford New Music Week is coming up all next week. I attended the launch and my preview piece is in the print version of the Irish Examiner today. More details on WNMW facebook page here

One of the emerging artists to feature is Sue Rynhart.  I enjoyed hearing Sue at a Kaleidoscope gig recently and she sent me this e interview ahead of her Waterford appearance. In 2014 she released a much admired debut album, Crossings with bassist Dan Bodwell which explored an intersection between jazz and contemporary music . Sue Rynhart will conduct a improvisation workshop as well as a daytime recital with bassist Andrew Csibi in Waterford City Library on Wednesday 25th March.

 New Music is a major feature of your work with many contemporary composers featuring in your repertoire. At what point did creating your own material become  significant ?.

About three years ago creating my own material became a significant part of my work. I had taken abreak from performing and focused on creating 

Who has influenced you most in arriving at your own individual style?
I think the music I have created is probably influenced on one hand by the music that I have performed; choral works from medieval to the present day, solo vocal repertoire including early music songs, Aria Antiquae, Lieder, atonal music, folk songs,  jazz standards & popular song and on the other hand music that I have listened to. I improvise regularly with vocalists Dorothy Murphy, and Tuula Voutilainen and this experience has certainly allowed me to become more confident and creative with my voice and musical ideas. 

In my music I can hear idioms of modes, scales and rhythm patterns that I have really internalized through practicing and I can certainly hear some odd meters that I am comfortable with through singing with Dylan Rynhart's Fuzzy Logic . So to name some major influences , I would say Byrd, Weelks, Tallis, Purcell, Dowland, Alban Berg, Tori Amos, Stina Nordenstam, Sinead O Connor, Gillian Welch, Public Image Limited, Orbital, Prince, Bobby McFerrin, Norma Winstone, Gentle Giant... I could go on and on.

What area was your post grad in?

I studied an MA in Historical Studies at NUI Maynooth under the direction of Dr, Patrick Devine and Dr Barra Boydell. Highlights were surveying information on music and entertainment in Irish newspapers from 1800's and transcribing Lute Tablature into modern staff notation. My thesis was on the secular songs of Sir Andrew Stevenson best known for his piano accompaniments for Thomas Moore's Melodies. Stevenson was a Lay Vicar Choral at Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin, a post I also enjoyed when I completed my MA

Any future projects you'd like to flag?

Abigail Smith, a brilliant songwriter and composer recently released her album 'Fall into Silence' . I had the pleasure of singing backing vocals for her.

I sing on a regular basis with Dylan Rynhart's Fuzzy Logic Ensemble at Listen at the Wellington

I will be singing in an opera based on Finnegan's Wake by Sean MacErlaine 21st -14th May 

I am looking forward to being interviewed by Bernard Clarke forhis radio programme Nova on RTE Lyric FM in April to talk about my  album.

The Unthanks at National Concert Hall

A quick google scan of The Unthanks threw up an image of two singing sisters under an English folk label. That should make for a pleasant mid-week evening’s entertainment, I thought. It was that and so much more as Rebecca and Rachel Unthank (yes- that is their real name) and their entourage  converted the grand auditorium and foyer of the NCH into a folk club with a set that combined the simplicity of  folksong with elegant skilled  arrangements. All that, pretty frocks and clog dancing too.  What more could you ask for!
The evening kicked off on a  manly note with The Miner’s song by Billy Bragg from the rousing voices of the YoungUn’s,  an acapella male  trio from Stockton on Tees.  In a change to the usual support act format, the young men in their Ireland debut opened each half with a short set.  (Festival promoters, snap them up. They were terrific and went down a treat with the full house at NCH.)
The ladies  arrived on stage accompanied by an impressive 8 piece band comprising a string quartet, bass, drums , trumpet and piano/auxilliary stuff . Dressed in pretty 50's style dresses, they had a air of quiet confidence rather than extrovert flamboyance. At the core were the songs, mostly on the melancholic nature ranging from imaginative versions of traditional songs  to re-workings of modern originals.  The vocal delivery was simple and unpretentious .  Each number sounded fresh and different from the other  due to the sophisticated arrangements drawing in  a range of techniques from contemporary classical and jazz idioms, largely the work of director and pianist Adrian McNally.  Long sustained  lines on trumpet,  biting dissonant harmonies  on strings, a shrutie box drone added to a sparse chordal piano scaffold,  were just some of the elements that added colour to the vocals at the heart, but never usurping them .  A familiar traditional song, Golden Slumbers sounded newly minted in McNally's  treatment
In a rare instrumental number,  reminiscent of Gerry Diver’s speech project,  fiddle player Niopha Keegan added her own slow air to a voice over of a recording of her father in a conversation with his musician  daughter  as a child. The second half moved to more modern material including re-workings of songs by King Crimson and Anthony and the Johnsons.

