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.
Midnight
Anúna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then in the lull of midnight, gentle arms
Lifted him slowly down the slopes of death
Lest he should hear again the mad alarms
Of battle, dying moans, and painful breath
And where the earth was soft for flowers we made
A grave for him that he might better rest
And there the lark shall turn her dewy nest
These lyrics are from the song "Midnight" by Anúna. The song takes place in the lull of midnight where a man has passed away. As he is lifted down the slopes of death, the lyrics describe how gentle hands handle him carefully, so as not to disturb him or frighten him with the sounds of war that he may have experienced in his final moments. The lyrics then shift to a more hopeful and romantic tone, describing the soft earth where they bury the fallen soldier with flowers. The grave is meant to bring him peace and beauty in death, and the arrival of spring is welcomed as a way of beautifying the area around the grave site. The placement of the lark's dewy nest is symbolic of nature continuing to flourish even in the midst of death and loss.
Overall, the lyrics of "Midnight" are a reflection on the fragility of life and the importance of finding peace in death. They speak to the idea that even in the darkest moments, there can be light and beauty, and that nature can provide solace and comfort in times of grief.
Line by Line Meaning
Then in the lull of midnight
At the quietest time of night
Gentle arms lifted him slowly down the slopes of death
He was carried gently to his death
Lest he should hear again the mad alarms of battle, dying moans, and painful breath
To spare him from the sounds of war and suffering
And where the earth was soft for flowers we made a grave for him that he might better rest
We laid him to rest where the soil was suitable for a peaceful resting place
So spring shall come and leave it sweet arrayed
Spring will come and beautify his resting place
And there the lark shall turn her dewy nest
The birds will make their homes on his grave
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NICK TERRANOVA, UNKNOWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thecelticchristiantraditio4750
A Soldier’s Grave
By Francis Ledwidge
Then in the lull of midnight, gentle arms
Lifted him slowly down the slopes of death,
Lest he should hear again the mad alarms
Of battle, dying moans, and painful breath.
And where the earth was soft for flowers we made
A grave for him that he might better rest.
So, Spring shall come and leave it sweet arrayed,
And there the lark shall turn her dewy nest.
@smtxtv
This is to experience the essence of both hope and light in the midst of the somber beauty of death.
@dywaynechipps1857
I don't have words to describe how beautiful this is! A deep touch of my soul. Thank you....
@stephanjacques4502
Magnifique. On se croirait au paradis.🤗🥰
@inokjob7914
well, the music is lovely..moving...the performer is beautiful beyond words. thank you
@solidust573
The most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life. I'm saddened for those who may never witness this.
@ReidandShane
Beautiful! Ethereal!
@annettecallow8204
Wow. This is beautiful.
@thomasdavis502
Again solid platform beautiful positive much needed
@thecelticchristiantraditio4750
A Soldier’s Grave
By Francis Ledwidge
Then in the lull of midnight, gentle arms
Lifted him slowly down the slopes of death,
Lest he should hear again the mad alarms
Of battle, dying moans, and painful breath.
And where the earth was soft for flowers we made
A grave for him that he might better rest.
So, Spring shall come and leave it sweet arrayed,
And there the lark shall turn her dewy nest.
@DubyaDubya131
I loved this on Riverdance... or a song very similar... If it is not the same song... It is perhaps... Too Similar...