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.
Scarborough fair
Anúna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without any seam nor needlework
Ask him to find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between the salt water and the sea-sand
Then he'll be a true love of mine
When he has done and finished his work
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Ask himto come for his cambric shirt
Then he'll be a true love of mine
Are you going to Scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
She once was a true love of mine
She once was a true love of mine
Anuna's "Scarborough Fair" is a traditional English ballad that seems to date back to the medieval period. The song speaks about a man who is asking a messenger to send his love a series of tasks to prove her love for him. These tasks include making a cambric shirt without a seam, finding him an acre of land between salt water and the sea-sand, and when these tasks are done, he will then consider her a true love of his. The lyrics are divided into four stanzas, each time returning to the opening refrain of the song which is "Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme". This refrain finds itself repeated throughout the song, adding to the musicality of the track.
The song has certain mystical elements. The series of tasks the man asks of the messenger are impossible tasks and seem to be an attempt to test the woman's love for him. The refrain of "Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme" is said to represent a potent herbal charm that is believed to act as a protection against the plague, appearing mostly in songs and poems related to the black death period. There have been multiple interpretations of the lyrics with some interpreting the song as spiritual or religious or even a song about a ritual. With various interpretations, the song still holds its power of mystique and therefore remains a classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you going to Scarborough fair?
Will you be attending the event in Scarborough?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
These are the ingredients needed for the tasks that follow
Remember me to one who lives there
Please give my regards to someone residing in Scarborough
She once was a true love of mine
I had a romantic relationship with her in the past
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Ask her to create a special piece of clothing for me
Without any seam nor needlework
It needs to be made using a specific method
Then she'll be a true love of mine
If she fulfills this request, I will love her again
Ask him to find me an acre of land
Request him to obtain a piece of land for me
Between the salt water and the sea-sand
The location of the land should be near the coast
When he has done and finished his work
After he has completed this task
Ask him to come for his cambric shirt
Tell him to come and collect the shirt he helped to create
Then he'll be a true love of mine
If he fulfills this request, I will love him again
She once was a true love of mine
Reiteration of the fact that there was a past romantic connection
She once was a true love of mine
Final reiteration of the past relationship
Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J.F. BACARDI, DP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hannahlane8716
I like how Michael McGlynn doesn’t just sit aside and compose songs for the group to sing; he sings WITH them, among them. And he sings with FEELING; his voice always soothing and pleasant to listen to. Shows how dedicated he is to his work. This is beautiful. Gives me something to listen to. I’m not into long drawn-out thoughts but I just thought Anuna should know how much they’re appreciated. Thx guys.
@anunachoir
Thank you Hannah. We are listening always.
@karenalionsocelestino1276
You just said everything 🥰
@rjrog77
This is, I think, the first version of Scarborough Fair I've seen in a while that doesn't use the counter-melody that Simon & Garfunkel popularised in their version. And much as I like the Simon & Garfunkel version, I like this very much as well.
@tccfan1
I have never heard such harmonies. I only just discovered the Celtic genre a couple days ago, but I'm pretty sure Anuna is my favorite sect of the genre I've heard so far.
@MrJdsenior
I wrote this and then realized that said 8 years ago, not months or days, but anyway if you haven't heard them you might want to check out Celtic Women. Different style, much larger productions, but worth a hearing, IMHO since you like the genre.
@Naturemad1
The singers in Anuna are truly an inspiration.
@assyaviolin705
I adore ANÚNA! Thank you for existing and sharing the love to music! ❤️
@darrianweathington1923
Greensleeves, the song the got me into medieval type music.
you all have done beautifully :')
@ninjettifire
I am delighted to have seen this performance. Everyone involved allowed the music to flow through them.