Interval Chat 

The group worked hard both on stage and off as they assembled in the foyer in the interval and after the show to greet their fans. The audience were not, I suspect, a download generation and long lines formed to take home a signed recording. Their fairly hectic schedule takes them to a different city almost  each day over a two week tour , I marvelled  not only at the excellence of the musicianship but also  their energy and cheerfulness as they  greeted  many ardent fans. When the audience leapt to their feet with alacrity to show their appreciation to the Unthanks and their splendid team, it seemed like everything else during the evening; natural and unforced.

*****

Sister Act: Suor Angelica at The Abbey

It is decades since I was at the Abbey.  The brick and concrete exterior seemed even drabber and drearier than I remembered. Arriving at the studio space, the Peacock Theatre in the basement had the feel of descending  into a bunker.  However, once the curtain  went up on Suor Angelica, all such misgivings disappeared as the young performers of the RIAM drew us into the tragic world of  Pucccini' s Angelica, a young aristocrat  banished to a convent on the birth of her illegitimate son. The production by Lir Academy sets the story in a Magdalene laundry with a resonance in 50's Ireland.

Opening with muted strings, the 12 piece orchestra under conductor Andrew Synott, sited in one of the wings were excellent  and all the nuances of timbre were clearly heard. In the absence of double bass, Sarah Lockart was an assertive anchor and there was fine virtuoso playing from Miriam Kaczor on flute and piccolo.
  The singing from the nearly all female cast  was excellent.  Rebecca Rogers brought out all the pathos  in the title role  and Carolyn Holt as Angelica's stony  aunt gave good dramatic account of her roles. Sara di Bella brought a nicely done,m comic element to Sr Genevieffa .

The buzz continued in the bar for some time post show as the patrons  gathered to greet the young performers. There were many leading lights from the arts world including Dr Veronica Dunne, grand dame of Irish Opera scene.

You can get a flavour of the evening in my post show interview with Rebecca Rodgers in the audioboo below.

https://t.co/E2SekFegzk Whew #SuorAngelica @RIAMOpera a powerful tea time opera treat @AbbeyTheatre Interview with star soprano @rodgical
— Fidleir (@fidleir) March 5, 2015

Comedy Cartel at Phil Grimes Pub Waterford

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Comedy clubs were in vogue when I lived in London in the mid eighties. Every neighbourhood pub and wine bar from middle class suburbia to working class stronghold hosted a night of stand up and novelty acts. Comedy doesn't seem to be a very common feature of the local entertainment scene,  so when my local pub advertised a comedy  evening, I didn't need too much arm twisting to go along to an evening of assorted comic turns all washed down with the excellent house craft beer selection.

Konor Halpin stalwart of the local comedy scene acted as anchor and opened the procedings, Dermot Sullivan drew on his memories of rural childhood and juvenile hurling  experience in a style reminiscent of Pat Shortt.  The duo evoked memories of Hall's Pictorial Weekly parodying political figures. Dixy Conway dwelt on the trials of fatherhood and this and that. Tony Black, spoof hynotist  ventriloquist, (who I think is Cork based was very slick and James Ryan  did extraordinary things with a hammer and screwdriver even if we couldn't bring ourselves to watch. I left out one, a young farming type had a go.

