THE MACALLA SUITE

Like the famous Irish composer Seán Ó Riada, an influential figure in the revival of traditional music in the 1960s, Michael Rooney is a master of orchestral storytelling and a prolific composer who is regarded as a worthy emulator of S. Ó Riada. As proof of his talent, he was awarded the title of Composer of the Year 2017.

He composed The Macalla Suite, a musical work in six movements and twenty pieces lasting over an hour. A suite that had been performed on Easter Saturday 2016 at the Royal Dublin Society and then in London, before a sold-out Irish tour. And it was the following year that this suite was recorded in M. Rooney's home county of Monaghan.
One of the reasons for the success of this work is that the orchestra brings together classical and traditional musicians in perfect harmony. Sixty instrumentalists and singers bring this major work to life.
One of the sources of the suite's success is a successful mix of pieces composed by Michael and traditional songs from the time of the Irish Revolution: The Bold Fenian Men, Óró 'Sé do Bheatha Bhaile or The Foggy Dew for example.
The suite depicts in music the sufferings of nineteenth-century Ireland, the fierce struggle for freedom of the nationalists, the Easter Rising and finally the reconciliation with the British state. 
The orchestration of the Macalla Suite is lush and reminiscent of the soundtrack to the film Mise Éire composed by Ó Riada. This perfectly mastered suite speaks volumes about Mr Rooney's talent and is without doubt his finest work.

Autoproduit Doorla 05 - https://www.draiochtmusic.com