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.
Medía Víta
Anúna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quem quaerimus ad iutorem nihi site domine
Qui pro peccatis nostris
Sancte Deus, sancte fortis
Sancte misericor salvator
Amare mortis ne tradas nos
Speraverunt et liberasti eos
Media vita in morte sumus
Anúna’s song "Media Vita" is a moving and profound piece that explores the fragility of human existence and the inevitability of death. The Latin title translates to "In the midst of life, we are in death," which sets the mood for the entire piece. The lyrics begin with a lamentation of our predicament: "Media vita in morte sumus," which translates to "In the midst of life we are in death". The line is a reminder that life is fleeting, and that death is always around the corner.
The second line speaks to the human condition, as we all seek comfort and help in times of need. "Quem quaerimus ad iutorem nihi site domine" translates to "Whom shall we seek as our helper, if not You, O Lord?" This highlights the idea that we often feel helpless and require divine intervention in our lives.
The remaining lines allude to the Christian belief of redemption through faith. "Sancte Deus, sancte fortis, Sancte misericor salvator" translates to "Holy God, holy strong one, holy and merciful Savior". The plea for mercy is a response to the sins that we have committed, and the hope that we may find salvation. The final line "Amare mortis ne tradas nos" translates to "Do not hand us over to the love of death". The line is a prayer for strength and a plea to be spared from the final embrace of death.
Line by Line Meaning
Media vita in morte sumus
We are in the midst of life, but in death.
Quem quaerimus ad iutorem nihi site domine
Whom shall we seek as our helper, if not you, Lord?
Qui pro peccatis nostris
Who, for our sins
Sancte Deus, sancte fortis
Holy God, holy and strong
Sancte misericor salvator
Holy, merciful savior
Amare mortis ne tradas nos
Do not give us over to a bitter death
In te speraverunt patres nostri
In you our fathers hoped
Speraverunt et liberasti eos
They hoped and you delivered them
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: TRADITIONAL, MICHAEL MCGLYNN, MICHAEL PHILIP MCGLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alperxan1280
Media vita in morte sumus
Quem quaerimus ad iutorem nihi site domine
Qui pro peccatis nostris
Sancte Deus, sancte fortis
Sancte misericor salvator
Amare mortis ne tradas nos
In te speraverunt patres nostri
Speraverunt et liberasti eos
Media vita in morte sumus
@ElCid48
I close my eyes and it makes me feel like I'm inside a 12th Century cathedral surrounded by peasants, lords, and knights in armor. The monks singing, and the smell of incense and candles permeating everywhere. Pure Medieval feeling!
@jamesupton4996
I doubt they'd be wearing their armour to church.
@jojosico3205
@James Upton real
@morganssmashingpearls3329
@General Index You wouldn’t have knights wearing armor for a ceremonial occasion and mingling with peasants. We’re talking a feudal system.
@generalindex9906
@Morgan’s Smashing Pearls I’m in LA now if you wanna talk about it over a cup of coffee
@adis1935
I feel like I’m surrounded by a cult of hooded robed elders around a dim fire cave low ambience ambient
@PUBLICnoose
To me this is always the definitive version just my absolute favorite rendition
@mbrsart
Whoa. That's all I can say. My school's select choir is doing this song, and it's going to sound just amazing!
@jackfrostedits1976
How did it go
@seanzogaming7563
I hope the men wore Templar Armor and the women wore priestess attire.