The Far Flung Trio are Katherine Hunka (violin), Dermot Dunne (accordion) and Malachy Robinson (double bass): the name reflects their sense of fun and the eclecticism in their programming and performances. All leading Irish players, the trio is fuelled by the sheer joy generated in playing together. This evident rapport is one of the elements that particularly delights audiences and their aim has always been to deliver the highest calibre of musicianship in a way that is appealing and accessible to all.

1. Czardas – V. Monti*
Possibly the most famous piece of Hungarian music (ironically, composed by an Italian!) plenty of passion, wild dancing and some high pitched birds whistling.

2. Habanera from Carmen – G. Bizet*
As she works her way through the crowd Carmen dances while she sings “If you don’t love me – I love you, and if I love you – take care!”

3. Flight of the Bumblebee – N. Rimsky-Korsakov*
Here’s what 876 semiquavers in just over a minute sounds like – we divided the work up a bit so you even get to hear a slightly overweight bee on the double bass.

4. Tico-Tico no Fuba – Z. de Abreu*
To add a little percussion to this popular Brazilian choro, Malachy stuffs some shakers inside his sock and hops his right knee up and down (he claims it took a lot of practice…)

5. Cinema Paradiso – Love Theme – E. Morricone, arr. Andrea Morricone
One of our absolute favourite pieces! If you know the film then you’ll remember the magical scene where Toto as a grown man sees a montage of all the deleted love scenes from the movies of his childhood – a parting gift from the man who loved him as a son.

6. Someone to Watch Over Me – G. Gershwin*
Katherine is a huge fan of the amazing Stephane Grapelli and pays tribute to him in this beautiful version of the Gershwin classic.

7. Frim Fram Sauce – R. Evans & J. Ricardel*
Malachy loves to sing and is particularly fond of Nat King Cole, who made the famous recording of this song in 1945. It has been claimed that the words are lewd euphemisms, but they are most likely just good old-fashioned nonsense!

8. Black Mountain Rag – Traditional, arr. Craig Duncan & Hunka/Dunne/Robinson
In this Appalachian old-time tune, Katherine has to tune the strings differently to the standard GDAE tuning. Sometimes in concerts she forgets to tune them back after this piece and it has a very funny effect on the next tune!

9. Can-Can from Orpheus in the Underworld – J. Offenbach*
The ‘Infernal Galop’ (as it was originally called) was a spontaneous and riotous affair when Offenbach’s Orpheus makes it to the Underworld. Nowadays, who can hear this tune without imagining the high-kicking can-can dancers of the Moulin Rouge?

10. Gymnopedie No.1 – E. Satie*
After all the high jinks of the last track imagine a slow walk by the Seine on a grey, drizzly November afternoon – ideally in black-and-white.

11. La Vie en Rose – E. Piaf & Louiguy*
As you can probably tell we love the music of Paris – so we had to include something from ‘la chanteuse’ and what better than her iconic songs of love, joy and hope?

12. Les Chemins de l’Amour – F. Poulenc*
“Paths of my love, I search for you ceaselessly, lost paths, you are no more, and your echoes are muted” A gorgeous waltz-song composed by Poulenc in 1940.

13. Hungarian Dance No.5 – J. Brahms*
Brahms was fascinated by the gypsy bands playing their passionate dances and captured this in his famous Hungarian Dances. This one is Brahms’ version of a tune originally composed by the Hungarian Bela Keler.

14. Umbrellas of Cherbourg – I Will Wait For You – M. Legrand, arr. Angela Morley
Picture the beautiful young couple in a rainy train station in Cherbourg singing “I Will For You” as he heads off to war.

15. The Coolin – Traditional, arr. Joan Trimble
An ancient Irish tune, passed down through the generations from one harper to the next. Many versions exist and this performance is based on the version for violin and piano by the Ulster-born pianist and composer Joan Trimble (1915-2000).

16. Oblivion – A. Piazzolla*
One of Piazzolla’s most popular compositions, the aching beauty of this melody conjures for us an image of a sultry, smoke-filled cabaret in the San Telmo district of Buenos Aires where two beautiful dancers slowly entwine in a tango of passion, desire, loss and regret…