Francesca Federico ÓMurchú - Visions and Ecstasies: Classical & folk songs of Ireland (2025)

Tracklist

01. Bruach na carraige báine (Arr. for violin and cello by Michele Deiana and Francesca Federico ÓMurchú)
02. 3 Pastoral Songs, Op.22: I Will Go with My Father A-ploughing
03. 3 Pastoral Songs, Op.22: Cherry Valley
04. 3 Pastoral Songs, Op.22: I Wish and I Wish
05. Sliabh geal gcua na feile
06. My Grief on the Sea
07. Sunday
08. Where the Mind is Without Fear
09. The Everlasting Voices
10. The Lover Mourns for the Loss of Love
11. The Cloths of Heaven
12. An Mhaighdean Mhara
13. The Seal Man
14. Down by the Salley Gardens
15. A Dream
16. Reidh cnoc mná duibhe (Arr. for violin and cello by Michele Deiana and Francesca Federico ÓMurchú)

Visions and Ecstasies: Classical and folk music of Ireland is an exploration of Irish music and poetry that marks the debut album of Irish-American soprano Francesca Federico ÓMurchú, hailed by Opera News as having a voice of such strong presence and beauty of tone that she left one longing for more. Visions and Ecstasies highlights Irish music-making from its roots as an aurally-transmitted art form, honouring the melodic and linguistic complexities that illustrate both the beauty and the brutality of the country's collective experience through centuries. The album combines art songs by Joan Trimble, Roger Quilter, Peter Warlock, Rebecca Clarke and Andrew Synott, alongside Irish folk songs sung in their original language. The album aims to articulate the linguistic and cultural links between these two seemingly disparate genres, and provide a snapshot of Ireland's incredibly rich cultural heritage. Francesca's study of this repertoire began when she was selected as a Fulbright scholar to Ireland, and completed an arts residency at the Irish World Academy in Limerick under the mentorship of Irish folk legend Iarla Ó Lionáird, who first suggested she record an album of this unique music. She is joined by violinists Laura Lutzke and Ben Russell, cellist Clarice Jensen and pianist Dan Franklin Smith.

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