A St Brigid's Day Musical Interlude for International
A collaboration between Composer Siobhán Cleary
and Leland Bardwell
In the run up to #IWD2019 and our special showing of "St Brigid's Day | 90 Women Artists at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare Street Dublin we bring you a contemporary composition by Siobhán Cleary.
Siobhan was a friend and collaborator with Leland Bardwell whose poem "St Brigid's Day 1989" was the inspiration behind the exhibition. Leland was a great lover of opera and she wrote the libretto for Siobhans 2006 opera "Jack Ashore"
We've chosen “The Dole of the King’s Daughter" from the opera, Recorded by Kathleen Tynan and The Vanbrugh Quartet. It was commissioned by RTÉ lyric fm.
On her opera and working with Leland Siobhan Cleary writes:
I met Leland through her son, my friend and colleague John McLachlan. I had long been a huge admirer of her work and we hit it off immediately. I visited her many times in Maugherow in her house or in Ellen’s pub discussing love, life, music and literature. I told her about my nascent scribblings of an opera which was set in 1880’s London against the background of the Jack the Ripper murders with characters such as Oscar Wilde, Ellen Terry, Walter Sickert and James McNeill Whistler. This was a time period that was of great interest to Leland and she embarked on the writing of the libretto with great enthusiasm. Her knowledge of the inner workings of opera was remarkable and it was a great passion of hers throughout her wonderful life. The libretto is dynamic and full of Leland’s particular brand of wit . She completely immersed herself in the task and it was the most fun I have every had with a collaboration. Her friendship was one of the most special I have very had and it was an honour and a pleasure to have worked with her.
- Siobhán Cleary