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
is a highly regarded performer and teacher of the Uilleann pipes. Mick was born in Dublin into a very musical family, with all five boys playing Irish music. Dinny, Mick�s father is an accordion and whistle player and nurtured the love of traditional music in all the lads. At the age of nine, Mick started learning the pipes in the famous Thomas Street Pipers club in Dublin, which was also a meeting house for musicians from all over the country. Now much in demand as a tutor, Mick has travelled to Europe, Canada and the USA conducting master classes.

As a performer, Mick has broadcast on TV and radio extensively both as a soloist and with various artists with whom he has made numerous recordings. For the past five years he has performed and travelled with the Norwegian group Secret Garden and has recorded on their last two albums, Dawn of a New Century and Once in a Red Moon. He has recorded with Charlotte Church, The Dubliners, The Boys of the Lough, Altan and Charlie Lennon, to name a few and also performed on Braodway with the internationally renouned show Riverdance.

In 1996, Mick released his first solo album entitled May Morning Dew to much critical acclaim from the traditional music world. He has recently recorded another CD with a young Dublin fiddle player, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. It is a very traditional album with only pipes, fiddle and whistles used and it was released in Miltown Malbay, at the Willie Clancy Summer School in July'03.

Mick's music has crossed many boundaries and styles through the years, but it is as a traditional uilleann piper that he is best known. His traditional style shows great delicacy and subtlety, strong in rhythm and enlivened by his unique inflections and nuances, his performances always throw new light on even the most familiar tune. He lives in Dublin where he is married with three children and is a full time schoolteacher.

Booklet for Dave Flynn: Irish Minimalism