FAQ - Frequently asked questions

Here is a collection of questions and answers that have been asked to Michael, John and the rest of the group.  Many of them were sent via email with a few coming from interviews.  Heres a few answered by Michael:    (some from John are later in the list below)

How many hours a week does the group practice?

1 and a half maximum

Do you have sectionals?

Very rarely - we did last year has we had a large influx of new people

How much time does each performer spend on their own rehearsing their
music privately?

Hah - sometimes I wonder about that : ) - seriously, they have to rehearse
alone - but it veries from person to person.

What percentage has additional professional vocal
experience?

Meav has, Mary has , Miriam has, Monica has, I have - the others are very
much semi professional - the odd gig here and there - otherwise people are
amateur.

What sorts of exercises do you use to warm the group up?

None.

How long do you rehearse the group? Any breaks?

Sometimes 10 mins. - if they are good...  (referring to the Any breaks question,  I'm sure he rehearses them into the night if they're willing  :)   )

Where do you usually rehearse?

In a nursery...apt sometimes.

Is Tom McGlynn considered a member of Anuna?
An unofficial one? He seems to have appeared in several Anuna photographs, and I don't think I've ever heard him sing before...

Hmm - Tom has been slated to appear on nearly all of the Anuna albums, but
missed them ALL .
Tom is a full time member of the Riverdance Troupe as a singer - actually
he is here with me at the moment and sends his regards to all of you.
He has a fine, rich baritone voice, and has sung with us in Rivberdance and
on Telly twice. He acted as road manager for many years, and looked after
me - now we only see him in transit from one country to another - but who
knows where he will be in a year...

Does the word, 'Tenebrae' mean anything? I'm sorry.... but I'm no
linguist... :)

Tenebrae means darkness - Tenebrae II was written in memory of my Grand
parents, while I and IV have personal connections too. They are each quite
different to the other, and are much more standard in their approach to the
choral writing.

Does Anúna mean anything like it did An Uaithne, or was it something that the group made up???

Ah-ha - yes it is a made up name, but only the spelling - An Uaithne when
pronounced sounds like Anuna - the meaning is the same.

Which CD would you recommend first?

Tricky this - I would not recommend Omnis or DDB at all for a new listener
- I would say Anuna or Invocation - Behind the Closed Eye is the most
"beautiful" CD - some of the pieces are instantly understandable.
My favourite Anuna tracks are - in order

5    Island             From DDB
4    Pater Noster        From Anuna
3    O Viridissima        From Omnis
2    1901                  From BTCE
1    Wind on Sea         From Invocation

My favourite album - well my least favourite are Omnis and DDB - both were
recorded simulatneously, and through a very bad time for myself and Anuna.
There are so many people that appear on these albums that are no longer
with Anuna, and that makes it quite hard to appreciate them objectively.
DDB is an excellent album, but not a "sweet" album in any way - dark and,
well, dead...
Invocation is a beautiful album with some fine tracks, tho' the singing is
very varied - I prefer the material here to the performances - Anuna was
the first, and was so easy to record - I have very happy memories of it.
The nicest and finest, is BTCE - the solos are uniformly excellent (even
mine are OK), and the material is very broad in range.

Someone has said that Michael McGlynn is a
phenomenal writer, and was wondering if he uses quarter steps.

Hmm - yes, I do - I imply rather than notate them - a quarter step is a sour
note - it  can make something really ordinary sound great - the best
known exponents that I can think of quarter notes are Siouxie of Siouxie and
the Banshees, and Ligeti - he uses clusters of them. Ho sometimes tunes
one half of an orchestra slightly differently to the other - really eerie...

Regarding the response to purchasing scores of songs available, which are the most popular requested?

Tthe answer is Dulaman, Alleluia and Sanctus.

When will the Christmas album be out and what is going to be on it?

The Christmas album will be available at the end of October and will
feature previously released tracks, and a cover by John McGlynn. The track
listing is from the first 3 albums and the "Winter Fire and Snow" CD.

Michael, what is your favorite song/album?

As to the favourite Anuna album,  the one I listen to most is the last one, tho' I find DDB very sad and slightly cold, although there are some standout tracks such as Island, my personal favourite on that album. "Anuna" is a fine introduction, and I love the Raid on that and the Pater Noster. "Invocation" contains Wind on Sea, my favourite Anuna track - very exciting to listen to. "Omnis" is very varied, but "BTCE" is one unit, the only album that makes the whole musical language I create cohere, particularly the last few tracks on it.

And from John McGlynn there are the following:

In response to many questions about his song "The Fisher King", his guitar playing, his favorite song, etc.., John has the following answers:

Thank you all for your kind comments on "The Fisher King". The guitar I played on every album is a damaged Spanish guitar, handmade. The tuning problems resulted from a huge split in the side, and the intonation shifts. I also use a capo nearly all of the time. 
My favourite album is ANUNA. It is raw and was pre-Riverdance. The uniqueness of it will be appreciated in many years to come. As to my favourite song...It has to be the Ledwidge setting "The Bittern Cry" on Behind the Closed Eye, though "Sleepsong" on Invocation is still probably the best thing we have ever done, along with the O Vos Omnes (Only on the original Omnis!!).  By the way Katie Mc Mahon is probably the best and most natural performer that I ever worked with. While I cannot speak for her now, I would like to point out that she was given the solos because they suited her voice. Live on stage with Anuna she was a consumate professional and great fun to work with.