Latest releases reviewed

SEÁN Ó RIADA, CEOLTÓIRÍ CHUALANN & SEÁN Ó SÉ
Ó Riada Sa Gaiety
Gael Linn
****

This seminal 1970 recording of Ó Riada's Ceoltóirí Chualann is showing some of its age and all of its glory. An essential in many a collection, Ó Riada Sa Gaiety captured a swathe of musicians in their prime, in pursuit of Ó Riada's quarry: divine orchestrations of old airs, favourite tunes and Carolan gemstones. His revelatory setting of Mná na hÉireann, tackled with gusto by Seán Ó Sé, is a powerful illumination of Ó Riada in full flight, savouring the music of Cúil Aodha and beyond, and coaxing a wider audience towards it. The formality of the settings can seem dated, but snapshots rarely come in as high a resolution as this. www.gael-linn.ie