`The Pilgrim' to be staged again in shopping centre

It is rare for major cultural events to take place in suburban shopping centres, but tonight the retailers of Blanchardstown …

It is rare for major cultural events to take place in suburban shopping centres, but tonight the retailers of Blanchardstown will disprove the rule with an exception that is truly breathtaking in its audacity.

Actor Ben Kingsley, famous for his film role as Gandhi, is among those taking part - as Shaun Davey's magnum opus, The Pilgrim, is staged for the first time in Europe in a decade.

On New Year's Eve 1990, as Glasgow marked the passing of the European City of Culture mantle to Dublin, massed choirs and orchestra conspired with a regiment of featured soloists to put over 200 people on a stage.

Tonight's sold-out performance will see that figure edge closer to 300.

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Aside from popular soundtrack work including Ballykissangel and Waking Ned, Davey remains best known for The Brendan Voyage, a ground-breaking suite for uilleann pipes and orchestra written in 1979.

An association with piper Liam O'Flynn led to The Brendan Voyage and to a series of similarly substantial works that have given life to ethnic instrumentation within the context of composition in the European classical tradition.

Originally commissioned by France's Lorient Festival - featuring musicians and languages from the seven Celtic nations of Europe - The Pilgrim was the first and most ambitious of these sequels, which later included Granuaile and The Relief Of Derry Symphony.

Davey's last public outing was with Gulliver, a choral piece based on the life and work of Jonathan Swift, in 1996. Since then he has concentrated on stage and soundtrack commissions, with a number of BAFTA and Ivor Novello awards and nominations to his name. His music for a production of James Joyce's The Dead is storming Broadway.

Davey has taken this rare opportunity for a Pilgrim revival to rewrite the piece substantially and to feature new soloists, with Tara Music recording the performance. Joining stalwart soloists Liam O'Flynn and Rita Connolly (vocals) will be Liam O Maonlai, taking a vocal role previously held by Iarla O Lionaird, and Ben Kingsley filling Mick Lally's shoes as narrator.

Inspecting the preparations last night, Davey said he was elated by what he had experienced of the rehearsals - tempered only with the knowledge that any once-only production on this scale needs God on its side. At least it has Gandhi.