Finbar Wright & Friends nationwide tour continues and includes the National Concert Hall, Dublin on Thursday 2 March. We asked Finbar the BIG questions . . .
Finbar Wright is a global performer and one of Ireland's most celebrated tenors, with a beautiful powerful voice and a unique ability to cross music genres from gentle romantic ballads all the way to the famous Italian, Spanish and French Opera arias.
He has performed and recorded with such famous names as Montserrat Caballé, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as well as rock and roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis.
He has performed before world leaders including Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul ll, performed live for Good Morning America during its coverage of President Reagan’s funeral on Capitol Hill, Washington in 2004.
Finbar has also performed in all the major concert halls around the globe from the Royal Albert Hall in London to Sydney Opera House; from the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles to Carnegie Hall, New York and Radio City Music Hall.
He has also recorded ten albums with The Irish Tenors who have enjoyed phenomenal success all around the world. And he has released eight solo albums.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I love nature and the great outdoors - we waste so much of our lives indoors. Lying awake in godforsaken hotels, I plot storylines for novels that may never be written. I yearn for dark chocolate first thing in the morning.
How would you describe your music?
I sing the songs that capture me, in the hope that the audience will enjoy them also. For me, the song is firstly a poem, it has to be a rich lyric to which the music gives wings.
Who are your musical inspirations?
The Spanish composers Manuel de Falla, Albéniz and so many flamenco singers for the energy, rhythm and passion they bring to music. Leonard Cohen for his bold individuality and Maria Callas for her stunning voice and ruthless delivery.
What was the first gig/concert you ever went to?
My first proper concert was Luciano Pavarotti at the Gaiety in Dublin, in the late 1970s, when I was about nineteen - he performed with piano, and un-amplified, which let us hear his real voice. He was still relatively unknown, charming and natural and a joy to experience.
What was the first record you ever bought?
My first LP, which I bought while studying in Spain in 1975, was a recording of flamenco singer Peret from Barcelona. Gutsy vocals and top class guitar work. I still have it and he still performs.
What’s your favourite song right now?
It has to be Tom Traubert’s Blues by Tom Waits - which I recorded some years ago and perform on YouTube - surrounded as we are by homelessness, it resonates with audiences and it is a privilege to sing Tom’s quirky lyrics.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Leonard Cohen’s Dance Me To The End Of Love - it’s so Cohen and so beautiful and he marries the sadness and the sense of spirit so well. The la-las in the chorus may well be his message to our frequent indifference to suffering.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I currently love a song called Melancolía performed by Danish musician Jacob Gurevitsch. It’s my most played song on Spotify so, depending on how long I live, it may stay at Number One for a while!
Where can people find your music/more information?
finbarwright.com, here on YouTube, and here on Spotify
Finbar Wright & Friends Nationwide tour continues at Town Hall Theatre, Galway on Saturday February 25 and National Concert Hall, Dublin on Thursday March 2. Tickets are on sale now.
