Ailis Ni Riain: The Last Time I Died

Evelyn Glennie, New London Chamber Ensemble, Darren Bloom, Exponential Ensemble, Psappha

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Cat No: NMCD270

Release Date: 26 May 2023

Label: NMC Recordings

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 5023363027007

Genres: Classical

Description
The Last Time I Died is the first full-length album from the Irish composer Ailís Ní Ríain. The latest in NMC's Debut Disc series features a group of musically diverse artists performing a rich selection of Ní Ríain's chamber and small-scale works, the "theatre, intimacy, and nuance" of which has occupied the composer over much of the previous 20 years of her career.

Described by the Irish Times as "a significant talent" Ní Ríain's music has been performed across Europe and further afield in Brazil, Japan, and the USA. One of the principle ideas explored in Ní Ríain's work is communication with others, something which she has a unique perspective on as she is deaf/hard of hearing. Whilst this has sometimes placed her in challenging situations regarding verbal communication, her hearing differences have also heightened and enhanced how she relates to sound. The Last Time I Died is a portrait of a composer harnessing this unique experience of the sonic world to explore a huge range of substantial themes including consciousness, relationships, reality, and death.

Focal points on the album include Revelling/Reckoning, a two-movement work for wind quintet and percussion, which aims to reflect the contradictory nature of existence, heard here in a recording by the New London Chamber Ensemble and another musician who has embraced her hearing challenges in her artistry, the iconic percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Contradiction also lies at the heart of Hiding Out 'Neath the Everything for violin and recorded altered piano, which explores the internal and external aspects of consciousness in this recording featuring violinist Darragh Morgan. Soberado, a toy piano work that reflects on experiences of sobriety, really exemplifies Ní Ríain's distinct approach to instrumentation in this recording by Xenia Pestova Bennett. Featuring Tim Williams on cimbalom and Tom McKinney on guitar, Thank You is a movement from Ní Ríain's 2010 music-theatre work Brief-Blue-Electric-Bloom, which combines music, sign language, poetry and animation, aiming to "enable a deaf audience and 'disable' a hearing audience so that they might 'receive' the work equally".

NMC's Debut Discs are crucial calling cards, invaluable for showcasing composers to a wider public, giving them the opportunity to present a first full portrait album of their work. The Debut Discs series has supported 21 releases to date, many going on to win awards and critical acclaim.

"The sounds are bright, fresh, and inventive, the extra-musical ideas behind them wide-ranging and often provocative, suggesting that Ní Ríain's larger-scale music would be well worth exploring, too." – The Guardian

"These are descriptive conversations in instrument, with a fascinating interest in marrying sounds and resonances, unusual yet instructive, from pre-recorded piano to cimbalon and bass flute." – BBC Music Magazine (Performance 4 STARS, Recording 4 STARS)

"This album shows a voice that is independent, exploratory and quirky." - Irish Times

"Subtle and probing, these miniatures create and explore a refined soundscape in which dialogue and interaction is a key element. […] This well-produced collection of recordings is an ideal introduction to a highly original composer, with powerful and distinctive ideas. The featured performances are poetic and committed." - Musical Opinion
Tracklisting