Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi spoke with RTÉ Lyric FM's Culture File about their current tour of Ireland, the many instruments they've brought along, and the repertoire they're performing, including some classical tunes that Giddens has adapted for the folk idiom. Hear the conversation here.
Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, who are currently on a duo tour of Ireland, spoke with RTÉ Lyric FM's Culture File about the tour, the many instruments they've brought along, and the repertoire they're performing, including some classical tunes that Giddens, a classically trained singer, has adapted for the folk idiom.
"So far—this is an ongoing project that we're working on—this idea of taking classical pieces and translating them through the vernacular lens," Giddens explains, "I kind of do it as a folk song, so I rewrite the bridge if it doesn't fit. I've just kind of instinctually let it go where it would want to go in a folk song."
You can hear the conversation below.
The duo's tour of Ireland continues through the week with concerts in Ennis, Letterkenny, and Belfast, culminating at the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge on Saturday night. They return to the United States next week to join the Nashville Ballet in performing Lucy Negro Redux, for which Giddens wrote an original score, and which the New York Times has called, in part, "a showcase for the musical genius of Rhiannon Giddens," at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville. For tour details, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
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