After a night at the opera Paddy Reilly gives a rousing version of 'Stan' Up An' Fight'.
Inspired by acclaimed operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti, folk singer Paddy Reilly gives a rousing version of 'Stan' Up An' Fight' from the musical Carmen Jones.
Paddy Reilly is well known for his ballad singing but Shay Healy is intrigued by the folk singer’s passion for opera. He says it is not just classical music that he enjoys.
If it’s good, I love it.
Paddy Reilly went to 'An Evening with Pavarotti' at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) where he saw world famous Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, perform,
There was a great sense of expectation about the whole thing, it was very nice.
After a mediocre first half, Luciano Pavarotti redeemed himself by performing some excerpts from Puccini's ‘Tosca’.
He blew me away anyway, he was wonderful.
On stage himself, Paddy Reilly is never tempted to play a classical number between 'The Fields of Athenry' and 'The Town I Loved So Well’. He admits his ability to sing opera is held back by his lack of fluency in French, Italian or Spanish.
Paddy Reilly is more than willing to perform ‘Stan' Up An' Fight’ (‘Toreador Song’) from the musical ‘Carmen Jones’. This 1954 Otto Preminger film is based on the Bizet opera ‘Carmen’, with new lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and an African American cast including Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge.
‘Nighthawks’ was a programme set in a bar/cafe where the presenter Shay Healy was also the proprietor. The content was a mixture of comedy sketches, interviews, music performances and music videos.
‘Nighthawks’ was broadcast between 1988 and 1992 and went out three nights a week.
This episode of ‘Nighthawks’ was broadcast on 4 April 1990. The presenter is Shay Healy.
