Soprano  Deirdre Moynihan

Vivaldi cantata gems get fine polishing

03:55, 6 April 2014 by Dick O'Riordan

 

Vivaldi Cantatas

Deirdre Moynihan and Ensemble Nota Velata

 

One could be forgiven for believing Vivaldi was a one-hit wonder, yet there was much more to him than the Four Seasons, and that's why Deirdre Moynihan's first CD, titled Vivaldi Cantatas, is such a nice surprise. The Cork soprano has spotted a niche and gone for it wholeheartedly, with enchanting results.

 

Vivaldi composed 40 cantatas, a genre in three or four parts which alternate di capo arias and recitative. Of five cantatas here, the best known are All-ombra b'un faggio and Lungi dal vago volto, both expressions of yearning and unrequited love.

 

Moynihan sings with clarity and warmth, delightfully capturing the rich flavour of Vivaldi's vivid music imagination. There are formidable vocal challenges, but all overcome with confidence. Accompaniment by the baroque ensemble Nota Velata is perfectly weighted and never over-powerful or intrusive. (It's noteworthy that Moynihan founded the Nota Veleta in 2012 in order to perform and record rarely heard treasures).

 

When not teaching or composing in the Ospedale della Pieta , the Red Priest had a particular fascination for shepherdesses on the hillsides around Venice. He even mentions many by name - beautiful Elvira, cruel Irene, Lucinda with her lovely face, and Eurilla lying on the grass. Nor does he hide his desires, but that's another matter.

 

2017 Highlights

12th Nov 2017

Nov 12th 2017 - Remembrance Day Concert with Kaleidoscope Music 3.30pm, The National Gallery of Ireland (The Shaw Room), Dublin 

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15th December 2017

December 15th 2017 - The Seafield Singers  8pm,  St. John The Baptist Church, Clontarf, Dublin 3

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11th October 2017

October 11th 2017 - St. John's Art & Cultural Centre, Listowel "Songs Rich and Strange"  8pm

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8th October 2017

October  8th 2017 - The Creation  8pm,  Abbeystrewery Church, Skibbereen, Co. Cork.

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6th Sept 2017

Sept 6th 2017 - Kaleidoscope Night 8pm, Bello Bar, Dublin 

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9th May 2017

May 9th 2017 - Performance at Hillsborough Castle "Songs After Rain"

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2019 Highlights

Sonamus Concert

Sept 5th - Rathfarnham Castle: The Classical Era - Music from the 18th and 19th centuries - music by Thomas Moore, Turlough O'Carolan, Thomas Connelan, Tomasso Giordani, and William Balfe De

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16th June 2019

June 16th 2019 - Sundays at Noon (12pm), Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin 1 Free Entry  

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May 2019 Tour

MAY 2019 TOUR - 18TH - 24TH:  Sounds secretly coming to life - music by Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Karl Weigl and Aribert Reimann Deirdre Moynihan, Soprano &&

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From The Olive Tree CD

From The Olive Tree - Moynihan/ O' Leary Duo

Click image for additional CD info!

 €14.99

 

International Record Review

International Record Review

This is a thoroughly beguiling recital disc and one which is certain to help further the cause for this spellbinding, richly detailed music. When sung like this, it deserves the widest possible audience. Read Full IRR Review

 

Sunday Business Post Review

Vivaldi cantata gems get fine polishing

by Dick O'Riordan  Read Review

 

Irish Examiner Interview

by Jo Kerrigan.

Deirdre-Moynihan Soprano