On Sunday 27th of September, Festival Musica will present the French premiere of Donnacha Dennehy’s Land of Winter, performed by the Crash ensemble.
This work features a compositional style that is both precise and physical, drawing on micro-intervals and repetitive processes. Inspired by the landscapes of the west of Ireland, it presents slowly evolving soundscapes, in which pulsations and densities shape a space shaped by memory and the tensions of the land.
“The Latin name for Ireland was Hibernia, which translates as “land of winter.” In a way it is the quality of light that demarcates the seasons, from the shorter days of grey or piercing light in the winter to the much longer, warmer but mercurial light of summer. The piece is divided into twelve sections (which I consider as months) connecting to each other continuously. The piece starts in December, and culminates at the end of November, ready to start all over again in winter as it were.” — Donnacha Dennehy.
The composition of this piece was supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship awarded in 2021 and is dedicated to Alan Pierson. In 2026, it won the GRAMMY-Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit Festival Musica’s website.