 Not all of was brilliant but it wasn't bad at all.Unusually it didn't rely on saying certain local slang words in a Waterford accent for a laugh.  I enjoyed it  and laughed a lot. What more could you ask . Admission was little more than the price of a pint.

The intimate venue wasn't packed,  it has to be said - undeservedly so   I might even work on my own 'grumpy old woman' rant for a future night.

Next Comedy Cartel evening is Thursday 12th March
Phil Grimes Pub John St Waterford

Tony Black Ventiloquist

Enjoyed this related post https://nopunchline.wordpress.com/tag/waterford/

ICMA Sacred Music Workshop Waterford

ICMA Workshop at St John's Waterford

 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150

Today, I attended a choral workshop in Waterford organised by the Irish Church Music Association, a resource organisation supporting liturgical music in parishes.  Fr Turlough Baxter, chairman of the ICMA  with Derek Mahady, choral director  addressed  a gathering drawn from parish choirs around the Waterford and Lismore dioceses. Setting a brisk pace, Mahady put the assembly through some lively vocal warm ups before introducing  a varied  selection of work by contemporary Irish composers,  Even though we got through a lot of material, there was time too for detailed technical stuff like phrasing, breath control and diction.   Baxter gave context for how the material might best be used and  spoke eloquently about the role of ritual and music in liturgy. A Matins Service was an integral part of the day's proceedings. It would be good to see Matins and Vespers introduced into regular parish services.

The combination a skilfull choral workout with thoughtful insights into the role of music in a liturgical context made for a stimulating and rewarding experience well directed by the duo  and coordinated  by Mary Dee.

More details of the Irish Church Music Association and their summer school can be found on their website http://www.irishchurchmusicassociation.com/uploads/7/4/1/3/7413445/icma_newsletter_feb_2015_(4).pdf

Save the date! #ICMA Summer School 2015 - St. Patrick's College Maynooth, 2nd - 5th July. Guest director Andrew Reid: http://t.co/0sO3UEtp56
— Irish Church Music (@ICMAMusic) January 28, 2015

listen to ‘Chair of ICMA Turlough Baxter ’ on audioBoom

 Ephram Feeley         Here in Christ We Gather

                             Lord You are my Shepherd

                             Psalm 122  I Rejoiced 

                             God of Gentleness

                             I Am the Breadof Life 

                              In the Shadow of Your Wings Lord 

                             My New Commandment

Marie Dunne           Lúireach Phadraig 

Mary McDonnell      A Bhríd, a Muire na nGael

Bernard Sexton       Credo in Unam Deum

                               Sanctus 

                               Memorial Acclamation

                               Shepherd Song

                               Laudate Omnes Gentes 

Peter O Kane  

    arr John O Keeffe   Search Me, On God 

O Keeffe                    The Apostles Creed 

Paul Flynn                 A Uain Dé

Lawton                      Holy Ground 

Joncas                        Draw Near 

Walsh arr Mackriell   I Will Bless Your Name Forever

John McCann           God's Holy People 

Ronan McDonagh    A Íosa Mhic Muire  Instrumental 

Related Posts
Credo Amen: A Day at ICMA Summer School 2013 http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2013/07/credo-amen-day-at-irish-church-music.html

Sunday Roundup from Sodden SE http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2014/02/sunday-roundup-from-sodden-south-east.html 

Abbey Cluster Choirs Gather with Bernard Sexton  http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2012/02/whatever-views-one-might-have-on.html

Exter Cathedral Choir at Christchurch
http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2011/07/exeter-cathedral-choir-at-christchurch.html

Munich Jazz Clubs

Daily regular flights from Irish airports carry thousands of holiday makers into Munich. While most head straight for the slopes, there are plenty of  attractions in the Bavarian capital to persuade you to dawdle for a day or two. The National Theater on Max Joseph Platz is a major draw for me  but an evening at a jazz club makes a good antidote to the excesses of the Bavarian State Opera. These two jazz clubs are good places to hear high calibre performers and enjoy the local beer.

