Lisa Hannigan & s t a r g a z e
Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan, teamed up with the contemporary-classical orchestra s t a r g a z e, producing a cinematic and otherworldly artistic performance and experience, Live In Dublin.
The live album is a reimagining of Hannigan’s dreamy folk tracks pulled from her discography, intermixed with s t a r g a z e’s theatric strings, interlacing swift keys, and tight percussion. Hannigan’s accompanies her voice, with soft guitar and mandolin, and sometimes stands alone with mic, bearing it all. Live in Dublin is rich with it’s dense arrangements that are paired perfectly to Hannigan’s shining vocals.
Hannigan is a multi-instrumentalist, with skills on the guitar and mandolin, only adding to her mastery of raw, poetic folk music.
Before Hannigan’s solo career took off, she was known for her longtime personal and professional relationship with Damien Rice. Hannigan lent her vocals and artistic influence to Rice’s debut album O, that quickly gained worldwide success.
Hannigan’s solo career has garnered her critical acclaim with the release of her albums Sea Sew, Passenger, and At Swim.
Live In Dublin, has given Hannigan the opportunity to reinterpret her music and push herself as artist in a direction far beyond boundaries.
Several collaborations between Hannigan and s t a r g a z e, have followed since conductor André de Ridder and Hannigan met in 2015.
The s t a r g a z e contemporary chamber orchestra is experimental with its approach to classical and pop music. The European orchestral collective has collaborated with Nils Frahm, Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, and These New Puritans, to name a few.
Some words from Hannigan on the s t a r g a z e collab and inspiration behind the performance.
“They approach a song very much as a band would, with an enthusiasm and musicality which immediately felt like home. I was overwhelmed to hear my songs in such a widescreen way, going from black and white to technicolour, and hoped we could do more…The idea of eventually making a record and playing more together felt very natural and easy. Having made three records of my own I had a notion of making a live record but wanted to do it in a slightly more unusual way. We called on some wonderful arrangers over the following couple of years and built our setlist up one song and festival at a time.”
Some more thoughts from Hannigan on the album Live In Dublin.
“I’m blown away to be here in this amazing room…I used to come here and think, ‘One day, I’d like to come here and play my own songs.’”
Hannigan discusses some of her hesitations towards performing her songs with an orchestra, and her feelings of gratitude afterwards.
“Walking in I felt vaguely trepidatious. Sometimes working with classically trained musicians can be slightly nerve-wracking as a singer songwriter because they speak a language so beautifully fluently that I can only fumble toward…In a band, so much communication is done through the shoulders, the lift of an eyebrow, the feel of a small group breathing and dancing together. It’s hard to extrapolate that out into twenty, forty, even eighty people! It can feel like a glorious ocean liner tied to a creaking rowboat.”
Check it out on the platform of your choice, here!
Contributing content by Hot Press, Irish Times, imro, and Circuit Sweet
