Titanic

Titanicdance will have you on the edge of your seat: My Interview with Raymond Sweeney

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  I wrote an entry about this Irish song and dance phenomena Titanicdance a few days ago. Now, Producer, Creative Director and Lead Dancer Raymond Sweeney, took time to answer this interview. I am currentlyqvzrbp44upehnzbms7a4

listening to the soundtrack while transcribing our online conversation. You have to see this show. This is the best thing that happened to the stage since Riverdance and Celtic Tiger. Please don’t forget to visit their Indiegogo campaign and hopefull take part as one of the show’s backers. This is music and dance arrange in a way that will captivate both young and old fans of Celtic music.

1. Hi Raymond, you are from Donegal which is known as a place that gave birth to global artists.What’s the story behind Titanicdance?
It was in 2012 on the 100th year anniversary of the tragic events of the Titanic that I came up with the idea to do the show. Creating my own production was something I always dreamed of doing so I got a team together and started choreographing the show with Louise Hayden & James Keegan in a little prefab in my dad’s work yard. It took many long hours of hard work, determination and a lot of patience but it was all worth it as the end result exceeded our expectations.
2. You joined Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance at 16. What were the challenges of being in a big and famous troupe at a young age?
Being from a small village in Donegal and heading into the unknown was exciting but scary at such a young age. It was a huge challenge trying to meet the standard required for such a large production and as well as the dancing there was a lot to learn about performing on stage. The other thing I found challenging was being away from home at such a young age and getting used to my new independence. It was a great experience. 
3. I think Titanicdance will strike a universal chord as the story (Titanic) itself is still a phenomenal success brought about by books and of course Hollywood.
This is so true and is the reason why we think we have something special.
4. What’s the training ritual of your dancers before a big event?
Well it takes many weeks/months preparing for a big show as first and foremost fitness is very important as well as learning routines etc.. The choreography of Titanicdance is of a very high standard and therefore plenty of training is required to get it perfect for show time.  
5. How do you handle the responsibilities of leading 30 top Irish dancers?
I’m fortunate enough to have the experience of being a cast member and touring in a big dance production for over 15 years and therefore I know how to find the right balance to treat cast members in a firm but fair way in order to get the best results. I have a lot of friends that I have work along side and toured with previously and that are now in my cast, now being Creative Director and having to direct them and call the shots isn’t always easy but I do it in a manor that they still so me respect. 
6. How is it like working with producer David McLaughlin? You must be great pals right now.ykusbiflr8xnphaiihly
David and the whole team have been great. Everyone really believes in this production and works endlessly to make sure it will become a huge success. I have a great relationship with David and it is growing stronger and stronger..!!
7. What do you hope to achieve this Titanicdance?
I hope to achieve everything possible with Titanicdance. It’s always been my dream to have a touring show and I am so honored to be in the position I’m in at the moment and I will continue to strive to meet my goals because I believe this show can be a huge success. 
8. Your message to the readers?
 
Titanicdance has it all. Live Irish Music, Song and Dance and a story line that will have you on the edge of your seat and possibly in tears. Audiences across the globe deserve to see this production and I will do my best to make that happen. You will not be disappointed. 

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Kind Regards,

Raymond Sweeney
Watch out for my review of the Titanicdance music soon! Big thanks to my friend Anita Daly of Daly Communications for arranging this interview.

The Elemental Music of Karin Leitner

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Karin Leitner

Flutist and composer Karin Leitner has sound magic.

With her extensive studies in classical music, flutist Karin Leitner has mastered the tempo, dynamics and  expression of the instrument. She also plays the Irish tin whistle Susato Kildare model key C and Yamaha wooden flute. Whither she is playing the classical pop rendition of the theme from the Titanic, or rendering the chromatic beauty of some of her works, it is true that she leaves listeners enchanted and refreshed.

She already released evocative albums titled: Earthmagic, Seamagic and the upcoming Skymagic (June 21). Earthmagic has  received positive reviews from music critics. The album has 16 tracks. If  you are stressed out and in the mood for escapist tunes then just take out one of her CDs and you are off to go  with the destination of your choice.  Even if such journey is in your head. Seamagic has twelve tracks all water themes asopposed to the  Earth themes of Earthmagic. Her compositions are closer to the elements : Earth, Sea, Sky…go figure.

Her delivery is seamless as she slides from meno mosso to molto expressivo with the grace of a swan. You should check out her Theme from the Titanic video. She breathes new life into the wooden flute making the instrument sound the way we sing. I can hear traces of vibrato  the way a human voice does, until the diminuendo leaves listeners gasping for more.

For those who are hungry for classically inspired music with Celtic, orchestral or mystical influences then I am sure she has a hungry  market out there waiting to get her releases, all eight of them! Trivia: She is playing concerts with harpist Cormac de Barra-they recorded an album for Ireland’s Blue Book Music of Great Irish Houses.

EARTHMAGIC: http://www.amazon.com/Earthmagic-Karin-Leitner/dp/B0035ZWQKO/ref=sr_1_2_digr?ie=UTF8&qid=1370355058&sr=8-2
SEAMAGIC: http://www.amazon.com/Seamagic/dp/B0063PI3MS/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370355073&sr=301-1
SKYMAGIC will be out on 21st June.

