An Interview with Moya Brennan

Moya Brennan's new CD, "Two Horizons", is a breathtaking composition. Her mesmerizing vocals coupled with thoughtful arrangements make the CD a lyrical work of art. Concerning Women Interviewed Moya recently during her European tour.

CW: Can you tell me about the conceptual nature of your new CD "Two Horizons" and
what it was like working with visual storyboards to integrate the theme?

MB: It took me a while to decide that the harp would be the main focus. The harp and a place in Ireland called "Tara". I mean it is a fictional story, kind of made up, but there is a place called Tara in the north of Ireland and it is a very important , strategic place that was used as through the ages for various gatherings and celebrations and with the old kings of Ireland in the 18th Century. It’s an incredible place. The horizon you see there is quite amazing soft on a high place. There is one song that was written about Tara, if you imagine Ireland, it’s a song about even every rock in Ireland. But for an important place like that there has been only one song written, which I find quite amazing. And the song is called "The Harp that once through Tara’s Halls" and I suppose that’s how I based my story on that line. Taking it and imagining that there was one harp used for these kind of special celebrations in times gone by and it kind of stood for the virtues that all the kings stood for which was justice and peace, honor and truth. Then I meet this old stranger and I relate to him as if he could be from the past or the future. He tells me that my quest is to find this harp and bring it back to Tara so that it would bring this sense of goodness back again. It’s kind of my holy grail in a way.

So I just like the idea of it because I play the harp. I was reluctant to do anything with the harp because it’s so overused in Ireland, but then thinking about outside Ireland, everyone likes the harp, so it was easy for me being a harp player and having it beside me all the time and weaving it into the songs. Someone said to me "I don’t hear enough of the harp" and I said well it’s not a harp album. But you do hear it in and out though the songs because it is a search for it, it’s not meant to be sticking out everywhere. It is through the whole album woven in quite a lot in various ways. I use three different types of harps one is a little steel string.

It was so interesting for me to do, when I decided on my story, a lot of it kind of wrote itself. I went on the journey that the harp went on and imagined what it would be like. You know, it going to an old castle and then being passed on to the traditional bard and being traded on ships for provisions and you can imagine maybe during the famine time… and going to west Africa was important as well because of the Kora harp that’s very connected to the Irish harp and I find that fascinating. I have a good friend who’s a historian and she’s bringing her third book out on Tara, because there’s a lot to do with Tara, and when I told her I went to West Africa she said "I went there once when I was writing my second book on Tara because of a certain tabu that the high kings had related to a tribe in West Africa". There were a lot of moments where things just more than coincidence.

It was really a fantastic project to do and I tried to bring in the spirit of the country. There’s an earthy feel to the album and very much I didn’t want to make it too cinematic because it wouldn’t feel right creating too many details. I think the music that I do, people like to close their eyes and envision their own images. There are a few lines to indicate where you are in the story to create a picture, but then it’s left up to you. Which I think lends itself to the kind of music that I do.

CW: I agree with you in saying that people like to make it their own.

MB: Yes, I know exactly all the details and even to the extent that I don’t write songs like ballads, you kind of have to search through the words and you can see what happens. There quite cryptic sometimes, but that’s a very old style of writing in Gaelic, that way of going around the houses trying to say something (laughs). So I’ve captured that tradition of using that sort of way. For example in the first song, I meet a stranger and I call him a time stranger, but he’s also blind. The most famous Harpist from long ago in the 16th century was a blind harp player called O'Carolan. So, I’m giving the idea "maybe-maybe not".

CW: Do you feel your reaching people through the sale of your single "Show me the
way" on Apple’s iTunes store?

MB: It’s had to tell since it’s so new. But it’s a great way to reach more people, because you’re not going to hear it regularly on the radio.

CW: I noticed that you have a lot of relatives in the music industry as well. Can we talk a little bit about that?

MB: With Clannad my band, there’s my bothers and I’ve been playing with them for over thirty years. We haven’t been doing anything for the past five years. We thought it would be good to take a break for a while. You don’t break up when you’re a family because you see each other all the time (laughs). Then my sister Enya who’s very, very famous we’re all really proud of her, she’s worked very hard to get to where she is. But, when we’re all at home, we’re all sisters and no one’s allowed to be any more important than the other, especially when there is nine of us. And my parents are wonderful my Father owns a pub now for about thirty-five years. He’s still sings there and we get up and join him. It’s always a surprise when you stop in.

CW: I noticed that your US tour is starting in February.

MB: I’m just finishing off my European tour. I’ve done an extensive German tour and I’m in Brussels tonight , then in Amsterdam tomorrow, moving onto a showcase in London. And I have a big band, there’s eight of us on stage here. Unfortunately there’s only five of us going on tour in America. It will be a great show though, I have two harps on stage, a keyboard player, guitarist, percussionist, and a fiddle player. We’ll be doing a lot from the new album, solo stuff and Clannad, so it will be fun.


Visit the official web site for tour dates: http://www.moyabrennan.com/

Find music at Amazon.com!

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