Antoni O’Breskey Releases Landmark Three-Volume Career Retrospective
By FIFTY YEARS IN THE MAKING:
Antoni O’Breskey Releases Landmark Three-Volume Career Retrospective: 1976-2026
National Concert Hall | THIS WEDNESDAY – On Sale Now
“Trailblazing… the categories of ‘World Music’ and ‘New Age’ did not exist when Antoni O’ began his musical journey.“
NPR
“He is a man for whom the notion of borders means very little, a genius whose music is without frontiers.”
HOT PRESS
“A visionary kind of world music. A maverick pianist, a musical polymath”
THE IRISH TIMES
“Well pre-dating Riverdance!”
THE IRISH TIMES
“He brings all eras and cultures together in one musical space.”
THE IRISH ECHO
Antoni O’Breskey: 50 Years of Music is available now digitally and on 3CD – order HERE.
STREAM VOLUME 1 | STREAM VOLUME 2 | STREAM VOLUME 3
Wednesday 24th June saw the release of a new three volume compilation album celebrating the storied career of one of Ireland’s most singular and visionary musical voices – Antoni O’Breskey.
This Wednesday, the 15th of July, O’Breskey will perform at the National Concert Hall, Dublin with his Nomadic Piano Ensemble, featuring rising talents from the contemporary folk and traditional music scene, including his daughter, singer and fiddle player Consuelo Nerea Breschi (VARO, Landless, Rattling Ark), and multi-instrumentalist Paahto Cummins (Skipper’s Alley / Ispíní na hÉireann), alongside long-time collaborators such as piper Joe McHugh and flamenco guitarist Juan José Manzano. The concert also features a special guest appearance by the legendary accordionist Máirtín O’Connor (De Dannan), who has collaborated on many of O’Breskey’s recordings since the early 1980s. Book tickets HERE. Furthermore, O’Breskey is the subject of a new documentary by the acclaimed filmmaker Luke McManus (North Circular). The Piano Nomad premiered at The Lighthouse Cinema last week to a sold-out audience as part of The Stoneybatter Festival. Watch the trailer HERE.
Antoni O’Breskey, an Italian-born composer and pianist of Argentine heritage, has made Ireland his home and spent five decades pushing the boundaries of music.
He is celebrated for pioneering piano improvisation within Irish traditional music and flamenco, seamlessly blending these genres with jazz, blues, and classical influences.
Since the 1970s, his distinctive sound has created a unique bridge between distant musical worlds, earning him recognition as a leading trailblazer and interpreter of world and new age music. As The Irish Times noted: “The categories of ‘World Music’ and ‘New Age’ did not exist when Antoni O’ began his musical journey.”
For his significant contributions to Irish culture, O’Breskey was honoured at a series of celebratory concerts at the National Concert Hall in Dublin in 2005, 2007 and 2012. The events featured special guest performers including The Dubliners, flamenco guitarist Juan Martín, and other distinguished artists.
Antoni O’Breskey: 50 Years of Music is a carefully curated journey through the diverse musical landscapes that have defined one of Ireland’s most prolific composers. With more than 40 albums to his name and creative partnerships, this album features an incredible cast of collaborators, including: Ronnie Drew (The Dubliners), Máirtín O’Connor (De Dannan), Steve Cooney, Johnny McCarthy, Joe Mc Hugh, Consuelo Nerea Breschi (Varo/Landless/Rattling Ark), Gabin Dabiré, Paahto Cummins (Skipper’s Alley/Ispíní na hÉireann), Ultan O’Brien (Skipper’s Alley/Slow Moving Clouds), Cathy Jordan (Dervish), Davide Viterbo (Distant City), Benito Lertxundi, Antonio Carmona (Ketama), Jamal Ouassini (Tangeri Orchestra), Josemí Carmona, Josè Seves (Inti-Illimani), and many more.
The three volumes map distinct yet interwoven chapters of O’Breskey’s career:
Volume I – The New Orleans Jig Rooted in the Irish, jazz traditions that first shaped his voice, this volume showcases the earthy, rhythmic vitality of O’Breskey’s explorations alongside his rich encounters with West African music.
Volume II – Mediterranea A vibrant dialogue with the Mediterranean, Arabic world, and flamenco traditions, reflecting O’Breskey’s years of collaboration with artists from Italy, Spain and North Africa
Volume III – Nomadic Mantra The contemplative, inward-looking dimension of his work, embracing the spaces of classical minimalism and solo piano composition.
O’Breskey says:
“It took me a long time to bring together these three compilations in celebration of the 50th anniversary of my career—or, as I prefer to call it, my lifelong musical and human misadventure/adventure! Music, for me, has never followed a straight path. It has been a dance between loss and discovery, sadness and joy, exile and encounter.
One of the definitions I am most grateful to have been given is the one by the great Basque poet J.A.Irigarai: “Mezulari” – which in the Basque ancient language means ‘messenger of peoples and cultures’. This reflects, for me, the same idea found in the philosophy of the Tao over two thousand years ago: “I do not create; I pass on.”