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Huzzah!

Check out the album release launch of Moya Brennan and Cormac De Barra:

Grammy award winning musician, Moya Brennan, and internationally renowned harpist, Cormac De Barra, are set to release their brand new album titled ‘Affinity’ this June. The recording is the result of a merging of two of Ireland’s most acclaimed musical minds. Join the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/177927489035726/

Happy St Patrick’s Day to Everyone from The Celtic Music Fan

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Wishing everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day! Sahara

From Sahara: The stained glass is from St. Benin’s Church Kilbennan Co. Galway and we were very taken with it. Have a lovely St. Patrick’s Day!!

Happy St Patrick’s to you all. I don’t say day because it should the whole week..well not just the whole week. Why not the whole month? Let’s all be in green the whole month. Let me start this show with this reading of the James Joyce classic The Dead. This is the end part where Gretta Conroy tells her husband Gabriel about a secret she had kept all these years. This is where he laments their situation. The narration is read by Alan Cooke who is currently promoting his book Naked in New York. If you haven’t gotten your copy then I suggest you should. It is a great read. You can finish it in one setting and his prose flows like wine. The book is in the right widget of this site.

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I mentioned in my facebook page today that I am posting my whole soundcloud channel so here it is. Not all of them are what you would consider Celtic but soundcloud won’t allow me to post more tracks on my other account after reaching a certain limit. I am planning to add more capacity to post in this account. Yes please enjoy all the tracks. These are music from artists who approved to have their songs uploaded by yours truly via soundcloud as a way to promote the music and albums.

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Huzzah!

Welcome to the flexibility channel where I can talk about anything related to music. For the past few months I see a decline on people who add up comments in this section. I think I am to be blamed because in the blogosphere the way it works is this: you leave comments to other people’s pages so that you get comments in return. Just like in facebook: share and be shared. This principle applies to all social networking sites. The only place I apply this sort of practice is through twitter and google plus. Because micro blogging doesn’t really require so much to do. All you have to do is just to retweet something that you think will benefit your followers. The same goes for google plus. I hardly tweet about my life these days because I am trying to shape my image as an informative blogger rather than an artistic/expressive one. I think this explains why my twitter followers have doubled. It is all about content and not about what I ate or where I partied for the last twenty four hours. Although it is tempting because it is really nice to share about what is going on in my life, however I also need to keep in mind my responsibility to the readers.

The way I understand it, the reason why you visit this site is to find out what is going on in the Celtic music scene. And that is exactly what I am trying to propagate. I want to impart a sort of tabloid/entertainment but which is also informative. And certainly NOT academic. Nope there are sites for that and we are all here to have fun. Yes that’s why I created this site. I want to experience the fun in Celtic music. I don’t even get paid for writing or keeping schedules for this site. If one day this will disappear I don’t think it is really that much of a big deal because we all had our time and our fun. But it will break my heart because this is my baby. If you only knew the things that happened to me because I made this. And they are not really happy things. There was even one time when I thought there was no point of going on because it proved to be more of a curse than a blessing. But then again music is always a blessing. And if we remember that we are doing something because we have fun doing it rather than because we are trying to maintain a schedule or we are answering to someone, then I think we are in the right track.

Now I have several links I want to share with you all. Here they are

Le Pays: http://youtu.be/Hyi06l2UVi8

Danny Boy from the muppets. Please take note that moderation is important. You don’t want to end up like the muppets hahaha: http://youtu.be/OCbuRA_D3KU

Check this out from Marc Gunn: http://pubsong.com/115-st-patricks-day-pub-songs-playlist/

Titanic violin: http://soa.li/qJGq36c 

The Lass of Augrim from The Dead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mybwtXifYc

Nick Burbridge has a new prose. Not for the faint hearted: https://www.facebook.com/notes/nick-burbridge-burbridge-arts/the-joke/491736790888579

As part of my crafting edition for another site where I blog as a contributor, check this interview of Joe Devoy of Tellus 360.

The Folkalists

Album review: All the Good Things by Sissel Kyrkjebø

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From the chorus of the first track : And I’m weightless, falling in love
I am weightless…you know right away that you are in a right journey. The album is richly orchestrated. There are electronic flourishes but they enhance the tracks rather than make them cold.Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø has a kind of voice than can launch a thousand ships…Was it a coincidence that she was made to be part of the Titanic soundtrack? The fourth which is the title track  has that Enyaesque synth sound.

Everything is in place. From one track you never get lost. The second track “Carrier of a Secret “became a massive hit. There’s even a video made after it. The drum loops pulse through every track like pleasant ocean waves. They carry you from one song to another .

The second to the last track “Where the Lost Ones Go” is a duet with fellow Norwegian Espen Lind and became a massive single in the Norwegian charts.

Beautiful and mesmerizing is that I call this album. If you love anything that’s contemporary. If you are into Classical Pop, then this album is for you.

Track listing:

  • “Weightless”
  • “Carrier of a Secret”
  • “Should It Matter”
  • “All Good Things”
  • “Lær meg å kjenne”
  • “Keep Falling Down”
  • “Better Off Alone”
  • “Sarah’s Song”
  • “One Day”
  • “Where the Lost Ones Go”
  • “We Both Know