At Voglers Jazzbar, in Rumfordstrasse, there was a soothing  contemplative vibe  as we heard house regulars Joe Kienemann and Tom Reinbrecht play a terrific set of mellow standards. As always when visiting, Thomas Vogler was on hand to top up your glass and rustle up a spagetti dish. There was lots of events in Munich that evening. (Roger Norrington was conducting at the Gasteig and Andre Rieu was in town -I admit it -I am a fan) Yet, not for one moment did I wish to be somewhere else and I stayed for two sets. Here is the website note for the evening. Particularly lovely was their rendition of  'The Nearness of You'

“The Art of the Piano“ mit Joe Kienemann und Tom Reinbrecht!Joe Kienemann  is for me the Grand seigneur of jazz piano.

 "Some young talent you would like to suggest even his technique: comes without gimmicks from breathtaking runs, blinding timing, voluminous in the Middle, safe chords (which comes out almost entirely without pedal), an excellent attack (which makes him a gifted companion) - everything is here in the service of the cause (...)" (SZ)
Tom Reinbrecht known mainly as a soloist and arranger of prominent pop productions such as Paul Carrack (Mike & the mechanics), Bürgermeista (Sony/seven days music) or Lou Bega but also of sought-after as hot lead saxophonist in the Big Band scene (such as Dusko Goykovich, Harald ruffle tree, Al Porcino). Among other things he also played with the New York Voices, Bobby Shew, Jay Ashby, Don Menza... http://www.joekienemann.de/ www.tomreinbrecht.de/start: 2o h 3o, entrance only €2,-!

 Unterfahrt in  Eisteinstrasse  with British band Supercharge a seven piece band fronted by Albie Donnelly was a more frenetic affair . The club housed in an underground beer cellar was packed on the night we visited. It is not quite as comfortable as Voglers and has a  more student union bar vibe although the clientele were mostly middle aged and in midweek chill rather than weekend party  mode. Fun nonetheless!

listen to ‘jazz voglers munich’ on audioBoom

A Feast of Faust at the Everyman

Faustian Pacts loomed large on  Friday with the metaphor featuring in the Irish Times leader. In Cork, the curtain opened   on the much anticipated production of Guonod's Gothic morality tale based on the ill-fated philosopher who sells his soul to the devil in return for youth. The blend of fine bel canto singing with Victorian kitsch served up in three generous hour long plus  helpings brought the first night audience at the Everyman Palace Theatre to their feet..
Here are some  thoughts  on this production.


The Orchestra: In a change to his more usual modus operandi of using an on stage mobile chamber ensemble cum actors, John O  Brien here uses an expanded static orchestra, dressing them in 18th century quasi military  jackets. 42 pieces even in a standard opera house would be feast enough for any Faust. The relatively intimate space served to intensify the impact of the large ensemble. Strings filled the pit space, wind and percussion were embedded in the set and brass colonized the off stage  boxes. The excellent orchestra playing under leader Ioana  Petcu Colan did justice to the colour in Guonod's 19th century score We particularly liked the  terrific organ timbre  from the pit evoking the  Gothic mood in the  third act, Dies Irae.

The Cast: There was fine singing all round from the cast of Irish and international artists. Korean tenor, Jung Soo Yun was a tortured Faust, Julian Tovey a dastardly Mephistophiles and Cara O Sullivan  a warm and stately Marguerite . It was in the smaller roles that most got under the skin of the smaltzy melodrama. Sandra Porter in the character cameo role of  Dame Marthe brought a welcome shot of humour to the sludgy libretto. Owen Gilhooly as the valiant Valentin brought a degree of stagecraft that upped the dramatic ante in any scene he appeared in. The  spirited third act trio with  Gilhooly,  Tovey and Soo Yun, Redouble, O Dieu Puissant  was a vocal and dramatic  highlight of the evening. It was good to see Cork baritone Brendan Collins in the role of Wagner.  Anne Gill was the faithful Siebel.

Top Brass: The Barracka :
Anything is better with bit of  brass: The cast were upstaged (literally if not metaphorically) by the Barrack Street Brass Band. The full complement of the Cork institution filed in to fill the standing space at the back of the stalls to give a stirring rendition of the Soldier's Chorus accompanied by a male chorus to give a thrilling surround sound stereo experience. Quite the high point of the  evening. Long as the evening was, I would love to have heard an encore.

