May you all be well as another year closes. I enjoy reflecting on the previous twelve months at this stage – a reminder, a breather. 2018 has been a year of extremes – of great rewards and great loss. It started with the RTE commission to set Seamus Heaney’s “Sweeney Astray” for singer Iarla Ó…
The following is an article that appeared in the Irish Times on Thursday, March 15, 2018: ‘I was always mindful that this is a song cycle,’ says composer Neil Martin of adapting Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘Sweeney’s Astray’ for song The mythical 7th-century tale of a wandering bird man, suffering from what might now be diagnosed…
Upcoming concert – St Patrick’s Day, March 17th 2018, 8.00pm National Concert Hall, Dublin Iarla Ó Lionáird, Stephen Rea, David Brophy, RTÉ Concert Orchestra The world premiere of Sweeney, an orchestral song cycle based on Seamus Heaney’s Sweeney Astray, featuring singer Iarla Ó Lionáird and narrator Stephen Rea. Also on the programme is Ossa, a choral…
Upcoming concert – St Patrick’s Day, March 17th 2018, 8.00pm National Concert Hall, Dublin Iarla Ó Lionáird, Stephen Rea, David Brophy, RTÉ Concert Orchestra The world premiere of Sweeney, an orchestral song cycle based on Seamus Heaney’s Sweeney Astray, featuring singer Iarla Ó Lionáird and narrator Stephen Rea. Also on the programme is Ossa, a choral…
