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Caitríona O’Leary; Mystics & Cynics; Culture Moves Europe

Caitríona O’Leary
Caitríona O’Leary
Caitríona O’Leary; photo by Ishmael Claxton; Boris Bergmann; photo by MKnickriem.
Caitríona O’Leary; photo by Ishmael Claxton; Boris Bergmann; photo by MKnickriem.
Project Type
Music
Title
Caitríona O’Leary; Mystics & Cynics; Culture Moves Europe
Irish Partner
Caitríona O’Leary
Funding Strand
Culture Moves Europe

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A new song cycle, ‘Taumelnd von Glut,' based on 10 poems of Otto Braun that became a concert and album called Mystics & Cynics. Developed composer & pianist Boris Bergmann and Irish singer Caitríona O’Leary in an 8 day workshop in Berlin, Germany.

Mystics & Cynics is an album by Irish singer Caitríona O’Leary and German composer & pianist Boris Bergmann.

The project involved avoice and piano duo performing a new song cycle, ‘Taumelnd von Glut.’ Settings of 10 poems of Otto Braun by composer & pianist Boris Bergmann (Berlin) contextualised by music of Braun’s contemporaries Erik Satie and Alexander Scriabin and other ‘mystics’ Hildegard von Bingen and John Cage.

‘The Culture Moves Europe award allowed me to travel to Berlin and spend time rehearsing and fine-tuning the song cycle that Boris wrote for and dedicated to me. This was invaluable as it allowed us to spend eight full days in workshop sessions in which we intensively worked on the interplay between the vocal and piano parts, the meaning of the poetry, and how best to express the words through the music. It was a very productive and fulfilling experience that subsequently led to a successful concert and to an internationally-released CD.’ Caitríona O’Leary
Across Borders - Across the Board (2023 - 2024)

Taumelnd von Glut: No. 1, Novemberabend im Bremer Parke; Caitríona O'Leary & Boris Bergmann

Taumelnd von Glut: No. 1, Novemberabend im Bremer Parke; Caitríona O'Leary & Boris Bergmann; Otto Braun Mystics & Cynics

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