I’ve seen bits and pieces but never the whole program. It’s here: http://www.rte.ie/player/#!v=10036346
Thank you for that. It is so interesting to hear both types of flute played one after the other. The sound is so different. I wonder how the orchestra members felt about the change in the sound when Boehm’s flutes started to take over the flute section.
I think the difference between Irish players and classical shows up most when Galway tries to play cuts and rolls on the whistle right at the end. It sure shows that rolls are not grace notes.
It was fun to watch.
Jim
Worth noting that neither of these players likely sound much like players of either type of flute in the 19th century (at least not in continental Europe). When the Boehm flute was introduced, it was sometimes derided as sounding like a cannon or a trumpet.
Hahaha, what the hell are Galway’s eyes doing during Syrx/Debussy? Great video though, interesting how shy Matt Molloy was back then.
that was great clip to watch ! love molloy’s playing !
thanks for posting !
JG’s eyes have always done that - it was a well-known thing about him in his heyday as a flute/media superstar. He has a form of astygmatism which causes it, IIRA.
It’s funny that you guys would mention that. I was watching a TV show earlier this week and in one of the scenes the actor’s eyes did the exact same thing. I was thinking that it was worked into the plot for some reason and that there’d be an explanation for it but the show just went on. Then I saw the Galway video yesterday and was thinking, “Uh oh, maybe I’m the one that’s freakin’ out.”
Cheers,
Kirk
What sir Jimmy left out was that he was an orange man and learned to play flute via the fife, as did his dad and grandad. It’s nice to see that as the program progressed, the music won out and that initial tension passed.
Thanks to the OP for sharing this. I have no real fondness for classical music, but there’s no denying James Galway’s a class player of his instrument. Lovely to get a chance to watch Matt as well as listen. Great stuff!
m.d.
The condition is called nystagmus, an involuntary movement of the eye; it seems to increase with concentration. Maybe he’s using it to hypnotise the audience.
astygmatism is the inability of the eye to focus.
What does IIRA stand for?
Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
International Ice racing Association
Iron Indian Riders Association
Lovely to hear this program - thanks for posting the link.
Two fine gentlemen, Molloy very shy indeed, JG quite funny.
Great closeup shots too.
Both kept their fingers consistently very low and not flying about.
Also Molloy’s strong RH little finger brace.
So, the reel Matt plays after Dark is the Colour of My True Love’s hair…not sure, but isn’t that The Templehouse? They don’t say.
Good grief, Molloy’s fingers are incredibly long and skinny. I have a plastic model of a velociraptor on my desk, and apart from only having three digits the resemblance in hands is uncanny.
(I think IIRA may stand for “if I remembered anything” which I usually don’t, so I never use that.)
And thanks for posting this Schoner. Great playing by both artists. I hope RTE keeps the clip up for a while.
Seem to remember that the reel Molloy played after “DITCOMTLH” was “The Roscommon reel”, [ or it may have been a quite similar tune called “Jackson’s” ]. He recorded them on an LP called “The Gathering”, I think in 1978.
Yeah - the “Roscommon”, sometimes called “Crowley’s”. The LP, according to the listings in “thesession.org”, was recorded in 1977, released in 1981.
IIRA = If I Recall Aright. Some prefer IIRC, using Correctly instead of Aright.
Thanks for the medical info/ correction. I was going on vague recollections of a TV interview long ago when I could easily have misheard what JG said and assumed instead a known word.
the reel is more commonly known as “the morning dew” . the other tunes that kenny mentions are in the same or similar key and were also recorded by matt. he put so many of them out there that it’s hard to keep track of 'em. but quite sure this is his renditon “the morning dew” aka “hare in the heather” imo/iira/iirc/lol/lmao/fyi/fwiw et al
Absolutely, “rama” - my apologies. “The Morning Dew”, it is. I hadn’t watched the programme, and made the mistaken assumption that it was another programme which Messrs Molloy and Galway had appeared on which I have on video tape. I didn’t know they’d done more than one programme together, and now look forward to watching the RTE one. Thank you.
np kenny, it’s always a little bit of thrill to see and hear mm play especially back then
I still think Matt got his best sound out of the Boosey Pratten in D he got later on. Of course he sounds great here also.
I agree. Sometimes the sound of Molloy playing the Boosey looks like the flute is going to blast. I didn´t heard that sound when he playes the Olwell IMO.
S.