Ronan Hardiman
HIBERNIAN BRILLIANCE
The Musical Mystic Behind Lord of the Dance Gets to the Heart of His Solo Work
Composer Ronan Hardiman was born to a family of Celtic musicians, but that's hardly where his stylistic journey has ended. In addition to playing with his family's folk band, his résumé boasts a 12-year stint of classical training at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, '80s rock gigs, and documentary scores. It wasn't until Riverdance tap star Michael Flatley approached Hardiman to score the 1996 extravaganza Lord of the Dance, however, that he would be professionally reacquainted with his Celtic roots. The show was a sensation on PBS stations, and the soundtrack debuted at the top of Billboard's World Music Chart. Reaching similar success with his follow-up score for Flatley, Feet of Flames, Hardiman has emerged as one of the most acclaimed voices in Celtic-tinged new age music. His solo career took a leap in 1997 with the release of Solas, a gentle, introspective album featuring vocalist Leslie Dowdall. He now expands on the musical concepts of that effort with the spiritual and beautifully hypnotic Anthem. Hardiman spoke from his Dublin music studio with Barnes & Noble.com's Carol Wright about his adventures on the solo path.
Barnes & Noble.com: Who are your Celtic influences?
Ronan Hardiman: Ronan Hardiman: My roots would range back to a group called Planxty. They really contemporized traditional Irish music. Of course, for Celtic rock, it would have to be U2. I don't think they are often regarded as a Celtic band, but this Celtic thing is more than just a style -- it's a whole attitude and approach to writing music.
I was less influenced by Celtic music than my sisters and brother were, although I did play the bodhran in the family group. We performed in competitions called slogadh.
B&N.com: Do you ever perform live now?
RH: Not any more. I was involved in the Irish rock circuit in the 1980s in various bands, playing keyboards, singing backup, and of course, writing. I packed that all in around 1990 to concentrate on writing soundtracks, and now I have a studio in my house.
B&N.com: How did you learn to score films? It takes special talent and equipment to wed music to visuals.
RH: Before Lord of the Dance, I did that successfully for six years. I have a computer-based studio with TV and screening facilities, with which I can compose to the picture, rewind, and view it again. I find visuals tremendously inspiring.
B&N.com: With your involvement in Michael Flatley's shows, I was wondering if you yourself had any talent with the tap shoes.
RH: I can't dance, but isn't it a fascinating sound that those tap shoes make? While I am very into the piano and keyboards, I'm also fascinated with rhythms, and to work with those tap-dancing troupes was a great challenge.
B&N.com: Tell me about recording Lord of the Dance with conductor Anne Dudley.
RH: The album was recorded in the studio. I had everything lavishly demo'd beforehand with sampled, simulated orchestra. It was the only way I could work, and it sounded like the real thing. Then when we recorded with musicians, everything flowed together. I'm lucky Anne Dudley agreed to do the orchestrations; I've been a fan of hers and the Art of Noise since I was a teenager. I think she's a genius, and it was a privilege working with her.
B&N.com: How about your solo albums? What led you to incorporate trip-hop and hip-hop grooves?
RH: When dance music become popular in the late '80s with all those different branches -- trance, trip-hop, hip-hop -- the percussive nature of what was available with modern technology engaged me as a keyboard player. Sampling technology meant that I could create my own rhythm sounds, from banging a piece of wood to clanging on a saw. Much of the foundation of pop music is made from cutting-edge drum sounds, and I was anxious to employ these contemporary elements in my solo work.
B&N.com: How did vocalist Leslie Dowdall become involved?
RH: I've known Leslie for ten years. She was a superstar in Ireland with her group In Tua Nua. I was doing some film work years ago and needed a soft, whispery vocal. I asked Leslie if she would have a go at it, and it turned out very well. That set the cards rolling in my own mind, in terms of using Leslie's voice on my solo projects as an instrument and not having lyrics with tangible meaning. I knew we could multi-track her voice to sound like a choir, and she became the cornerstone of those two albums.
B&N.com: Both seem to have a spiritual slant. Do you hold a specific belief?
RH: Not really, but when I started work on these solo projects, I discovered an enormous amount about myself. I'm beginning to see things in my life and my creativity -- spiritual connections which I never was aware of before. It's amazing the kind of reactions people have had from listening to Solas; they feel a spiritually uplifting and positive message. These solo albums are not commissioned by anyone else, so I'm just coming from the heart. I see them as an unconscious mirror of myself, of my own character.
One of the things I have done religiously for the past 20 years is to run for four or five miles every morning. I work a conventional workday, but my most creative time is in the morning when the endorphins are rushing through my system. Out there alone in the morning is a time that I can be at one with myself.
B&N.com: What about the Shanon releases? Are they yours?
RH: That's me, yes. I recorded two albums called Celtic Classics about seven years ago. Back then I wanted to keep my recording career separate from my film and TV composing career. But Lord of the Dance put my real name out there. Actually, the name Shanon was a mistake -- I had sent over some information to the record company, which included my address, Shandon Studios. And they not only misspelled it, but they thought it was my pseudonym, and it stuck.
B&N.com: What CDs are on your player?
RH: You may laugh, but I have Britney Spears's Oops!...I Did It Again; the soundtrack to Gladiator by Hans Zimmer, an outstanding piece of work; the new Madonna album, Music; and John Williams's Jurassic Park. So there's a smattering of pop and epic film scores. I'm a real pop junkie. I have the radio on all the time. Even in my orchestral works I incorporate tricks that I've picked up from pop music.
B&N.com: Are other Flatley dance productions in the works?
RH: I worked on Feet of Flames, which took place in London's Hyde Park two years ago as a climax to the Lord of the Dance. This was to celebrate Michael's retirement. This year, however, he came out of retirement and staged an expanded version of Feet of Flames. He toured for six months, but the show is now over because Michael is concentrating on a film role.
B&N.com: What's next for you?
RH: After a round of promotion for Anthem, I'll start recording the sequel. Although working on the films and dance shows was a great opportunity for me and composing to my own brief was daunting when I took this on, it was the one thing that appealed out of all the offers that came out of Lord of the Dance.
B&N.com: Think you'll sing yourself someday?
RH: Definitely not! [laughs] My intention is to sell albums. I can hum melodies, I can produce vocalists, I can do everything else! But please don't ask me to sing; it would destroy my career!
B&N.com: Sounds like you're happy with where you are.
RH: It's a dream come true to be paid for doing my hobby.
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