Olagón: A Cantata in Doublespeak

Olagón, a conflicted wail of both mourning and victory, stands as the central inspiration of this new evening-length collaboration between Eighth Blackbird, composer/fiddler Dan Trueman, vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird of the contemporary Irish supergroup The Gloaming, and Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Paul Muldoon. Drawing from the legendary Irish tale Táin Bó Cúailnge, Olagón aims to tell a story of hardship in contemporary, post-recession Ireland while honoring traditional musics of Ireland, Norway, and America. Muldoon’s text – utilizing both English and Irish – is sung in the unique and highly ornamental vocal practice known as Sean Nós by Ó Lionáird. When coupled with Trueman’s diverse musical landscape, stage direction by Mark DiChiazza, and the virtuosity of Eighth Blackbird, a multi-cultural experience unlike any other is brought vividly life.