““If you like the robust and orchestrated scores of Hans Zimmer and John Williams, then do yourself a favor and give this one a whirl. It’s not just for the Celtic music lovers or Irish dancing community only. You don’t have to see the show. You just have to love being affected by the power of music. This one’s for the score aficionados. And I think after just one listen, you’ll agree. It’s MONSTROUS.” ”
(2012) Rhythm in the Night: The Irish Dance Spectacular
Sam Getz of Welshly Arms on the guitar
When we were approached to score RITN, the idea was bold and ambitious - essentially, "Can we create something that sounds like an epic film score with an Irish twist?" - we were on board immediately. We decided to use the orchestra as our main palette and relied on traditional Celtic instruments as complimentary elements. One of our favorite numbers is the soft shoe piece "Serenity" where the two female leads go back and forth trying to out-dance one another. With the focus on the symphonic rather than a traditional Irish sound, the choreographer was able to introduce subtle elements of ballet and hand movements not typically seen in Irish dance. The french oboe provided the voice for the villain while the soft tone of the flute signified the good girl.
Much of Irish dance music is made up of "reels" where the notes run up and down in harmonic arpeggios. This is the basis for "Feissana". We worked with our good friend Sam Getz, an amazing guitarist and front man for the band Welshy Arms (also CLE natives!) to record the fast acoustic picking you hear in the track. Seeing our music put to dance as the basis for a live production is an incredible experience!
