Darragh Morgan: Spin

The Strad Issue: July 2026

Description: An eclectic quartet of works borne of friendship

Musicians: Darragh Morgan (violin) Ulster Orchestra/David Brophy

Works: Music by Campbell, Irvine, Lyons and Molloy

Catalogue number: RESONUS RES10382

This disc, comprising four violin concertos written specially for Darragh Morgan by four fellow Northern Irish composers who are also friends, is clearly a project that’s close to his heart. That much is apparent, too, from Morgan’s incisive, committed performances, and the sense of storytelling he brings to each work.

The violinist’s bright and bold playing stands out strikingly against the velvety orchestral backdrops in Bill Campbell’s Adams-meets-Bryars Swim from 2006, bringing a sense of clarity and determination to the piece’s pop and cinematic sensibilities.

With its wild, whirling, almost hallucinatory excess, Brian Irvine’s 2014 À mon seul désir couldn’t be more different, though Morgan still manages to cut through the composer’s seething orchestral writing and all-consuming climaxes with real purpose.

Ryan Molloy’s 2016 Violin Concerto manages to draw deeply on traditional Irish music while sounding nothing like it, and inspires emotional playing from Morgan, with subtle ornamentation and judicious portamento. He’s particularly impressive in the deranged reel of its finale.

The closing Spin 3 from 2025 by Frank Lyons draws attention to the characterful playing of the Ulster Orchestra, a strong presence throughout the album under conductor David Brophy. While Morgan demonstrates exceptional adaptability across Lyons’s succession of sharply chiselled episodes, the real-time electronic processing of his playing feels perhaps a little underused. Nonetheless, the disc is a thrilling ride across styles and sometimes audacious musical imaginations, captured in rich, detailed recorded sound.

DAVID KETTLE