Derry-born pianist Ruth McGinley, long celebrated as one of Ireland’s most compelling musical voices, brings a boldly curated, uninterrupted solo programme to the stage. Rising to prominence at just 16 as BBC Young Musician of the Year piano winner, she has since forged an adventurous, genre-defying career.
The evening moves from the hypnotic sound world of Philip Glass — including Metamorphosis, selected Études, and works from Glassworks and Mishima — into Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, intimate Keith Jarrett arrangements, and the lyrical jazz poetry of Bill Evans, closing with his timeless “Peace Piece.”
“Ruth’s playing is exquisite and these airs move like the landscape in which they have emanated from; at times powerful with an undulating emotional outpouring, yet also peaceful and serene. I love Níon a’ Bhaoilligh for its night-time quality and deep melancholy that can hover like a mist over those lush Irish mountains.”
Hannah Peel, BBC Radio 3
“Aura feels like it has healing properties…it is soothing in the truest sense of the term. It washes over and around you, and calms and comforts. The way the notes hang in the air, the way it takes its own time to resolve…it’s a reminder of the idea that peace and calm are still out there.”
Steven Rainey, BBC Radio Ulster
‘[McGinley’s] Stylistic variety is seamlessly blended throughout in intelligently proportioned playing, as sincere as it is supple. More please.’
Michael Quinn, Classical Ear
