Na Píobairí Uilleann

Chairman, NPU

An Píobaire

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8 3 20 20120622 20 THE UILLEANN PIPES IN CONTEMPORARY CONCERT MUSIC Part 3 – Orchestral Pipes Dr. Dave Flynn T HE BELFAST-BORN COMPOSER Shaun Davey’s (b.1948) The Brendan Voyage (1979) was the first work to feature the uilleann pipes in the context of an orchestra. This work is ground-breaking in its integration of the uilleann pipes of Liam O’Flynn with a full symphonic orchestra. Davey followed The Brendan Voyage with a number of large scale works in a similar vein including The Relief of Derry Symphony (1990), Concerto for Uil- leann Pipes (1986) and Granuaille (1985). In an interview with Colin Harper in The Irish Times (1994) Davey himself acknowledged that the musical language of these works is not considered to be ground-breaking in the con- temporary classical music world, however Davey’s use of the pipes in a large orchestral context certainly was a new development. Whilst speaking with Harper, Davey credited O’Flynn for giving him the belief to compose the first ever concerto for uilleann pipes and orchestra. Liam is the lynch pin of my career in the sense that when I want to write music for the uilleann pipes I went to him, because I knew him from Planxty, and admired his playing a lot. And if he said no, he didn't want to pursue the idea, I probably would never have tried to write The Brendan Voyage. The fact is he said yes, and we've remained collaborators ever since. The Brendan Voyage’s influence can be felt in a number of other large scale works featuring the uilleann pipes including Mícheál Ó Súil- leabháin’s ‘flowansionnamare’ (1991), Bill Whelan’s Riverdance (1994), Neil Martin’s No Tongue Can Tell (2003) and Robinson Mc- Clellan’s Flight of the Earls: Concerto for Uil- leann Pipes (2007). The only works from the 1980s in the database of the Contemporary Music Centre to feature uilleann pipes are Davey’s Granuaille, Declan Townsend’s (b.1938) Songs of Farewell (1989) for uilleann pipes and orchestra and two works by Galway born composer Raymond Deane, Thresholds (1987) for symphony orchestra and his incidental music for the film Mórchuid Cloch is Gannchuid Cré (1987). Davey’s little known Concerto for Uilleann Pipes (1986), also composed for Liam O’Flynn, is not in the CMC database but it is held in the library. Leitrim born composer Charlie Lennon’s Is- land Wedding Suite (1990) and Emigrant Suite (1985) both feature the pipes. Lennon prima- rily works within traditional music and so he has not registered with the CMC. Deane’s Mórchuid Cloch is Gannchuid Cré (1987), which is scored for concertina, uilleann pipes (Liam O’Flynn), percussion, two harps, guitar, mandolin and chamber orchestra, is per- haps the most unusual of these works. Deane told me how the function of Mórchuid Cloch is Gannchuid Cré (1987) as film music has meant it has never been performed in con- cert.

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