The Owl – A Setting of Matthew Sweeney’s poem by Iain Ballamy

Presented by Triskel and World Book Festival
 
ECM Recording Artist and Saxophonist Iain Ballamy has composed a setting of the poem ‘The Owl’ by the late Matthew Sweeney.  Co-commissioned by Triskel Arts Centre and Cork World Book Festival, and supported by The Arts Council Commissioning Award for Music, this work will be performed as a world premiere as part of Cork World Book Fest 2022 and is a personal tribute by the Composer to Matthew Sweeney who was a leading poet of his generation. This was originally scheduled for CWBF 2020 and we're delighted audiences will finally get to enjoy this tribute.
 
Line-up:
Iain Ballamy – saxophones
Matthew Sharp – cello
Kit Downes – piano / keyboard
Roy Dodds – percussion
 
"Matthew Sweeney sent this striking poem to me in November 2017. I promised him that whatever was to come, I would make a setting for ‘The Owl’ and would not rest until that had happened. With kind support from Tony Sheehan, Mary Noonan, Cork World Book Fest and the Arts Council of Ireland, this promise has now been fulfilled.