The majority of singers come from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with many of its members also drawn from all over the world. Their repertoire is written or arranged for the group by McGlynn, and includes reconstructions of Early and Medieval music from Ireland and beyond presented in a candle-lit, costumed ambiance that allows the group to connect with a very wide variety of audience despite the eclectic nature of the music they sing.
Anúna perform between twelve and fourteen singers, unconducted, in any performance. They are equally at home in an amplified theatrical setting or an unamplified concert hall.
Anúna created the vocal ambiance of Riverdance (1994-1996), achieved a Top 10 placing on the U.K. Singles Charts while remaining at Number 1 on the Irish singles charts for eighteen weeks. In 2012 they appeared as the "Voices of Hell" on the video game Diablo 3 [Blizzard] gaining a Game Audio Network Guild nomination for the Best Original Choral Performance in February 2013. In February 2018 the group won the Outstanding Ensemble category of the Annual Game Music Awards for their contributions to the soundtrack of the hugely successful video game Xenoblade Chronicles II. In February 2017 the group participated in an extraordinary collaboration with Noh Theatre entitled "Takahime", a Japanese adaptation of W.B. Yeats' play "At the Hawk's Well". The performance was directed by Gensho Umewaka (Japanese National Treasure) and Michael McGlynn, who also composed an original score.
While curating the Meltdown Festival at London's South Bank, Elvis Costello invited Anúna to perform as featured guests and in 2011 they featured on DVD and CD with the pioneering Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles. A number of Anúna singers have gone on to carve very successful careers as solo artists including singer-songwriter Hozier [2007 - 2012] and six of the lead soloists in the phenomenally successful Celtic Woman including Lynn Hilary and Éabha McMahon.
In complete contrast, as a classical choral ensemble Anúna have appeared at the World Sacred Music Festival in Morocco and at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, London. They have sung at many major classical venues including the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, De Doelen Rotterdam, Hyogo Performing Arts Center and Orchard Hall in Tokyo, New York Town Hall and Minneapolis Symphony Hall.
They have collaborated with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland on two major concerts of McGlynn's compositions at Dublin's National Concert Hall (2009 & 2010).
Anúna have an active and highly successful Education & Outreach programme that has been responsible for workshops across China, Japan, Spain, Belgium, Israel, Sweden, Canada, Poland, the UK and The Netherlands. In 2012 they presented at the Shanghai Conservatory. In 2015 the group presented an interest Session as part of the American Choral Directors Association National Conference at Salt Lake, Utah, USA. In 2019 their sixth highly successful annual ANÚNA International Summer School in Dublin, which attracts professional and amateur choral musicians from all over the world, will take place in Dublin preceded by the first ANÚNA Winter School in February in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Anúna have released eighteen albums since 1991 and have been featured artists on three Grammy Award-winning albums. Invocation (1994) won a National Entertainment Award for Classical music, while Deep Dead Blue (1996) was nominated for a Classical Brit Award. Celtic Origins (2007), also an award-winning PBS show and DVD, became the number one selling CD on the US World Music Charts that August while September 2011 saw their album Christmas Memories reaching the Hot 100 of the Billboard Album Chart. In 2008 the choir released Invocations of Ireland, McGlynn's self-made film, an evocative depiction of the Irish landscape and its relationship to his music. This has been broadcast extensively in Australia/New Zealand, with the DVD being released on Australia's DV1 and Columbia Music Entertainment in Japan.
They have been signed to some of the world's major record labels including Decca, Universal Classics, Polygram, E1 and Philips. Michael McGlynn's sheet music is available from www.michaelmcglynn.com.
Blackthorn
Anúna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I sit with them, when I drink with them
Nothing compares to all that was shared
Between you and I, between you and I
Snow falls on the mountain of Sliabh Uí Fhloinn
And my love is like sloe-blossom on the blackthorn
To find the bitter fruit, to find the bitter fruit
Close within reach of the hand lies the sweetest berry
On the lowest branch, on the lowest branch
Snow falls on the mountain of Sliabh Uí Fhloinn
And my love is like sloe-blossom on the blackthorn
The lyrics of Anúna's song "Blackthorn" are full of rich metaphor and imagery. The first stanza presents the singer as someone who many men believe they own, but she knows that nothing compares to the connection she shares with the person she's truly in love with. As she sits and drinks with other men, she thinks of the one she truly loves and how their connection is unparalleled. The second stanza goes on to use the image of a blackthorn tree to present a message about love. Many men, it seems, reach for what is bitter and difficult to attain, climbing up high to find fruit that is hard to get. But the singer knows that the sweetest berry is close at hand, within easy reach on the lowest branch.
Line by Line Meaning
So many men think that I am theirs
Many men assume that they have ownership over me.
When I sit with them, when I drink with them
During casual conversations and social gatherings.
Nothing compares to all that was shared
The bond between two people is irreplaceable.
Between you and I, between you and I
The intimate connection between two individuals.
Snow falls on the mountain of Sliabh Uí Fhloinn
The natural beauty and stillness of the location.
And my love is like sloe-blossom on the blackthorn
The deep affection is as natural and pure as the bloom on the traditionally thorny tree.
So many men reach for the highest branch
Many people strive for something that is out of reach or unattainable.
To find the bitter fruit, to find the bitter fruit
To seek after what is unsatisfying or unfulfilling.
Close within reach of the hand lies the sweetest berry
The most desirable things are often within easy reach and overlooked.
On the lowest branch, on the lowest branch
Within easy grasp and accessibility.
Snow falls on the mountain of Sliabh Uí Fhloinn
The constant and peaceful presence of nature.
And my love is like sloe-blossom on the blackthorn
The purity and depth of love as a gift from nature.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MICHAEL PHILIP MCGLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jim Dixon
BLACKTHORN
Written by Michael McGlynn
As sung by Anúna on "Deep Dead Blue" (2004), "The Best of Anúna" (2010) and several other albums.
So many men think that I am theirs
When I sit with them, when I drink with them.
Nothing compares to all that was shared
Between you and I, between you and I.
Snow falls on the mountain of Sliabh Uí Fhloinn,
And my love is like sloe-blossom on the blackthorn.
So many men reach for the highest branch
To find the bitter fruit, to find the bitter fruit,
When close within reach of the hand lies the sweetest berry
On the lowest branch, on the lowest branch.
Snow falls on the mountain of Sliabh Uí Fhloinn,
And my love is like sloe-blossom on the blackthorn.
Justine Schaefer
The purity of Lucy's voice cuts to the soul ..
Daryl McClendon
I love this song soooo much... the first time I heard it was on Pandora while I was driving.. I had to pull over so that I could safely write down the title so that I would not lose it.. what a great song...
Sean DEntremont
the dissonance and moving harmonies in your arrangements are superb.
RebeccaETripp
That harp makes my heart melt into warm dew.
CyberGothika
This was beautiful... I can even feel something by hearing it. I think its love.
Greetins from Brazil.
rorymarie32
Beautiful! This is one of my favorite songs from Anuna. Thank you for this wonderful music :-)
Artin Hjollder
spread this love my unseen dears, every harmonious expression is a divine message
G VG
pure miracle .. especially during Christmas ..
Gliga Chaz
Truly beautiful 😢
⫷ᛞ SHEPHERD ØF MOTHER EARTH ᛞ⫸
The sounds of the Elven Realms... lost to us forever in time... for the Unworthy...