Global talent in Cork this week!

Hello friends,

Well thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday night to Cyprus Avenue for helping make it a lovely evening altogether. A real nice mix of music and people, hopefully we can do something similar again soon. Those who missed Samuel James will have a last chance to see him tonight as he's playing the late gig in the Crane Lane after Alabama 3 and PLEASE if you know anyone in Clonakilty please let them know he's playing in De Barra's tomorrow.

I didn't post any review on the West Cork Chamber Music Festival as I was a bit frazzled with Sam coming over. It was a lovely week as ever though I must confess I became increasingly downhearted about our audience profile - they are all lovely don't get me wrong, fantastically loyal and enthusiastic and friendly - but where is everyone under 50? Compared to audiences for classical music in Cork it has a whiff of the cruise ship and yet the team working on it is so cool and young and fun - and in terms of music the festival is WAY more groundbreaking and contemporary than most of what's available in the city.I dunno, I suppose it has to do with the location and timing more than anything.
Musically it was one of the best I've seen, though. The Irish premiére of Gorecki's second quartet was magical at a late night concert in the church in the hands of the stunning Royal String Quartet from Poland. The Royal quartet played many of my favourite performances in the festival - their job on Mozart's G major Quartet K.387 was a perfect pleasure for me , I don't think I'd heard it before but in their hands it seemed the funniest, sweetest most brilliantly conceived piece ever. I was delighted to hear some more good Greif (groan, it was better than good anyway) and to discover some great female composers - Poland's Grazyna Bacewicz, Lera Auerbach from Russia, Estonian/Ukraninian Galina Grigorjeva and visiting composer Vanessa Lann (who has a myspace with her more experimentl stuff on it). One piece that blew me away was Lua Descolorida by Osvaldo Goljov who was born in Argentina of Jewish Ukranian & Romanian parents - I'll be downloading that one today now I think of it. So in all alot of what was really special for me came from Eastern Europe which has given me some ideas for holidays next year I can tell you.
One of the biggest highlights of the festival for me was that a kind bike shop owner called Nigel had sposored 10 bikes for the festival's use which made things really pleasant - musicians, audience and festival workers were all making use of them and having great fun.

Which leads me nicely into a plug for the Cork Cycling Arts Festival which runs 21-27th July next week - there's an exhibition, Film Nights (Feature, Documentary and Shorts) as well as lots of different tours. Check out the website for the programme and be sure and be on your bike next Friday in Daunt Square for what will hopefully be the biggest Critical Mass cycle in Cork yet. The picnic on Sunday 27th will definitely be a fun one too...

Ok tips for the next week:

Wednesday 16th
Crane Lane, Alabama 3 is, I believe, sold out, but you can sample the atmosphere afterwards and take your last chance to hear my new friend Samuel James at 11.30.

Thursday 17th
Glucksmann Gallery, 6pm It's a while since I had the opportunity to plug a free gig and it's always a special pleasure. There is a serious lack of Indian music being performed live in Cork so I'm delighted to see a duo under the name of Komal giving a performance of Sufi Chant and Traditional Indian music. Rajpal Khosla from Punjab, India studied with Sufi singer Ustad Prem Raza of the Patiala Gharana for over 10 years. He will perform both traditional and modern compositions on vocals & the Indian Harmonium accompanied by honorary Corkman (originally from Punjab too) Raj Padam on the tabla. I'll have to miss it as I'm flying home for my sister's wedding but you would be crazy to!

Friday 18th
Dervish (that nice hippy shop next to the Bodega), Upstairs, 7pm There's another chance to enjoy that gorgeous Indian music if you can't make Thursday - go on, forego the after work Friday drinks - have a bite in the Eastern Tandoori on Emmet Place instead and head over to the gentle surroundings of Dervish and let yourself be transported across the globe. Indian music, for me, speaks directly with your inner being, you don't need to know anything about it, just be open and let it happen.

Monday 21st
Cork Opera House, 8pm There is a big move on to see Tinariwen at Cork Opera House where they'll be taking the seats out so we can truly let loose to this Touareg rock from Mali - the tickets are steep at €30 but what you get is a world-class act unlike any other that literally EVERYONE has been talking about. I won't bother banging on about them as there is quotes from all the top International press on their website www.tinariwen.com and music on their myspace www.myspace.com/tinariwen.

See you there!

xc