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.
Siuil A Ruin
Anúna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Tis there I'd sit and cry my fill
And every tear would turn a mill
I wish I sat on my true love's knee
Many a fond story he told to me
He told me things that ne'er shall be
Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin
Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin
Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom
His hair was black, his eye was blue
His arm was strong, his word was true
I wish in my heart I was with you
(Chorus)
I'll dye my petticoats, I'll dye them red
And 'round the world I'll beg my bread
'Til I find my love alive or dead
(Chorus 2x)
Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom
The lyrics to Anúna's song Siúil a Rúin express a longing for a lost love. The singer wishes to be on a hill overlooking the land, where she can cry and let her tears turn the mill. She remembers sitting on her true love's knee and listening to his stories, stories of things that shall never be. The chorus, which repeats three times throughout the song, urges the singer to "siúil" or walk, to walk softly and quietly, to the door and escape with her love.
The singer describes her love, who had black hair, blue eyes, a strong arm, and a true word. She wishes she could be with him, and the chorus repeats the refrain of "siúil" as a call to action to find him. The final verse conveys the singer's desperation, saying she will dye her petticoats red and travel the globe to beg for bread until she finds her love alive or dead. The chorus repeats twice, emphasizing the urgency of finding her true love and escaping.
Overall, Siúil a Rúin is a traditional Irish song that has been sung for centuries. It tells a story of love and loss, and the desire to escape social constraints and be with the one you love. It is a song of longing and despair, but also of resilience and determination.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I were on yonder hill
I desire to be on a distant hill
'Tis there I'd sit and cry my fill
And there, I would sit and weep profusely
And every tear would turn a mill
And each tear shed would power the grinding of a mill
I wish I sat on my true love's knee
I desire to sit upon my lover's lap
Many a fond story he told to me
He narrated heartfelt stories to me
He told me things that ne'er shall be
Things he told me that will never come to fruition
Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin
Walk, walk, walk my secret love
Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin
Walk with agility and walk quietly
Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom
Walk to the door and escape with me
His hair was black, his eye was blue
My lover had black hair and blue eyes
His arm was strong, his word was true
He had a powerful arm and spoke the truth
I wish in my heart I was with you
In my heart, I wish I was with him
I'll dye my petticoats, I'll dye them red
I'll color my skirts crimson red
And 'round the world I'll beg my bread
I'll travel worldwide, begging for food
Til I find my love alive or dead
Until I find my love, alive or dead
Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin
Walk, walk, walk my secret love
Siúil go sochair agus siúil go ciúin
Walk with agility and walk quietly
Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom
Walk to the door and escape with me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: . TRADITIONAL, JOHN MCGLYNN, MICHAEL PHILIP MCGLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anunachoir
aine71 No - Ireland is not Separate.
Ireland as an island is part of the British Isles. The United Kingdom comprises of Great Britain [that is the three countries on the island of Britain, Wales, England and Scotland] and Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland is part of the UK.
The Republic of Ireland is not. All are "free" whatever that means. And yes, we are very green - both islands. Our connections are greater than our differences.
@DonnieTHORMacLEOD
The Scots, Irish & the Welsh have musical roots that will never falter as they feed the next generations with a gift that never stops giving. .
@noahsherwood2445
Same goes for the Italians and Greeks. Latin America and Spain also have a certain magic to their music that you won't find in America, France, nor Germany, nowhere else
@anunachoir
And the English as the soloist is British :-)
@DonnieTHORMacLEOD
@@anunachoir A beautiful song bird in any language for sure who has learned the gifts of international poetry in Song..
@ianclough2198
Donnie Thor Mac Leod so true. The Irish roots of music can be heard in present day music. A wonderful legacy they have left us and continue to create more.
@thebeatnumber
And err... what about the English?😏
@MrBanjofied
Did this in choir this year. We sang it for the President of Ireland himself, truly a fantastic piece!
@nicholasmccann9706
MrBanjofied oh did ye really lah yer class aren’t ye
@ricejuice8982
Did Mickey D Higgs like it?
@Foxglove_fairy
@@nicholasmccann9706 hold your bitterness and use it to fuel your future