Culture That Made Me: Malachy Robinson, double-bassist of the Irish Chamber Orchestra

In advance of his appearance at West Cork Chamber Music Festival

Malachy Robinson is one of the musicians playing at West Cork Chamber Music Festival. Picture: Mark Stedman

Dubliner Malachy Robinson is principal double-bassist of the Irish Chamber Orchestra and plays with many small chamber groups, notably the Far Flung Trio. He specialises in the historical performance of early and Baroque music, and has always relished the adventure of New Music. His solo album, The Irish Double Bass, was released last year. 

He will be appearing at West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Bantry, from June 24 to July 3. www.westcorkmusic.ie

Best recent book you've read and what you liked about it:

Nora by Nuala O’Connor is a fantastic portrait of the remarkable Nora Barnacle and gives a triangulation on Joyce by detailing his family relationships. I’m now reading Still Life by Sarah Winman, which is utterly delightful, the cast of eccentric characters leaping off the page, full of love and joy against the odds.

Best recent film:

I just watched Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix in a brilliant central performance. The dystopian scenario is certainly thought-provoking and barely fiction.it is surely already the case that some people’s primary relationship is with their technology.

Best recent concert you’ve seen:

Bach’s B minor Mass in Christchurch Cathedral: the Sestina choir with the Irish Baroque Orchestra last month. The vocal solos were all delivered with panache by members of the choir, which filled the cathedral in the choral numbers despite numbering only 10 voices.

Best piece of music you’ve been listening to lately (new or old):

I was involved in the Crash Ensemble recording of Barry O’Halpin’s Wingform which has just recently been released – it’s big and it’s complex, will reward repeated listening... but it’s also direct and intuitively intelligible. I’d encourage the curious listener to try it, I think Barry is a really remarkable talent and a unique voice. And it’s beautifully recorded.

First ever piece of music that really moved you:

I was a boy treble (soprano) in a fine church choir in Dublin for the last few years of my high voice. My parents were surprised to see me heading off to church 4 times a week but the addictive mix of energetic singing, massive church organ and passionately composed music more than compensated for the lack of a religious motivation to attend. And I did experience many deeply spiritual moments.

The best gig or show you've ever seen (if you had to pick one!):

Maybe all my favourite gigs have been in New York! Every time I travel there I expect a memorable night out and so I guess I’m well-disposed before I even get my party shirt on. My family went there on holiday a few years ago (our boys having become young men) and we went to see Oz Noy in the 55 Bar, down in Greenwich. He was great (and completely devoid of self-indulgence) but the whole band were fantastic, all strong characters, and in the up-close setting it felt like we were just all at a party together.

Tell us about your TV viewing:

I don’t watch much TV in the terrestrial sense. Series on Netflix etc I would generally watch together with my wife Anita, collective downtime; we usually have one on the go. We enjoyed all the Fargos, Ozark recently. Boardwalk Empire memorably hit the spot.

Podcast choices:

Of course everybody likes The Moth. I’m also a fan of Guitarwank (don’t judge a book by its cover!) in which jazz guitarists talk about aesthetics and philosophy and everything, and I like The Mike Harding Folk Show.

You're curating your dream festival – which three artists are on the bill, living or dead?

Louis Armstrong (just the best); John Dowland (a real original); and young Elvis, obviously.

Your best/most famous celebrity encounter:

I met legendary jazz bassist Ray Brown after a gig in Dublin. Trying to say something that sounded classy, I told him how much I enjoyed Way Out West (an album he made with Sonny Rollins and Shelly Manne). I thought he would appreciate my familiarity with his back catalogue. He just looked up to the ceiling while trying to recall the record, and said “Man, that was a LONG time ago!”. To me it is a masterpiece I regularly return to; but to him it was a gig he did one night in 1957.

You can portal back to any cultural event or music era – where, when, and why?

I would love to be in the Esterházy court around 1770 to witness Haydn conducting his symphonies there, at the peak of his powers. There is such life-affirming joy in this music and by all accounts this was a reflection of his character.

In your own life, have you been doing anything in particular in relation to climate change, biodiversity, etc?

We are about to get an electric car. I haven’t flown since 2020, although I will ultimately have to when the orchestra tours again. These and other small contributions are helpful, one hopes, but major legislation to change the behaviour of corporations is surely needed.

 I’ve recently composed a cycle of poetry and music with my cousin, poet Jane Robinson. For the Atoll concerns humanity’s folly regarding our treatment of the planet, in an examination of the fate of the inhabitants and environment of the Bikini Atoll.