Lúnasa with the RTE Concert Orchestra (Lúnasa Records LCD002, 2013)
The new album by renowned Irish contemporary folk ensemble Lúnasa brings together two of the finest musical acts in Ireland, Lúnasa itself and the famed RTE Concert Orchestra.
Lúnasa with the RTE Concert Orchestra presents new orchestral arrangements of traditional music from Ireland and other parts of the Celtic music world as well as some originals by various composers.
The album contains nine tracks, eight of which are combinations of various tunes. Lúnasa is known for embracing the music of their musical cousins in Scotland, Galicia (Spain), Asturias (Spain) and Brittany (France). The engaging opening track ‘Casu’ is a clear indication of this with a medley of traditional airs and dances from Galicia and Asturias. Most of the album, however, is primarily centered on Lúnasa‘s contemporary vision of Irish traditional music although it does feature some Scottish pieces as well as a Breton set and a composition by French-Algerian guitarist Pierre Bensusan.
Although Ireland has many great traditional music bands and instrumentalists, Lúnasa is widely regarded as an all-star band, with some of the top musicians in the folk music field. They bring their traditional musical instrument expertise to this outstanding collaboration with skilled classical musicians.
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is conducted by David Brophy. Lúnasa members are Kevin Crawford on flute; Seán Smyth on fiddle and low whistles; Trevor Hutchinson on double bass; Cillian Vallely on uilleann pipes and low whistles; and Ed Boyd on guitar.
Lúnasa with the RTE Concert Orchestra is an extraordinary collaboration that brings together the best of the traditional and classical music worlds. The following video will give you a taste of how all these great musicians work together.
Buy Lúnasa with the RTE Concert Orchestra
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
