Irish Eyes Still Smiling

By PATRICK O’DEA

Irish Eyes Still Smiling

By PATRICK O’DEA

Beijing celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with a range of cultural treats

One of Ireland’s leading literary lights, Emma Donoghue, the author of the Booker Prize-listedRoomand a star attraction of the Beijing Irish Festival, talking about her own sold-out part of the program, said, “It somehow combined the intellectual sharpness of a late-night French talk show with the conviviality of an Irish pub.” Inadvertently, her words summed up the whole festival.

Spread across a fortnight in March the festival took in various aspects of Ireland’s diverse and rich cultural heritage, presenting them to a variety of Beijing audiences. It centered around Ireland’s National Day, better known as St. Patrick’s Day, which commemorates Ireland’s patron saint, a man of great wisdom who reputedly set Ireland on a course of civilization and education.

The day itself was marked in Beijing by a reception at Ireland’s Embassy hosted by the Ambassador Declan Kelleher, mingling the local Irish populace and embassy with Chinese VIPs sampling an array of refreshments; including the country’s favorite black stout and Irish smoked salmon. The ambassador spent a deal of the function catching up with Chinese and Irish guests.

Culture infusion

On the art side of the program were mountedHungry Mind, a collaborative Irish-Chinese installation exhibition in China Central Mall; andConvergence II, an exhibition of Irish and Chinese art in a variety of media, exploring the convergence of aesthetics by artists from opposite sides of the world, held in the Siemens Art Space in 798 District. Both events were successful and well attended, as was the invitationonly Irish evening later in the week at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

The main window on the festival was the concert held in the Forbidden City Concert Hall featuring Solo Celtic harp (clarsach) player Katie Targett-Adams, no stranger to Beijing.

In 2009 Targett-Adams wrote and recordedDay by Dayin English and Mandarin to raise money and awareness for survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008, and later played it for schoolchildren at the epicenter of the quake in southwest China’s Sichuan Province as she donated more than 200 musical instruments and books to the relief fund.

What really mesmerizes the Chinese media are the brother-and-sister, 12- and 10-year-old dancers, Christy and Erin Jensen, who perform at a level far beyond their years. The footwork and coordination they show is astonishing, given it is the piece’s premiere.

Christy says he likes living in Beijing.“It is definitely different from other countries we have lived in, but in a good way. I like my school here in Beijing. I meet lots of interesting people from all over the world and learn about Chinese culture.”

The group Ciorras was put together for a hit TV program in Ireland, Lorg Lunny, carefully selected from among the country’s most promising young musicians, “to present a new sound and vision in Irish music,” says bodhran player Dermot Sheedy. The television experience for the band was “brilliant.”

The group Beijing saw was not quite the full Ciorras. Because of various commitments, three of its members were playing elsewhere. The line-up for Beijing was of a core group: Sheedy, Tommy Fitzharris concertina and flute, Robert Harvey flute, Tara Breen fiddle and Stephen Rooney guitar. Sitting in were Francis Ward on piano, Ryan Murphy, Uilllean pipes; and Darina Gleeson on vocals. Between them they possess enough academic parchment in the way of tertiary music degrees to paper an averagesized room.

They attracted much attention with the peculiarly Irish instruments, the Uillean pipes, or Irish bagpipes if you will; and the bodhran, a percussion instrument; along with the concertina.

The group was invited to play the Beijing concert, says manager Deirdre O’Connor, after the organizers heard their CD,Silver Lining. The evening program contained a fair number of surefire crowd pleasers, Amazing Grace,Danny BoyandShe Moved Through the Fairamong them but missing a ditty offTeaser and the Firecat. The downside of this arrangement—a classical, almost clinical approach to folk music, particularly toward traditional Celtic music, which also has a reputation of being quite at home during a boisterous evening at the local hostelry—is in a slight falling-off in the excitement quotient. This is quite understandable. It comes about, with younger musicians particularly, and in an environment with superior acoustics, from fear of making a mistake. What the audience heard from Ciorras was pretty much notefor-note the album but the musicians were really of a level and quality not to have been worried about how they were projecting. Technique plays a part in this but so too does confidence engendered from length of time playing together and familiarity with each other’s styles. Bands like the Chieftains know this and are not afraid to loosen up, even let rip, when it is needed. Even so, given the circumstances, the musicianship is impressive. At first the applause is also polite but the audience warms up as the evening progresses.

Targett-Adams’ strong voice evokes the lyrical imagery ofMarble Hallsas various members of the band are introduced. Virtuoso flute player Harvey is outstanding throughout the night and Breen is always a lively, engaging presence, even joining with Ward in a well-executed dance item.

WORLD CLASS: Sister and brother Irish folk dance duo Christy and Erin Jensen

The concert shifts on to another level as the Jensens appear and their dance brings the house alive. Besides their apparent skill and their enjoyment in what they are doing, they are real crowd pleasers.

Darina and Katie’s vocals merge forWild Mountain Thymeand the difference between the two styles as they take alternate verses is striking.

Big future

In the final quarter of the show—which departed from the general tenor of its earlier proceedings—the band finally stretched out a little with each member taking short solo pieces in the ongoing musical tableau and vocals functioning nearly as extra instruments, becoming a great deal more interesting in the process. Rooney’s guitar introduction toDanny Boyand his combination playing with Harvey during the tune were superb, as was his short duet with Ward’s piano. Sheedy, Fitzharris and Murphy also contributed nicely animated parts. Breaking free of the near contrivance of the earlier material this section really did allow a glimpse of Ciorras’s and Targett-Adams’ considerable potential, and it is considerable. Katie’s renditions of songs often considered standards, in particular, often matched the benchmark versions. Expect the talent, and that includes Christy and Erin Jensen, assembled here to make a significant impact in world music and folk arts in the future if they choose to persevere in their chosen paths, and possibly even more widely if they choose to step outside the limitations these genres impose upon them.

The concert even produced an innovative way of guaranteeing a standing ovation when the audience was asked to rise for the final item,Auld Lang Syne. After that there was nothing for the audience to do but applaud, and they did, loudly and without the restraint they had shown earlier.