Chamber of delights in Bantry
One of the key events was A Poet’s Life, celebrating the poetry of Seamus Heaney, Heinrich Heine and WB Yeats. It was dedicated to the memory of recently-deceased writer Dermot Healy. Deirdre Gribbin’s ‘Island People’ had the Vanbrugh Quartet and Sebastian Philpott on trumpet providing muted atmospheric soundscapes that were full of life to three of Heaney’s poems. Particularly enjoyable was ‘Lovers on Aran’ for its echoes of sean nós singing, and Gribbin’s ‘Anahorish’ for string quartet and harp which followed also had a traditional modal colour.
French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly gave an arresting performance of Schumann’s ‘Dichterliebe’ accompanied by Julius Drake at the piano.
