A Breath of Eire
by Mark Greenfest ©2007
Mark N. Grant: The Rose of Tralee. Amor Artis Chorus and Orchestra, Johannes Somary, conductor. Church of the Blessed Sacrament, NY, NY. March 30, 2007.
Mark N. Grant’s 60-minute The Rose of Tralee, which he composed and wrote the libretto for, is brilliant - musically and dramatically. With its melodic tapestry of Gaelic, classical, and modern elements - all well conceived, astutely orchestrated - it is emotionally true. In expressing a taut, articulate, and moving tale, the music is fresh, exciting, and profound. Like Angel Falls, its flow is stunning.
Although the Irish tenor John McCormack made popular a nineteenth-century ballad, “The Rose of Tralee,” in the 1920s, and there’s a beauty pageant of that name in Tralee (since 1959), Grant’s cantata is about the actual life and early death of the Irish poet and writer William Pembroke Mulchinock (1820-1864) (in Gaelic, Liam Maoilsionog), who was a journalist for the Irish nationalist newspaper The Nation and a member of the “Young Ireland Movement.” His 1851 poetry book, Ballads and Songs, was praised by Emerson, Longfellow, Irving and Bryant. He emigrated from Tralee in County Kerry to New York City in the 1840s, married with two daughters, but he returned to Ireland alone, and died brokenhearted after he allegedly encountered the funeral procession of his original sweetheart, the legendary Rose of Tralee, during the time of the Great Famine.
Although ultimately tragic, the tale traverses the full spectrum of human emotions, and does so lovingly and well. The composer’s text is set mostly in English but includes passages sung in Irish Gaelic and Latin. The Amor Artis chorus gave a very fine performance under conductor Johannes Somary’s assured, experienced direction, and the soloists, including soprano Cynthia Richards Wallace, tenor Michael Steinberger, and mezzo-soprano Juliana Anderson, were excellent. Likewise, bass-baritone Richard Holmes gave a fine, memorable performance (Mr. Holmes rose through two octaves into the tenor range.) The cantata’s powerful final scene features the musical saw (Natalia Paruz) accompanied by a Jew’s harp (River Alexander) - superb playing and writing. Concertmaster Susan Heerema gave a stunning solo as an Irish fiddler, and the three percussionists were equally stunning. Ms. Wallace’s singing felt gorgeous, and Mr. Steinberger’s portrayal, astute and moving. (The Grant cantata followed a lovely performance of Anton Bruckner’s 1849 Requiem.)
The Rose of Tralee, which Mr. Grant had labored on for nine months on a Friedheim Foundation commission, is as good as it gets on the stage or in a concert hall. It’s innovative, fascinating, and a pleasure to listen to. It’s not in the least self-indulgent, and has clean and forward-flowing melodic lines, in a richly orchestrated environment that is carefully selective of musical language. Although the composer says there are two additional uncompleted scenes, this 60-minute version seemed effective, complex but carefully edited and honed down to its essentials. I look forward to future performances.
