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.
Tenebrae I
Anúna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et nemo percipit corde
Viri iusti tolluntur et nemo considerat
A facie iniquitatis sublatus est iustus
Et erit in pace memoria eius
Ecce quomodo moritur iustus
The Latin phrase "Ecce quomodo moritur iustus" translates to "Behold how the just man dies." In this song, Anuna is singing about the death of a righteous person, who dies unnoticed by the world around them. The lyrics express the idea that even though the righteous may be taken from this world in the face of injustice, they will be remembered in peace. The song carries a somber tone musically and lyrically, highlighting the sadness and grief that often accompanies death.
The song is part of the Tenebrae service, which is a Christian religious service that takes place during Holy Week. The service is meant to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and typically includes the gradual extinguishing of candles. Tenebrae I is the name of the first section of the Tenebrae service, which includes several psalms and hymns. Anuna's song is a beautiful addition to the service, providing a mournful and reflective tone.
Line by Line Meaning
Ecce quomodo moritur iustus
Behold how the righteous dies, signaling the passing of a virtuous person
Et nemo percipit corde
Yet, no one truly comprehends the magnitude of this loss within their heart
Viri iusti tolluntur et nemo considerat
Just men are taken from this world, and often times, their departure goes unnoticed
A facie iniquitatis sublatus est iustus
The righteous are sometimes forcibly removed from their place in this world due to the wickedness around them
Et erit in pace memoria eius
However, they shall be remembered peacefully for their honorable deeds and life well-lived
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL PHILIP MCGLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@josephalvarez5315
Incredible. This is a sound I've spent forever searching for. So happy to finally find it
@anunachoir
Check out O Maria and Tenebrae on the new M'ANAM album.
@TirikitaBlogspot
Most gorgeous. These arrangements have always been monoliths in vocal music to me, ever since I first heard them in the 90's. Nothing like them.
@pos_itronium
You can try Sviridov choirs
@philippegodelle697
THANK YOU SO MUCH MISTER MICHAEL!!! for this music sheet. I've heard tonight your music from your last albums and i'm completly in love with your talent and so beautiful music that i listen for years (cause i've got all your albums execpt the last ones i'm gonna buy soon) you're a great great composer and i wait for the next album with voices and orchestra , because you're a fantastic composer for that also. Your music is a pure magical !
thanks so much for that pure moments of beauty and peace. I'm also composer and player on ten string guitar and one of your great fan !!! thank you and thanks to all the singers of your marvellous group ! friendly philippe
@Ladomila
Incredible!
@SteveEpic1212123
Fantastic
@Vinny_3041
0:13 - Tenebrae I
3:49: - Tenebrae II
7:08: - Tenebrae III