Focus

More to Unite Than Divide More to Unite Than Divide Adrian Smith The latest concert in the Female Composers Series at the NCH featured works by composers of the Belle Époque – from Lili Boulanger to Mélanie Bonis – illuminating our understanding of the music of the period, writes Adrian Smith.
‘What you say when you look at the world’: An Interview with Radie Peat and Daragh Lynch of Lankum ‘What you say when you look at the world’: An Interview with Radie Peat and Daragh Lynch of Lankum Behind Lankum's politically aware folk is a subtle mix of influences. After a major year for the band, and ahead of a European tour, Radie Peat and Daragh Lynch speak to The Journal of Music about the punk ethos, the importance of sessions and their evolving musical interests.
New Voices Singing Women's Stories New Voices Singing Women's Stories Brendan Finan Last week, the RIAM presented an Irish opera premiere and TU Dublin Conservatoire presented a Baroque opera double bill, featuring a range of emerging artists. Brendan Finan reviews.
The End and the Beginning The End and the Beginning Ian Bascombe Cormac Breatnach's 'The Whistle Blower' tour and album, featuring Daire Bracken and Martin Tourish, is both an act of healing as well as a challenging musical offering. Ian Bascombe reviews the performance at Glór.
Against the Establishment Against the Establishment Laura Watson The third concert in the Female Composers Series takes place this week featuring music by pioneering composers such as Bonis, Chaminade and Lili Boulanger. Ahead of the concert, Laura Watson of Sounding the Feminists explores their works, the artistic world they worked in and the rise of the 'femme nouvelle'.
‘Over the last 15 years, the numbers have really increased’: Telling the Story of Women Uilleann Pipers ‘Over the last 15 years, the numbers have really increased’: Telling the Story of Women Uilleann Pipers This February at the Imbolc festival in Derry, Louise Mulcahy will give a talk on the rarely heard history of women uilleann pipers. She speaks to The Journal of Music about her continuing journey of discovering new material.
An Unknown Quantity: Addressing the Neglect of Historical Irish Opera An Unknown Quantity: Addressing the Neglect of Historical Irish Opera Una Hunt The neglect of historical Irish opera presents a problem – without performances and recordings, how can we assess their contribution to the wider world of opera? Following recent revivals, Una Hunt asks if there are signs that the situation is improving.
Hard to Reconcile Hard to Reconcile Brendan Finan The Fidelio Trio's second album of French piano trios has all the fine musicianship of the busy trio, writes Brendan Finan, but too many eccentricities.
'Tired of the confrontational': An Interview with Seán Clancy 'Tired of the confrontational': An Interview with Seán Clancy Adrian Smith The Journal of Music recently published an extensive interview with the composer Raymond Deane in which he was critical of the new generation of Irish composers, describing some of their work as ‘unchallenging’. In this interview, Adrian Smith interviews Seán Clancy, a composer of the new generation, about his work, Deane’s views, and the music of new Irish composers.
'It’s just not everything I am': An Interview with Damien Mullane 'It’s just not everything I am': An Interview with Damien Mullane Ahead of his upcoming Music Network tour with Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Siobhan Miller and Anna Massie, accordionist Damien Mullane speaks to The Journal of Music about his career to date, including working with De Dannan and Sting, and finding his own sound within traditional Irish music.

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