Culture That Made Me: Finbar Wright on Gigli, Leonard Cohen and flamenco 

The Cork singer also includes Jerry Lee Lewis and the film Gandhi in his selections 

Finbar Wright  was born in Kinsale, Co Cork.

Finbar Wright, 65, was born in Kinsale, Co Cork. Since releasing his first album, Because, in 1992, he has performed as a tenor on the world’s greatest stages, including the Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House. At the thirtieth anniversary of the Cork Person of the Year Awards on January 27, he will be honoured with a special award as Cork’s No. 1 performer over those 30 years. As part of a nationwide tour, he will perform at Cork Opera House, Saturday, February 18.

Raindrops Keep Fallin’

I grew up with The Beatles and the arrival of pop music. One song that sticks out in my mind was the night that my radio was confiscated in boarding school at Farranferris College. ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head’ by BJ Thomas was the song. Even as the priest walked away with the radio it was still playing.

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen was a great influence in my life. I like him in his second incarnation. In the first incarnation, he sang in his normal voice, which was up an octave and a bit reedy and thin. I didn’t find that attractive. When he dropped down the octave, suddenly he sang with this dark intensity. It shouldn’t be appealing because the voice is dark and raspy, but it’s irresistible in its truth. I listen to his songs because he’s a brilliant poet.

That’s the root of any great song. He managed to put great lyrics and beautiful melodies together and make them into pure gold.

Leonard Cohen. 

Flamenco from Peret

Spanish music has always been a huge part of my life. I studied in Spain for two years. I landed aged 16. The first album I bought in Spain was by Peret. He’s a flamenco singer. He was very popular in the 1970s. Wonderful guitar playing and he had a wonderful band with him. He’s from Barcelona. One of the songs on that album was ‘Voy pa Barcelona’ – “I’m heading for Barcelona”. Musically, a lot of Irish ballads were slower and sadder. He encapsulated for me all the thrill, the rhythms, the colour and the excitement of Spanish music.

Don Quixote

One of the first books I ever bought was Don Quixote, the great Miguel de Cervantes book. The characters were fascinating and so entertaining. In many ways, it’s the story of all our lives. Windmills now, of course, are very popular. I know Don Quixote maybe wasn’t of sound mind, but we’re all constantly battling throughout life, battling adversity. It’s a wonderfully philosophical book.

Federico García Lorca

Federico García Lorca is one of my great heroes. I was introduced to him when I was learning Spanish in secondary school. I still remember the poem. “Córdoba./Lejana y sola./ Jaca negra, luna grande…” The words were imprinted on my brain.

His poetry was so striking. I love the Spanish language, the music of it. His poetry was brilliant. His use of words. There was a sadness about him. He brought he south of Spain – Granada, Córdoba and Sevilla – to life in poetry.

Patrick Kavanagh

Patrick Kavanagh shares some of Lorca’s outlook – immersed in nature, in the sounds and what’s going on around him and ordinary life. My grandfather also came from County Monaghan. ‘Raglan Road’ stands out in my mind – the love story between himself and Hilda Moriarty, love lost and that angst and beauty in the poem. A poem like ‘A Christmas Childhood’: “My father played the melodion/Outside at our gate;/There were stars in the morning east/And they danced to his music…”

It resonated with me because I could see my own childhood there. He’s one of our greatest poets.

Jerry Lee Lewis

The most unusual performer I ever performed with was Jerry Lee Lewis who sadly passed away a few months ago. He spent a little while in Ireland on the run from the tax man. I was invited to do a broadcast with him for RTÉ from the Cork Opera House. It was a Christmas special.

I remember meeting him at the back door of the Opera House. He had the hair slicked back, a pipe in his mouth and he was blowing smoke. He was an absolute gentleman. He was so calm and collected and pleasant to work with, but the minute he hit the stage, it was like he had a thousand volts charging through him. He came alive. He played the living daylights out of the piano that night. They’ve never had a resident piano since!

Gandhi film

The film I’ve never forgotten – and I’ve watched it many times – is
Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. It came out in 1982. I remember going to the Pavilion cinema in Cork’s Patrick St to see it. It was mind-blowing, the whole the story, the intensity of it, the fact it was based on a real person. Ben Kingsley’s delivery was incredible. It teaches us something, how one person captured the minds of a nation, and how a peaceful leader could lead India to freedom.

Ben Kingsley as Gandhi.

Father Ted

I’m a huge fan of Father Ted. My two children – who are adults now – are rampant fans as well. We actually went to the house up in Corofin, Co Clare, where it was shot, and to Fanore, where the caravan was. I knew the actors involved – Dermot Morgan, Frank Kelly.

I took singing lessons from Bernadette McGreevy with Frank Kelly. We sang duets together as part of the training. Frank had a great voice. Great times. I loved Frank. Father Ted was such a beautiful send-up of a society that we all knew well. I knew priests who are just like that. We all did!

Gigli magic

My roots were in opera. I did operas at the beginning of my career. In tenor terms, the Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli would be my hero. I always considered my voice was in that kind of strain rather than that sharp, metallic sound associated with many operatic singers, particularly tenors. Gigli had a lovely softer quality to his voice. I listened to a lot of his recordings. He introduced me to beautiful Italian folk songs, simple songs like ‘Santa Lucia’ or ‘Torna a Surriento’.

I associate Gigli with Cork. At the end of his career, in the early 1950s, he came to sing at the old Savoy.

People in Cork pride themselves on being opera buffs. Gigli sang his concert. They called him for an encore. Out he came and he sang ‘E lucevan le stelle’ from Tosca. It was lovely, beautifully delivered. They called him back out again. They kept shouting for ‘E lucevan le stelle’. They wanted to hear it one more time.

Apparently, Gigli famously said, “I cannot go on singing it all night.” A fella above in the gods shouted down, “You’ll keep singing it, boy, till you get it right.”