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Daniel Hope: Irish Roots makes WQXR's 'Have You Heard'

Looking for some fresh musical inspiration? The WQXR team has curated a list of exceptional new classical albums that are sure to captivate and delight. From the rich heritage of Irish folk tunes, to the vivid interpretations of Mahler's symphonies on period instruments, these selections offer a diverse array of sounds and stories.

WQXR - Music Director Maggie Stapleton writes….Daniel Hope draws upon his Irish roots on his new album Irish Roots, by joining traditional Irish folk tunes with compositions by Henry Purcell, Antonio Vivaldi, and Johann Sigismund Kusser which became prevalent in the Irish court in the early 1700s. Music by 20th century composer Ina Boyle also shines. My toes are tapping in equal happiness to all of it, especially the Kusser, a new-to-me composer.


From the PR…….With a wide-ranging programme featuring familiar landmarks, creative adventures and musical surprises, Daniel Hope’s latest Deutsche Grammophon album is now available. The release coincides with news of Hope’s appointment as the next Intendant and Artistic Director of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and Academy, a role he assumes as of 1 November 2025. Irish Roots is available on CD, digitally and on vinyl (2 LPs). Limited-edition versions of both the CD and the vinyl album – including an art card signed by Daniel Hope – are available exclusively from the DG Store.

Brought up on stories of his paternal great-grandfather Daniel McKenna, who left Ireland in the 1890s to build a new life in South Africa, Hope has always been intrigued by Irish music and culture. As well as making a documentary for ARTE and WDR entitled Celtic Dreams: Daniel Hope’s Hidden Irish History, first aired in spring 2022, the violinist has been delving deeper into the connections between folk and classical music in Ireland, informed by performance experiences with award-winning Irish band Lúnasa and the research of musicologist Olivier Fourés.

“Olivier even told me about unique versions of Vivaldi’s music preserved in the Library of Trinity College Dublin as slip jigs, which were probably only played in Ireland,” recalls Hope. “I began thinking about how to broaden a programme to include traditional Irish tunes like Molly Malone and Danny Boy and Baroque pieces that were popular in Ireland, and began testing some ideas in concert over some years. Irish Roots grew out of that.”

Alongside a selection of traditional favourites, Irish Roots presents works by the great bard and harpist Turlough O’Carolan, and music by 20th-century composer Ina Boyle, as well as classical pieces by visitors to Dublin such as Kusser, and the fifth of Vivaldi’s L’estro armonico concertos, a smash hit in Ireland 300 years ago. Daniel Hope is joined by a stellar line-up of guest artists, including Lúnasa, harpist Siobhán Armstrong, flautists Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway, singer Rea Garvey, multi-instrumentalist and folk musician Ross Daly, AIR Ensemble and the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Geiss.
 

You'll hear selections from these albums on-air from July 22nd to 26th, 2024.


Daniel Hope (Daniel Waldhecker)
 

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