NSOI: Bill Whelan at 75

Gavin Maloney, conductor 
Zoë Conway, fiddle 
Tara Howley, uilleann pipes
Séamus Ó Flatharta, voice, Irish harp, whistle
Damien Mullane, accordion

Dancing At Lughnasa Main Title
Caraçena from The Seville Suite
An Chistin from The Connemara Suite
New work for the National Symphony Orchestra World premiere
Riverdance Symphonic Suite

A celebration for the 75th birthday of Grammy Award-winning composer Bill Whelan, featuring some of his most popular music and the world premiere of a new work for National Symphony Orchestra Ireland.  

Marking the 30th anniversary of the debut of Riverdance as a fully-fledged show – it subsequently became an international phenomenon seen by more than 30 million people around the world from Broadway to Beijing – the thrilling Riverdance Symphonic Suite includes all the familiar melodies from Whelan’s hit score, re-orchestrated to release the majestic sweep of a full symphony orchestra. 

Whelan’s gift for combining Irish folk music with the European symphonic tradition to create something fresh and full of emotion is heard in the romantic title music for the film of Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa. 

Uilleann pipes, fiddle and Spanish tambourines come gloriously together in ‘Caraçena’ from The Seville Suite, a dramatic portrait of the flight of Red Hugh O’Donnell from 16th-century Ireland to Spain. From The Connemara Suite, ‘An Chistin’ begins with softly accompanied voice before blooming into an exhilarating and playful interaction between fiddles, feet and orchestra.  

Presented by NCH