Travelling: Re-imagining Irish Historical Works

Adrian Mantu, cellist and founder of the ConTempo Quartet (1995) in Galway has reimagined Boyle’s Elegy (1913) and Psalm (1927) using the typeset editions created as part of this project. The project aimed to reconceive and re-record a selection of historical Irish works originally written for cello and piano or cello and orchestra, this time for the unique combination of cello and accordion, with visual artwork. This multimedia production took place on the celebration of St Patrick’s Day 2021 as part of an online Culture Ireland event, and was broadcast live with Romanian-Irish cellist, Adrian Mantu, Irish accordion player, Dermot Dunne, and Romanian visual artist, Mihai Cucu.

The performance included refashioned works by other Irish composers including, The Coolin (1939) by Joan Trimble (1915–2000), Brian Boydell’s (1917–2000) Five settings of poems by James Joyce (1944), and Mélancolie (1897) by Henri O’Kelly (1859–1938). The project was a joint partnership between Culture Ireland, CelloVision Project, Triskel Arts Centre Cork, Music Network, Jiggery Pokery Production, EnjoyTV, UCIMR, and the Romanian Cultural Institute (RCI) New York.

- Emma O'Keeffe