Lúnasa with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Lúnasa with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra is a collaboration album between Irish traditional Celtic music band Lúnasa and the Irish RTÉ Concert Orchestra, recorded in 2012 and released in April 2013 by Lúnasa Records. The collaboration came about after RTÉ contacted contemporary Irish composer Niall Vallely, requesting he composed music for a traditional group, and Vallely in turn requested Lúnasa for a collaboration, bringing the two ensembles together for a fusion between traditional and classical music. After the two groups performed at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, in April 2012, they recorded the album later in the year. The music on the album is Vallely's rearrangement of various suites and tunes, both traditional and modern, that Lúnasa had performed in the past. Music critics have noted the dynamic of the album, where neither the orchestral and traditional elements of the recording outweigh each other. Lúnasa member Trevor Hutchinson is said to pivot the two genres together with his double bass playing. The album was well received by music critics, with journalists complimenting the spirit and fusion of the music. The collaboration allowed Lúnasa to reuse music that they had tired years before the recording of the album. In promotion of the album, Lúnasa toured in the United States and United Kingdom, as well as undergoing a major venue tour. Background and recording The genesis for the collaboration between Lúnasa and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra came when contemporary Irish composer Niall Vallely was asked by Irish service broadcaster RTÉ to curate arrangements for usage in a traditional band. According to one biography, Vallely was "the perfect fit for this adventurous undertaking" due to having composed both traditional and classical compositions. Vallely suggested Celtic folk group Lúnasa, which features his brother Cillian Vallely on pipes, for the project, and the project subsequently evolved into Lúnasa playing with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, conducted by David Brophy, creating an unusual fusion between traditional and classical music. One biography noted that the collaboration allowed Niall to expand Lúnasa's "innovative use of harmony and rhythm," taking advantage of the harmonic and rhythmic potential of "the full orchestral sound. The result is truly a new sound in Irish music." The initial performance between the two ensembles was on 19 June 2012 at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, which was recorded and broadcast on RTÉ's leading national station RTÉ Radio 1. The concert, titled "Music, Movement and the Brain," was part of the sixteenth Movement Disorder Society congress and featured Niall's new arrangements of Lúnasa's music for the two ensembles to play together. Journal of Music described the concept of the performance as an "interesting departure in and of itself." Later in the year, the band followed the concert with the recording of the Lúnasa with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra album. According to the November 2013 issue of Folk World, the album was recorded at Dublin's RTÉ Studios. Recording the album allowed Lúnasa to continue exploring "new directions in the world of Irish traditional music;" band member Kevin