Richard Carr releases “Manannan Mac Lir” a new album inspired by field recordings made during his travels along Ireland’s Dingle and Kerry Ways.
The project transforms spontaneous musical performances recorded in churches and cathedrals into an expansive orchestral work, bringing together improvisation, contemporary classical composition and electronic textures.
The album features Carr performing improvised solo violin, piano and electronics alongside the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Péter Illényi. Recorded in Budapest over six months, the project captures the meeting of spontaneous musical expression and carefully developed orchestral arrangements.
The inspiration for the release dates back several years, when Carr travelled along Ireland’s west coast, spending nights in small villages and performing impromptu solo violin concerts in local churches and cathedrals.
He recorded these performances and later used the material in an earlier release, “Gray Skies on the Edge.” After revisiting the recordings, Carr selected portions of the material and scored them for orchestra, creating the foundation for “Manannan Mac Lir.”
The title draws on Manannán mac Lir, the Irish god of the sea, reflecting the project’s connection to Ireland’s landscape and the experiences that inspired its creation. Through the combination of improvised performances and orchestral arrangements, Carr develops a sound world shaped by travel, memory and musical exploration.
Carr holds a doctorate in music education from Columbia University, where he studied composition with Donald Martino and Jonathan Kramer. He also studied violin at the New England Conservatory with Eric Rosenblith. Throughout his career, he has recorded numerous albums under his own name and collaborated with artists including Bill Laswell, Fred Frith, Bootsy Collins, Sly and Robbie, and John Pizzarelli Jr., as well as the American Contemporary Music Ensemble.
His performance credits include appearances with James Williams, Kenny Davern, Doc Cheatham, Jay McShann, Jamal Nasser, Major Holley, Mike Nord, Georg Hofmann and Steve Gorn. Carr has also toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Mexico, and previously worked as a radio host on WDST in Woodstock, New York.
Beyond music, Carr is an avid hiker and mountaineer whose travels have taken him through mountain ranges and landscapes around the world, including the Rockies, Sierras, Alps, Dolomites, Himalayas, Andes and Darran Mountains.
With “Manannan Mac Lir” Carr brings together his musical and personal experiences in a project that bridges improvisation and orchestral composition, transforming recordings rooted in a particular place and moment into a broader musical narrative.
