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.
Crist and St Marie
Anúna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crist and Sainte Marie
Swa on scamel me iledde
That ich on this erthe ne silde
With mine bare footen itredde
Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison
Christe eleison, Christe eleison
The lyrics of Anúna's song "Crist and St Marie" describe a profound spiritual experience where the singer encounters the presence of both Christ and Saint Mary while on earth. The first two lines of the song translate to "Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy" which is a request for divine mercy and grace. The next two lines describe the singer being guided by both Christ and St. Mary to a place where they could meet. The singer then goes on to express his awe and reverence at this experience, saying that he is undeserving of being in their presence and that he is not worthy to have walked on the earth with his bare feet. The repetition of the phrase "Kyrie eleison" and "Christe eleison" throughout the song emphasizes the sense of devotion and worship the singer feels towards these two figures.
The song uses Middle English, which is an archaic form of English that was in use from the 11th to the late 15th century. Anúna uses this language choice to create a timeless feel to the song and evoke a sense of medieval spirituality. The combination of the haunting melody and the powerful lyrics creates a sense of transcendence, drawing the listener into a deeper understanding of faith and spirituality. The use of the word "scamel" in the second line of the song is also notable because it is a rarely used Middle English word that refers to a bench or stool.
Line by Line Meaning
Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Crist and Sainte Marie
Christ and Saint Mary
Swa on scamel me iledde
So on a step stool I climbed
That ich on this erthe ne silde
So I would not tread upon this earth
With mine bare footen itredde
With my bare feet
Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Christe eleison, Christe eleison
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: . TRADITIONAL, MICHAEL MCGLYNN, MICHAEL PHILIP MCGLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@metalgamerjonny6410
i dont remember how i found this but this is absolutely amazing to listen to. its like it takes me to another world.
@shannonsherwood6453
Thank u for putting it up,its beautiful and a favourite of my late dada..i hope he hears it there in heaven..happy xmas to all,have a great day.
@miguelylladescarrillo8989
Beautiful, kind of fast tempo tho’ but haunting still
@Gemmeow
This no longer plays for me! Mega sadface!
@ronnahjohnson5013
Pure torture