Lúnasa with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Lúnasa with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra is a collaboration album between Irish traditional Celtic music band Lúnasa and the Irish RTÉ Concert Orchestra, recorded in 2012 and released in April 2013 by Lúnasa Records. The collaboration came about after RTÉ contacted contemporary Irish composer Niall Vallely, requesting he composed music for a traditional group, and Vallely in turn requested Lúnasa for a collaboration, bringing the two ensembles together for a fusion between traditional and classical music. After the two groups performed at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, in April 2012, they recorded the album later in the year. The music on the album is Vallely's rearrangement of various suites and tunes, both traditional and modern, that Lúnasa had performed in the past. Music critics have noted the dynamic of the album, where neither the orchestral and traditional elements of the recording outweigh each other. Lúnasa member Trevor Hutchinson is said to pivot the two genres together with his double bass playing. The album was well received by music critics, with journalists complimenting the spirit and fusion of the music. The collaboration allowed Lúnasa to reuse music that they had tired years before the recording of the album. In promotion of