Dave Flynn: Irish Minimalism Breanndán Begley, Mick O'Brien, ConTempo Quartet, IMO Quartet

• Dave Flynn (b. 1977): String Quartet No. 2 "The Cranning":
• 1 Flynn: String Quartet No. 2 "The Cranning": I. Slip 05:38
• 2 Flynn: String Quartet No. 2 "The Cranning": II. Slide 01:30
• 3 Flynn: String Quartet No. 2 "The Cranning": III. The Bamako Highland 01:37
• 4 Flynn: String Quartet No. 2 "The Cranning": IV. Cran 04:28
• Quintet No. 1 "The Cutting":
• 5 Flynn: Quintet No. 1 "The Cutting": I. Cutting and Rolling 03:25
• 6 Flynn: Quintet No. 1 "The Cutting": II. Churning and Sliding 07:46
• 7 Flynn: Quintet No. 1 "The Cutting": III. Lilting and Reeling 04:02
• String Quartet No. 3 "The Keening":
• 8 Flynn: String Quartet No. 3 "The Keening": I. Murmuring 07:19
• 9 Flynn: String Quartet No. 3 "The Keening": II. Dirge 07:19
• 10 Flynn: String Quartet No. 3 "The Keening": III. Cry 04:28
• Stories from the Old World:
• 11 Flynn: Stories from the Old World: I. The Poet and the Spirit 05:56
• 12 Flynn: Stories from the Old World: II. If It Was With a Fart I Won Her 04:09
• 13 Flynn: Stories from the Old World: III. The Piper and the Woman of the Tavern 04:44
• 14 Flynn: Stories from the Old World: IV. The Old Hags 07:55
• Total Runtime 01:10:16

Info for Dave Flynn: Irish Minimalism

With the title Irish Minimalism, composer Dave Flynn has laid down a marker.

Minimalism is associated with America, and specifically with composers like Steve Reich and Philip Glass (both of whom have spent a good portion of their careers disavowing the term) however, the hallmarks of the style (repetition, gradual incremental changes that accrue over time, steady rhythms which are often drawn from popular or traditional music, and a restrained sense of harmonic movement) are all compatible with Irish traditional music.

After years spent as both a composer and performer working in the dual worlds of contemporary classical music and traditional song, Flynn has fashioned a personal musical language by recognising that the differences between those two styles are not nearly as great, and certainly not as useful, as the similarities.

"Irish Minimalism from Dave Flynn – with string quartets and added uilleann pipes, Flynn effectively uses drones, lilting lines & twisting melodic catches, with bawdy humour and moving poignancy in Stories from the Old World to finish.” (Classical Notes)

“This is a serious and interesting album that does a remarkable job of incorporating Irish musical ideas into string quartet writing.” (Journal of Music)

“… they [Mick O’Brien & Breanndan Bagley] deserve special mention here in this magazine that is devoted to Irish traditional music for participating so effectively in this musical exploration of Dave Flynn’s” (Irish Music Magazine)

Mick O’Brien, uilleann pipes
ConTempo Quartet
Breanndán Begley, voice
IMO Quartet

Mick O’Brien
stammt aus Dublin, wuchs in einer Musikerfamilie auf und begann seine musikalische Ausbildung im renommierten „Thomas Street Pipers Club“ in Dublin. Seine erste LP nahm er – gemeinsam mit seiner Familie – bereits mit 13 Jahren auf. Später wurde er Mitglied unserer Mutter-Organisation „Na Píobairí Uilleann“, wo er hunderte von Tunes erlernte und seine filigrane Spieltechnik stets verfeinerte. Neben Soloaufnahmen oder anderen Duo- und Trioprojekten existieren von ihm auch Tonträger, wo er gemeinsam mit so illustren Künstler*innen wie den Dubliners, Frankie Gavin oder dem RTÉ Concert Orchestra zu hören ist. Auch Mick war schon häufig unser Gast, und wir sind froh, ihn wieder in unserer Runde begrüßen zu können.

Booklet for Dave Flynn: Irish Minimalism