Ulysses Journey 2022

Given Ulysses’ connections with Ireland, France (where it was published) and Hungary (through the character Leopold Bloom), Ulysses Journey 2022 will start in Dublin and Paris on 2 February 2022, and will journey to Belfast and back to Dublin in early February 2022 and throughout April 2022, onwards to Budapest for Bloomsday 2022 and 17 June 2022, and will end in Paris on 18 June 2022.

Newly-commissioned Music and Films

As part of Ulysses Journey 2022, CMC and CCI have co-commissioned six new works by composers from Ireland, which are inspired by, reflect on and/or respond to Ulysses, together with films by filmmakers from Ireland to accompany these new works. These new music and film works are supported by the Irish Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Decade of Centenaries 2012–2023 programme; by One Dublin One Book 2022 through funding from Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and Dublin City Council; and by New Music Dublin 2022.

Following an open call, composers Ed Bennett, Darragh Kelly, Garth Knox, Anselm McDonnell, Ailís Ní Ríain and Ultan O’Brien were selected to compose new works inspired by Ulysses for accordion, spoken word and/or electronics, which will be performed by Thomas Bennett (spoken word), Dermot Dunne (accordion), Jim Henry (deceased / archival recording of spoken word), Barry McGovern (spoken word), Ultan O’Brien (fiddle, viola and electronics), Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin (voice and concertina), Paul Roe (clarinet and bass clarinet) and Nicole Rourke (spoken word).

The composers will collaborate with filmmakers Jonathan Creasy (Garth Knox), Rioghnach Ni Ghrioghair (Darragh Kelly), Laura Sheeran (Ed Bennett) and Ross Wilson BEM/Art Ward (Anselm McDonnell) to create visual landscapes for their new music, and Ailís Ní Ríain and Ultan O’Brien will create films for their own works.

International Concert Series

A series of concerts of new and existing works by both Irish and Hungarian composers will also be presented in Belfast, Dublin, Budapest and Paris, which will be performed by Hungarian guitarist Katalin Koltai and Irish soprano Elizabeth Hilliard and will feature works selected by Katalin following an open call for works. The composers from Ireland featured will be Daragh Black Hynes, Greg Caffrey, Seán Clancy, Benjamin Dwyer, Áine Mallon, Gráinne Mulvey and Ian Wilson and the Hungarian composers featured will be Máté Balogh, Alessio Elia, Samu Gryllus, Petra Szászi, Márton Szőcs and Péter Tornyai. Details of the works by these composers to be featured in each of these concerts will be published closer to the time of performance.

February 2022

The world premieres of the six new music and film co-commissions will be screened simultaneously in Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, Dublin and Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris on 2 February 2022, the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses. This will be followed by a screening in SARC at Queens University Belfast on 5 February 2022, together with a talk by composer Benjamin Dwyer in relation to Ulysses and Joyce in general to complement the film screenings in Ireland.

In addition, CMC will present a concert of new and existing works by both Irish and Hungarian composers in partnership with Moving on Music in Belfast on 4 February 2022, which will be performed by Hungarian guitarist Katalin Koltai and Irish soprano Elizabeth Hilliard. And, on 6 February 2022, CMC will also present a concert by Katalin and Elizabeth in partnership with Sundays @ Noon in The Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin.

April 2022

These new music and film co-commissions will also be featured in New Music Dublin 2022 and One Dublin One Book 2022 in April 2022. 

June 2022

On 15 June 2022, Bloomsday, CMC will present a concert of new and existing works by the above Irish and Hungarian composers in partnership with the Budapest Music Center with support from the Embassy of Ireland, Hungary, which will be performed by Katalin and Elizabeth. On Bloomsday 2022, the new music and film co-commissions by CMC and CCI will be screened in Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris. The Hungarian premiere screening of the six new music and film co-commissions will be hosted in partnership with FUGA in Budapest on 17 June 2022. And CMC and CCI will also present a concert by Katalin and Elizabeth on 18 June 2022, in association with the Institut Hongrois in Paris.

For any enquiries, please contact Linda O’Shea Farren at the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland on [email protected] or Rosetta Beaugendre at Centre Culturel Irlandais on [email protected].