Ciarán Farrell
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| Ciarán Farrell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation(s) | Composer |
| Years active | 1997 to present |
| Label(s) | RTÉ Lyric FM |
| Website | Ciarán Farrell's Website. Ciarán Farrell at MySpace. |
Ciarán Farrell (born 1969, Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish composer who has been active in his field since graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 1997. He composes works for orchestra, ensemble, choir, and solo instruments, which have been performed by several ensembles and performers including guitarist John Feeley, Cantique, and the Concorde Contemporary Music Ensemble, as well as for TV and film productions.
The first solo collection of Farrell's music, Perfect State, entered the HMV classical charts in Ireland at #13 three weeks after its release.
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[edit] History
Farrell was raised in a music-loving household, though years spent first at the piano and then later the clarinet never really inspired Farrell as he grew up. The onset of his teen years changed his view on what music was all about when he first heard the pulsating sounds of rock bands like AC/DC, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Van Halen. Like many teenagers his age he wanted an electric guitar. His first came from earnings made from washing dishes in a nearby hotel at the age of 15. The following years were spent learning riffs and solos from records, working to buy new equipment and to pay for rehearsal spaces for the many different bands he played with in the years that followed.[1]
It was his love of the late Randy Rhodes’ guitar playing and his then growing love of jazz (and re-kindled interest in classical music) that prompted him at the age of 22 to take things to the next level, a formal study of music. He took up classical guitar with Irish guitarist John Feeley and partook in the IMRO composition summer school before completing his degree at Trinity College where he majored in composition. He also studied with film composer Ennio Morricone at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy.[1]
He has received commissions from dance companies such as the Irish Modern Dance Theatre and Cois Ceim Dance Theatre in Dublin, as well as commissions from RTÉ Lyric FM (RTÉ Concert Orchestra with actor Barry McGovern),[2] saxophonist Gerard McChrystal,[3] the Smith Quartet, Katie McMahon, Concorde Contemporary Music Ensemble, and John Feeley, amongst others.
Farrell has also worked on numerous TV/Film productions including the internationally-broadcast series Divine Magic and Eyes on the World. Other production companies he worked with include C4, Discovery Channel, RTÉ, TG4, Littlebird Pictures, Decent Suit and Non Fiction Films. He been commissioned to compose music for numerous commercials/inserts including the Heineken and Shell campaigns.[4]
The first solo collection of Farrell's music, Perfect State, was released on the RTÉ lyric fm label. Less than three weeks after its official launch at the U2-owned Clarence Hotel in Dublin on September 24th, 2007, Perfect State entered the HMV classical charts in Ireland at #13. This album features performances by some of the foremost musicians between Britain and Ireland including the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Craig Ogden, Gerard McChrystal and the Smith Quartet.
His music has been released on numerous other CDs in 2007 including Gerard McChrystal and Craig Ogden’s Pluckblow, Music for Saxophone and Guitar, released on the Meridian Records label;[5] Katie McMahon's album Shine, of which he wrote the title track; and John Feeley's album E-Motion, of which the original solo guitar version of Farrell's composition, "The Shannon Suite", can be heard.[6].
[edit] Discography
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"Perfect State" (second movement) "Originally commissioned by Irish Modern Dance as a duo for violin and cello, the title work, "Perfect State", benefits from the loss of a second slow section and the richer sonorities afforded by a bank of eight violins and four cellos with newly added underpinning from a brace of double basses", says Michael Quinn of the Journal of Music Ireland.[7] "Around and About" (first movement) "...this three-movement work assumes the shape of a 10-minute dialogue between flute and vibraphone, each loose- and long-limbed in equal measure with a diaphanous quality in the flute line and a charming playful mischievousness in the quixotic spiraling interplay of the vibraphone", states Quinn. [7] - Problems playing the files? See media help.
Perfect State (2007), RTÉ Lyric FM
[edit] Track listing
1. "Perfect State" – 6:35
- RTÉ Concert Orchestra conducted by David Brophy
2. "The Shannon Suite" – 13:53
- Craig Ogden, guitar; Gerald McChrystal, soprano saxophone
3. "Around and About" – 9:54
- Sinead Farrell, flute; Roger Moffat, vibraphone
4. "The Pilgrim's Return" – 14:21
- Smith Quartet; and Gerald McChrystal, soprano saxophone
5. "Hopkins on Skellig Michael" (Poem by Paddy Bushel) – 34:58
- RTÉ Concert Orchestra, conducted by David Brophy; speaker Barry McGovern
[edit] Press
- "The music of Ciarán Farrell excelled". - Tribune Magazine.
- "Of the instrumental pieces Ciarán Farrell's two pieces for guitar were easily the most accomplished and extremely well written for the instrument." - Irish Times.
- "Ciarán Farrell's Shannon Suite sets the standard." - BBC The Complete Guide to Classical Music.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Official bio. ciaranfarrell.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
- ^ 2003 RTÉ Lyric Commissions. rte.ie. Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
- ^ Gerard McChrystal official site. saxsaxsax.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
- ^ Bio at Contemporary Music Centre Ireland. cmc.ie. Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
- ^ Meridian Records catalog (Pluckblow). meridian-records.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
- ^ E-Motion credits. sanctuaryclassics.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
- ^ a b Quinn JMI, Michael. "Review of Perfect State", Journal of Music Ireland, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
