Moscow reels to an Irish jig
Published 23 March, 2008, 19:46
It’s been a week since St. Patrick’s Day, but Moscow can't get enough of that celtic beat. Three legends of Irish folk, Paddy O’Brien, Daithi Sproule and Patrick Orceau, have been bashing out trad tunes and having the craic at the Irish party at Moscow’s B2 club.
The concert was a huge event for Russian Irish music fans. They flooded the B2 club to see the Irish folk stars performing in Russian capital for the first time.
Before the musicians took the stage, the public had been warmed up by the Moscow band Slua Si. And although an Irish proverb warns ‘never buy bread from a butcher’, the Irish folk from the Russian musicians was very palatable.
Finally the legends of Irish folk came out.
Daithi Sproule doesn't just play Irish traditional music, he used to teach it at Dublin’s University College.
Patrick Orceau is first fiddle in the world of Irish folk music. Performing traditional melodies, he always adds a twist of improvisation.
Paddy O’Brien knew that his vocation was Irish music from an early age. He has collected more than three thousand Irish melodies.
“The idea of playing a very technically involved kind of jig doesn't necessarily bring out a feeling. Simplicity and beauty, and passions – so far, it is my philosophy,” he explains.
It seems natural to dance when you hear the jaunty Irish melodies, and if St Patrick himself had been present at that concert, it’s unlikely he’d have remained seated.
discuss it
