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The three works presented on this disc were written by Seóirse Bodley between the years of 1964 and 1980 and illustrate the quality and range of the composer’s output during this period, with influences ranging from European modernism to Irish traditional music.
A founder member of Aosdána, Ireland’s academy of creative artists, Seóirse Bodley was recently elected a lifetime Saoi of that organisation, the first composer to be so honoured.
This recording of orchestral works by Seóirse Bodley is the third in the Composers of Ireland series to be released under a five-year audio publishing agreement between RTÉ and the Arts Council. Previous jointly funded releases include orchestral works by Raymond Deane and Gerald Barry’s opera The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant.
About Seóirse Bodley
‘Is iomaí sort ceoil atá ann, mar adúirt an fear a raibh an trúmpa maide aige. (There are many different sorts of music, as the man with the wooden trumpet said.) The past. Influences from various forms of "modern" music and also traditional Irish music. The future? Now there’s an interesting thought...’
Seóirse Bodley was born in Dublin in 1933. Studies in Ireland and Germany led to a teaching appointment at University College Dublin, where he was awarded the degree of D. Mus. He is currently Emeritus Professor in the music department there.
Influences on his compositions include a range of musical styles from the European avant-garde to Irish traditional music. His works include five symphonies for full orchestra, two chamber symphonies and numerous orchestral, choral, vocal and chamber pieces. The many commissions he has received include his Third Symphony, commissioned for the opening of the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and his Fourth Symphony, commissioned by the Arturo Toscanini Symphony Orchestra of Parma, Italy.
In addition to many performances in Ireland, his music has been broadcast and performed in North America, many European countries, Australia and China. Awards include the Arts Council Prize for Composition, a Travelling Studentship of the National University of Ireland, the Macaulay Fellowship in Music Composition and the Marten Toonder Award. Seóirse Bodley was recently elected a Saoi of Aosdána, Ireland’s state-sponsored academy of creative artists.
Track listing:
CD 1:
1. A small white cloud drifts over Ireland
2. Symphony No. 1 for Chamber Orchestra
3. Symphony No. 2: “I have loved the lands of Ireland”
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