O'Riada's Farewell

Sean O Riada | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 15, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B00004GJX5
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #563,737 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Fanny Poer

2. Maible Sheimh Ni Cheallaigh

3. Aisling Gheal [A Bright Vision]

4. The Kerry Slide

5. An Chúilfhionn [The Fair-Haired Maiden]

6. The Three Sea Captains

7. Suite: Tuirne Mhaire/Na Beartha Cruadha/An Brianach Og [Two Versions]

8. Cuil Aodha Slide

9. Mo Ghile Mear [The Old White Cocrade]

10. An Cailin Deas Rua [The Lovely Red-Haired Girl]

11. An Tsean Bhean Bhocht [The Poor Old Woman]

12. Aon la Sa Mhuilleann [A Day in the Mills]

13. Si Bheag A's Si Mhor [The Little Fairy Hill and the Big Fairy Hill]

14. Seán Ó Duibhir A' Ghleanna

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Seán Ó Riada was one of the most important figures in the 20th-century revival of traditional Irish music. His chamber group Ceoltoiri Chualann helped revive the music of the great harper Turlough O'Carolan and was also the incubator for Paddy Moloney and other early members of the Chieftains. Ó Riada's Farewell, his final recording before he died in 1971, is a selection of ancient tunes played on an 18th-century harpsichord. Ó Riada was interested in re-creating the music as it might have been heard in the great houses of the patrons of O'Carolan, arranging tunes like "Sí Bheag a's Sí Mhór" ("The Little Fairy Hill and the Big Fairy Hill") and "Aisling Gheal" ("A Bright Vision") for a period instrument. His harpsichord versions bring out a stateliness in the music that more traditional instruments like the Uilleann pipes or the fiddle can obscure. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's Not that Bad, November 9, 2010

By 

Karon McAllen (Pawtucket, RI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: O'Riads's Farewell (Audio CD)

However, I don't agree with the editorial review of the pipes obscuring the "stateliness" of the music. I've heard some pretty stately music from the hands of a master piper. Sean O'Riada was a seminal composer and unfortunately, this recording doesn't do much for his reputation or for the harpsichord. I'm not sure why he even chose the harpsichord unless it was because he couldn't play the harp, on which most of these tunes would have been heard upon.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Oof!, February 26, 2010

By 

Noddy Box (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: O'Riads's Farewell (Audio CD)

The phrase "a selection of ancient tunes played on an 18th-century harpsichord" caught my eye and seeing I was in Richie O'Shea's Manor Irish Gift Shoppe up there on Covert Avenue at the time and the musical recording in question was only a fiver I said to the old biddy in charge of the cash register sold I said. Sean O'Riada was apparently something of a gigantic cheese in traditional Irish music circles but be that as it may this valedictory splankfest on a frankly banjaxed ould clavicytheriam is spectacularly difficult to get even the slightest morsel of craic out of if you ask me. Jumping Jeebus but right from the opening bars of the very first ancient tune it becomes evident--horribly evident--that this celebrated Corkonian is not firing on all four potatoes at all at all. The batty old geezer sounds like he was recorded in an outhouse noisily pedaling a wooden exercise bicycle for the love of George Butterworth! And just in case anyone is tempted to doubt my bona fides in the matter of evaluating this laughable little leprechaun's musical chops I can state straight up that I own a Horslips t-shirt. Appalled I was in any event. (With emphasis.) AP-PALLED. I endured O'Riada's rickety Celtic claptrap to the bitter end too only because I was actually immobilised right there in my La-Z-Boy by alternating onslaughts of terror and despair. Mostly I kid myself I have an open mind about stuff like this but occasionally stuff like this will just waltz right up to you and pee on your pant leg. Am posting this rare negative review here just to remind myself of this melancholy fact is all.