Who is Ireland's greatest living composer?

Nolanger

Who is our best living classical composer? I don't mean people like Frank McNamara or Ronan Hardiman! I don't mean composers of film soundtracks or musicals either. Which Irish composer best rocks the system, writes original material, composes academic, thought-provoking intelligent music, has released stuff on CD, and will be remembered when they're gone. Anyone?

The Mad Hatter

Well, the only composer who's made any real ripples on the international scene is Gerald Barry, though honestly I'd be quite happy to never hear another of his pieces for the rest of my life.

The most interesting stuff I've heard is Ian Wilson's music, especially his earlier works. I'm particularly fond of his first string quartet and the orchestral piece Man-o-war.

funky penguin

I really like Linda Buckely's stuff, especially Do you Remember the Planets. Her ideas seem really cool, but most of all, she's incredibly enthusiastic about the music she makes.

I know he's dead now, but Aloys Fleischmann's stuff is really cool, especially his early piano music.

Norrdeth

I don't know if we have a "greatest" living composer, most of the composers are renowned for developments and have a stylistic root in particular areas.
It's all subjective really.

Buuuuut....

Kevin Volans is pretty kickass, Also he's made some definite ripples abroad (Kronos Quartet) I love his work titled "The Partenheimer Project"
Info
http://www.bcmg.org.uk/default.php?id=907
http://www.kevinvolans.com/index.php?id=7

Also Gráinne Mulvey's orchestral stuff is very good, her orchestration and use of tembre is pretty cool! Also her spectral approach gives some really interesting harmonies.
Arkanos(CMC Vol.7) and Scorched Earth come to mind.
http://www.grainnemulvey.com/page3/page5/page5.html

Doshea3

Norrdeth, did you ever get sorted with orchestration lessons? If you like I have Grainne's phone number...never thought of her!

Norrdeth

I've got her email actually, she's really cool,
got the score for Arkanos off her too!
Might send her an email for lessons and
a score or two once I get all settled in college.
I've got two pieces on the go at the moment, and one is multimedia :eek:!

Doshea3

Sounds cool! If you want me to put in a word for you I can. I love Grainne. She is a genius. A bit mad, but in the best way possible!

Of course, I forgot...Ireland's greatest living composer is clearly Ben McHugh!!

Norrdeth

Doshea3 wins the thread!
Seriously though, another good one has to be Deirdre Gribbin her Orcestral piece "Unity of Being" is pretty class!
I 2nd the Linda Buckley point also, her stuff is definitely up there in my list of favourites, really have to get some more of her pieces, have been meaning to look for a cd of hers for aaaages.

sylvester88

Shaun Davey is pretty amazing composer of symphonic folk music. He's also a film composer and has created advertising jingles.


String quartets for hire--search listings, get your string quartet listed.

sylvester88

Shaun Davey is pretty amazing composer of symphonic folk music. He's also a film composer and has created advertising jingles.


String quartets for hire--search listings, get your string quartet listed.

Nolanger

sylvester88 wrote: »

composer of symphonic folk music. He's also a film composer and has created advertising jingles.

Definitely won't be checking him out so. Only serious, academic, original, Irish contemporary composers please?

Aglomerado

I like Patrick Cassidy (link: www.patrickcassidy.com ), his music is in a baroque / traditional style, a lot of Turlough O'Carolan influence. He has done SOME film music -"vide cor meum" from the film Hannibal is a beautiful piece.

But his stand-alone works such as Famine Remembrance, the Children of Lir and Deirdre of the Sorrows are well worth checking out.

Sandy22

Aglomerado wrote: »

I like Patrick Cassidy (link: www.patrickcassidy.com ), his music is in a baroque / traditional style, a lot of Turlough O'Carolan influence. He has done SOME film music -"vide cor meum" from the film Hannibal is a beautiful piece.

But his stand-alone works such as Famine Remembrance, the Children of Lir and Deirdre of the Sorrows are well worth checking out.

+1

westtip

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Well, the only composer who's made any real ripples on the international scene is Gerald Barry, though honestly I'd be quite happy to never hear another of his pieces for the rest of my life.

The most interesting stuff I've heard is Ian Wilson's music, especially his earlier works. I'm particularly fond of his first string quartet and the orchestral piece Man-o-war.

Some of Ians stuff is gedtting premiered this year in Sligo at the con-Brio series of music recitals - BTW if you are anywhere near the northwest these concerts are well worth checking out.

www.con-brio.org

The Mad Hatter

westtip wrote: »

Some of Ians stuff is gedtting premiered this year in Sligo at the con-Brio series of music recitals - BTW if you are anywhere near the northwest these concerts are well worth checking out.

www.con-brio.org

Con Brio is a brilliant organisation - some of the best concerts I've ever seen were in Sligo.

clunked

Aglomerado wrote: »

I like Patrick Cassidy (link: www.patrickcassidy.com ), his music is in a baroque / traditional style, a lot of Turlough O'Carolan influence. He has done SOME film music -"vide cor meum" from the film Hannibal is a beautiful piece.

But his stand-alone works such as Famine Remembrance, the Children of Lir and Deirdre of the Sorrows are well worth checking out.

Pastiche though I would have thought

Nolanger

You know these kind of composers no matter how good they think they are just feeding on Irish legend, older composers, and popular culture. For example Frank Macnamara with his Rolling Stones symphony :rolleyes:. Have we got even one Irish composer up there with Beckett and Joyce or are they too busy writing TV jingles/movie soundtracks/Riverdance music?

The Mad Hatter

Everyone's got to make a living.

To a certain extent, I think it's extremely difficult to judge the ability of an artist at close temporal range, particularly in a field as abstract as contemporary music. There are very few living composers internationally who would be compared with dead composers now, but I think in the future we'll sort of settle on a canon. I don't know if there are any Irish writers living now who we'd compare with Beckett and Joyce either - some might argue for Séamus Heaney, but not too many, I'd think.

The music I've heard by Ian Wilson and Raymond Deane has been as carefully composed and finely controlled as most of what I've heard by international contemporary composers. I think part of the problem, though, is that with the way contemporary music is now it's pretty much impossible to write something that truly stands out as sonically unique.