Cross Currents - Composer Seóirse Bodley
A three part documentary radio series presented by Barry McGovern exploring contemporary Irish composers and their music. What shaped the sound of the century? Barry McGovern presents a ground breaking series www.crosscurrents.ie for more
Episode 1 - ‘BREAKTHROUGH” Premieres on Friday September 9th at 7pm RTÉ Lyric FM and features composer Gerald Barry.
'How have Irish composers dealt with their musical past and tradition? Do they challenge, react against it, embrace it or ignore it? Episode two explores how composers view the idea of tradition in Irish contemporary composition. Presenter Barry McGovern hears from Raymond Deane, Roger Doyle, Jane O’Leary and Gerard Barry on their roots, influences and how the world around them shaped the music they wrote. Barry McGovern asks what does it mean to be a composer in Ireland ?'
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Seóirse Bodley was born in Dublin in 1933. Studies in Ireland and Germany led to a teaching appointment at University College Dublin, where he was awarded the degree of D. Mus. He is currently Emeritus Professor in the music department there.
Influences on his compositions include a range of musical styles from the European avant-garde to Irish traditional music. His works include five symphonies for full orchestra, two chamber symphonies and numerous orchestral, choral, vocal and chamber pieces. The many commissions he has received include his Third Symphony, commissioned for the opening of the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and his Fourth Symphony, commissioned by the Arturo Toscanini Symphony Orchestra of Parma, Italy.
In addition to many performances in Ireland, his music has been broadcast and performed in North America, many European countries, Australia and China. Awards include the Arts Council Prize for Composition, a Travelling Studentship of the National University of Ireland, the Macaulay Fellowship in Music Composition and the Marten Toonder Award. In 2008 Seóirse Bodley was elected a Saoi of Aosdána, Ireland’s state-sponsored academy of creative artists.
Pieces used:
A small white cloud drifts over Ireland The Narrow Road to the Deep North String Quartet 1 Meditations on lines from Patrick Kavanagh: 8 Meditations
Series is broadcast on RTÉ Lyric fm
An Athena Media production for RTÉ Lyric fm made with the funding support of the BAI and the TV licence fee in partnership with the Contemporary Music Centre.