Greg Caffrey: Orchestral Works Craig Ogden, Daniel Browell, Ulster Orchestra & Sinead Hayes

• Greg Caffrey (b. 1963): Aingeal II:
• 1 Caffrey: Aingeal II 09:21
• Environments II:
• 2 Caffrey: Environments II 12:22
• A Terrible Beauty:
• 3 Caffrey: A Terrible Beauty: I. These Are the Clouds About the Fallen Sun 07:40
• 4 Caffrey: A Terrible Beauty: II. Things Fall Apart; the Centre Cannot Hold 04:43
• 5 Caffrey: A Terrible Beauty: III. …For Peace Comes Dropping Slow 07:49
• Environments I:
• 6 Caffrey: Environments I 16:50
• Total Runtime 58:45

Info for Greg Caffrey: Orchestral Works

Introducing "Environments," from acclaimed composer Greg Caffrey, a poignant journey through landscapes both physical and emotional. Recorded in the heart of Belfast at the historic Townsend Street Church, this album captures the essence of a city marked by its tumultuous history and resilient spirit. Caffrey's compositions, brought to life by the renowned Ulster Orchestra, reflect his own personal journey from the streets of West Belfast to international acclaim. The album opens with "Environments I & II," two pieces born from Caffrey's residencies in Paris, showcasing his mastery of orchestral composition. From the grandeur of a full symphony orchestra to the intimacy of chamber music, these works explore a range of rich sonic landscapes. Each note is imbued with the composer's profound connection to his surroundings, offering a window into his creative process. "A Terrible Beauty," the centrepiece of the album, unfolds over three movements inspired by the poetry of WB Yeats. Caffrey's response to the poetry is both evocative and introspective, weaving together themes of beauty, pain, and resilience. With each movement, the music transports listeners on a visceral journey through the depths of human experience, culminating in a profound exploration of the human spirit. Closing the album is "Aingeal," a deeply personal work written in tribute to a loved one. Set against a backdrop of strings and percussion, the music captures the raw emotions of grief and loss, offering solace and catharsis in its haunting melodies. Through "Environments," Greg Caffrey invites listeners to reflect on their own environments, both internal and external, and discover the beauty in life's most poignant moments.

Craig Ogden, guitar
Daniel Browell, piano
Ulster Orchestra
Sinead Hayes, conductor

Craig Ogden
Described by BBC Music Magazine as "A worthy successor to Julian Bream", Australian born guitarist Craig Ogden is one of the most exciting artists of his generation. He studied guitar from the age of seven and percussion from the age of thirteen. In 2004, he became the youngest instrumentalist to receive a Fellowship Award from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. One of the UK’s most recorded guitarists, he has accumulated an acclaimed discography for Chandos, Virgin/EMI, Nimbus, Hyperion, Sony and six chart-topping albums for Classic FM. His most recent recordings are a solo recital disc for Chandos, Craig Ogden in Concert and a new arrangement of the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach with violinist David Juritz and cellist Tim Hugh for Nimbus Records.

Craig Ogden has performed concertos with many of the world’s leading orchestras in countries including Latvia, Russia, South Africa, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Germany and Australia. In recent seasons he has performed with the Hallé, BBC Concert Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra (Spain), Darwin Symphony Orchestra (Australia), Spanish Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra (Dublin), London Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. In 2015, Craig was invited to perform a series of concerts on tour with the Royal Northern Sinfonia at major UK concert halls and again in 2016 with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the English Chamber Orchestra, both tours receiving critical acclaim. In 2019, Craig presented his own programme of “The Celebration of the Guitar” with Manchester Camerata which showcased the guitar in various styles. This season Craig performs concertos with orchestras including the BBC Concert Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Oulu Symphony Orchestra (Finland) and Ulster Orchestra.

Numerous composers have written works specially for him and in 2017 he gave the world première of a concerto written for him by Andy Scott with the Northern Chamber Orchestra at Stoller Hall, Manchester, followed by the Australian première in Perth. He gave the world première of Il Filo, a double concerto for guitar and accordion by David Gordon with Miloš Milivojević in summer 2019 and gave the world première of a concerto written for him by David Knotts in March 2022 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London with the BBC Concert Orchestra which was recorded for BBC Radio 3, filmed for BBC4 TV and currently available on BBC iPlayer. In July 2022, Craig gave the world première of Isolation Songs (Without Words) a new guitar concerto written for him by William Lovelady with the English Chamber Orchestra for Music in Country Churches with HM The King in attendance. The work received its London première in November 2022 at Cadogan Hall. In January 2023, Craig gave the world première of a guitar concerto by Greg Caffrey with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, recorded for BBC Radio 3. ...

Greg Caffrey
The Irish composer Greg Caffrey read music at Queen’s University Belfast where he studied composition under Prof. Piers Hellawell and complexist composer James Clarke, completing a PhD in 2002. ​

He has received commissions from many performers and ensembles at home and abroad as well as from BBC Radio 3, the Irish national broadcasting station RTE and The Ulster Orchestra. His music has been represented at important international festivals: Musica Nova Fesitval in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Zwischen den Horizonten, Germany, Forfest Festival, Czech Republic, 45th Parallele, Valence, France, Musicahora Chile and New Music Dublin, to name a few.His recordings are represented on 12 record labels. ​

Numerous awards for composition include: First Prize at the Concorso Counterpoint, Italy in May 2012, finalist in the ISME- IVME 2nd International Composition Contest in Brussels in 2008; Taukay Edizioni Musicali International Composition Prize in 2012, and the Musica Domani International Composition Prize (USA). His orchestral work A Terrible Beauty was designated a “recommended work” in the 4th Uuno Klami International Composition Prize by a jury which included Magnus Lindberg and Erkki-Sven Tüür. Environments II, for guitar and orchestra was a prizewinning work in the chamber orchestra music category of the International Conductors Union Composition Contest, Ukraine in 2021. He was selected to represent Ireland at ISCM World Music Days in China 2021. Recently he was awarded the Major Individual Award. This award is the highest value honour bestowed by ACNI on artists. Greg is additionally the current recipient of the prestigious PRSf 2022 Composers Award. Greg is currently supported by Help Musicians. ​

He is the founder of Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, and stepped down from the directorship of the ensemble in June 2023.

He is represented by the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland.

This album contains no booklet.