Frank Corcoran

irish composer

JANE O-LEARY-S GENEROUS BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO > ” SEAN AGUS NUA ” FRANK

2014

” The light gleams… ”

Frank Corcoran ALWAYS has something to say – either in words or music! His mind is sharp, witty, makes connections forward and backward in time; he makes you stop and think.
Always uniquely individual, challenging and puzzling, his music reflects his Irishness, his distance from Ireland, and an uncomfortable relationship with the constraints of that society.

When I arrived in Ireland in the early 1970’s, there were very few Irish composers. Frank was one of the first that I met in Dublin. He was then working as an Inspector for the Department of Education; the contrast between his creative inner world and the requirements of his job was stark.

Soon after that, I formed a contemporary music ensemble. CONCORDE performed Frank’s ” Five Songs of Gabriel Rosenstock ” ( ” Cúig Amhráin de Chuid Gabriel Rosenstock” ) for soprano voice, violin, cello and piano at Sender Freies Berlin in 1981 – the first of many performances abroad in the subsequent 30-plus years of Concorde’s existence. Performing a work in the Irish language in Germany was a memorable experience – but for Frank, language is his sustenance and it seemed a natural thing to mix Irish, English and German – 3 languages and cultures which are essential to his being.

In 2006, Concorde invited Frank to respond to a commission which would honour the work of Samuel Beckett on his centenary. Frank’s piece – again featuring soprano voice, this time with bass clarinet, violin and cello – used five words by Beckett: ” The light gleams an instant…. ”

As always, the music was vivid, stark, piercing.

I wish Frank well on his 70th birthday and I will commemorate it in Dublin with a performance of ” A Dark Song” (2011) in a concert at the RHA Gallery.
Frank’s song has always been dark, but there is a twinkle in the eye as well. Life has been harsh to him, but the sheer joy of finding expression through music has been a happy companion to him for most of those 70 years. Happy Birthday, Frank – Yes, keep singing!

Jane O’Leary (Dr.)
Director, Concorde ensemble
Galway, Ireland
February 21, 2014

Posted under: Humble Hamburg Musings

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