June McCormack and Michael Rooney’s sensitive interpretations

The marriage of harp and flute is a celestial one and in the hands of musicians, Michael Rooney and June McCormack, it’s a life union that results in the most intuitive, subtle and sensitive interpretations of tunes old and new.

This is their third collection, but their first since 2006. The pair draw on a wealth of tunes, including 12 mighty compositions from Rooney, who has forged a reputation as a composer with chops in the intervening years. June McCormack’s Sligo roots are showing, magnificently, in her fluid, rhythmic and unforced flute style, where she serves the tune first and last, without a hint of ego in the mix. Her reading of the pair of hornpipes, McGivney’s favourite and The bird’s hornpipe are a celebration of her sympathetic approach to the delicacy of both tunes, while her sinuous playing is woven seamlessly through Michael Rooney’s warm and thoughtful harp.

Rooney’s own tune compositions reveal a breadth and depth that inches beyond the tradition, particularly on An cruitire, as timeless a piece as you’ll find in any genre. With finely tuned accompaniment from Seamie O’Dowd on guitar and Aoife Burke on cello, among others, this is a deliciously slow burner of a collection that reveals its riches tune by tune, layer by delicate layer. A highly polished nugget that will resonate long into the evening and across the seasons.