The Chorus: The ladies and gentlemen sang well and  were  animated and  lively  thoughout.


Set design:   Designer Lisa Zagone's set design for Pagliacci remains one of the most memorable of recent years. Here she  sets the action amid the Gothic wooden arches and dusty book shelves of a library, adding items like a suspended stain glass window  and a tomb stone to denote a church and garden. in later scenes  This worked fine for a first act but the unchanging backdrop  added to a samey-ness  to the production and induced a degree of cabin fever . Book stacks and on stage stairs made the stage area seemed cluttered and  constricted physical aspects of the performance, cramping the style of the choreography.

Costumes  were  monochrome  in  19th century Victorian style  serving  to enhance Mephistophiles dashing red rig out complete with top hat in the style of a Victorian music hall MD.


Programme, . The 16 pages A4 did not include a plot synopsis or any insight into the staging or anorak details like the edition..  It rather presumed that punters would a be  au fait with the Goethe's yarn or would take the trouble to look it up before the show.

Stage direction did not fully bring out some of the more sinister details of the plot. Marguerite's baby only becomes apparent to me when she picks up a Moses basket.

Running Time With curtain up at 7.30 and coming down at about 11.15, it did make for a long sit. While not of Wagnerian proportions, you will need  the stamina of the Victorians to last the duration. I could cheerfully have lost 30 minutes or so of the score and not feel short changed. Best to approach it  having had  a nap and your tea before the show


The Gothic horror vein has proved a rich one for the Cork Operatic Society.  Although not as much fun as Der Vampyr, I enjoyed their production of this  stodgy Victorian melodrama with it's catchy hit tunes. The music and singing is first class and well delivered here by the Cork Operatic Society under director John O Brien.

Faust runs at the Everyman Palace   4 more performances until Feb 28th

Review Orpheus http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2013/09/everyman-orpheus.html

Review Pagliacci
http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2012/06/pagliacci-for-everyman-cork-midsummer.html

Listen at the Wellington Launch

One of the features of the music scene in Dublin has been the emergence of a more informal salon style musical evening along the lines of the Yellow Lounge in Berlin and London. Kaleidoscope takes place on the first Weds of each month at the Odessa Club with a  lucky bag of musical acts . My report on my first visit to the club is here .  On a recent visit, I heard the Xenia String Quartet and a set from jazz singer Sue Rynhart whose bell like soprano vocals made a beguiling  contrast with bassist Dan Bodwell.  A new residency for this type of musical pot pourri is being launched on Friday at the Wellington Pub on Baggot Street and is intended to run on the third Friday of each month. Curator   Dylan Rynhart explains:   

        we will be opening a new monthly night of creative music and spoken word, at The Wellington, 

​1 ​Baggot St. Bridge. This is going to be a​n ​ambitious project with 4 - 5 acts a night, on the 3rd of each month. 

Listen at Wellington will feature a healthy assortment of musical styles from​  jazz and classical composers, songwriters, sound artists, poets, storytellers and more. Audiences can enjoy a showcase of Ireland's finest musicians and artists and will unquestionably hear something new that will inspire them.  

​I hope that it will ​become more than the sum of it's parts; a place to experience new sounds, and have a fun night out.

Our first concert will feature: 

The long anticipated return of Fuzzy Logic Ensemble, progressive ​​jazz from composer Dylan Rynhart, Pianist,  Izumi Kimura will be performing Maurice Ravel's “Sonatine” on Fender Rhodes Piano

​,Aideen McBride will be telling the epic tale of Clann Tuireann from Irish mythology, songwriter Laura Hyland 

​will be ​perform​ing​ ​with h​er group Clang Sayne

And finally composers ​John Godfrey and Karen Power will be joining us for a rare Dublin performance of their exquisite Sound Art.

Also look out for our posters and flyers as visual artist John O'Reilly

​ (jorgallery.com)​   will be creating bespoke artwork for each event.

​