Thérèse Fahy, piano
Donal O'Kelly, readings
Debussy: Estampes – Pagodes, Soirée dans Grenade, Jardins sous la pluie
Seamus Heaney: The Forge
Holohan: The Forge (2014)
WB Yeats: Leda and the Swan
Cleary: Leda and the Swan (2013)
Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit - Le Gibet, Ondine
Handprint is a recital programme by Thérese Fahy, inspired by the realisation that much contemporary piano repertoire has been written for very large hands, to the exclusion of many female pianists. By commissioning six new works by Irish composers Bill Whelan, Benjamin Dwyer, Siobhán Cleary, Gráinne Mulvey, Michael Holohan and Raymond Deane, Handprint will create a unique collection of piano repertoire, designed specifically for smaller hands. Handprint is supported by the Arts Council.
Following from the premieres of the six commissioned Handprint Collection works at the New Music Dublin Festival, pianist Thérese Fahy launches the next stage in the evolution of the project - Handprint: Before and Beyond. The six new works are paired with ‘companion pieces’, works from the piano repertoire that have inspired and influenced the composer, alongside Therese’s own repertoire choices.
“By marrying the old and the new, my dream is that contemporary and non-contemporary masterpieces can thrive together in performance, and the new pieces, seen in this light, among the shining gems of the past, will be launched into the standard piano repertoire of the future” - Thérese Fahy.