RTÉ Vanbrugh String Quartet: Deirdre Gribbin: Island People

This is a disc of works inspired by the sea – by the magic of mermaids, the Blasket and Aran islands in the imagination of

Seamus Heaney

, the long-distance yearning of a seventh- century Chinese woman, the whaling disaster that inspired

Moby Dick

. The ever-changing sea in Deirdre Gribbin’s five pieces (

Merrow Sang, Island People, Crossing the Sea, Anahorish

and

What the Whaleship Saw

) sprays, shimmers and churns, with much reliance on tremolando effects. The vocal lines for soprano

Patricia Rozario

and mezzo Loré Lixenberg however, can be uninspiring – the muted trumpet (Mark O’Keeffe) in the background of

Island People

is more evocative than the voice. The calmer the music, the better it sounds. nmcrec.co.uk