The Irish Piano

Michael McHale

The Irish Piano

Michael McHale's latest recording, The Irish Piano, will be released on 15 October on the RTÉ Lyric FM label.

Featuring a selection of piano miniatures inspired by Ireland’s musical heritage, Belfast pianist Michael McHale’s new CD, The Irish Piano, will shortly be released on the RTÉ Lyric FM label.

Including four arrangements of traditional airs and songs by McHale himself, the CD also features Bill Whelan’s The Currach (2008), which was commissioned by Lyric and the Dublin International Piano Competition; Donnacha Dennehy’s North Circular (2007); a new work by Garrett Sholdice, Am Koppenplatz, which McHale commissioned to act as a companion piece to the Dennehy; Ian Wilson’s Sonnenwende (2009), and two works by Philip Hammond.

To mark the release, Lyric have produced two videos, the first of McHale performing Philip Hammond’s The Beardless Boy from Miniatures and Modulations, a collection of piano pieces based on the Edward Bunting collection and commissioned by the Belfast Festival at Queen’s, and the second of McHale’s arrangement of ‘My Lagan Love’:

 

The full track-listing is as follows:

1. Traditional (arr. McHale) Cailín ó Cois tSuire Mé
2. Bill Whelan The Currach
3. John Field Nocturne No. 10 in E minor
4. Samuel Barber Nocturne Op. 33 (Homage to John Field);         
5. Philip Hammond John O’Reilly the Active
6.Traditional (arr. McHale) My Lagan Love     
7. William V. Wallace Mazurka-Étude
8. John Field Nocturne No. 4 in A major
9. Arnold Bax Country Tune
10. Percy Grainger Molly on the Shore
11.Traditional (arr. McHale) She Moved Through the Fair
12. Philip Hammond The Beardless Boy
13. Arnold Bax Nocturne        
14. Samuel Barber Excursions op.20 no.3
15. Donnacha Dennehy North Circular
16. Garrett Sholdice Am Koppenplatz
17. Ian Wilson Sonnenwende
18. Traditional (arr. McHale) The Coulin
19. William V. Wallace Roslyn Castle      

For more information visit rte.ie/lyricfm. The Irish Piano is available to purchase here

michaelmchale.com

Published on 1 October 2012

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