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Howard's Day Off - October 1 2016

---FIRST HALF HOUR---

:04—John Field (1782-1837): Piano Concerto No. 2 in A flat major, middle move., 1816, John O’Conor w/Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra [Telarc 80370]. Debuted in Dublin at nine. Apprenticed to Clementi in London. Settled in St. Petersburg but toured in London and Paris, where Chopin heard him.

:07—Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924): Irish Rhapsody No. 4, Op. 141, 1914, DISC I, Vernon Handley, Ulster Orchestra [Chandos 10116]. Like the second Irish Rhapsody (of six) this was actually premiered in Amsterdam. The melodies in this one come Northern Ireland, reflecting Stanford’s own Protestant roots, even though he was born and raised in Dublin.

:26—John Field (1782-1837): Piano Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, middle move., a.k.a. Nocturne in B flat, 1816, John O’Conor w/Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra [Telarc 80370]. Field invented the moody Nocturne that Chopin perfected, and Chopin was often asked if he had been a pupil of Field’s, years before he first heard Field play.

---SECOND HALF HOUR---

:30—E.J. Moeran (1894-1950): Symphony in G minor, finale, 1937, Vernon Handley, Ulster Orchestra [Chandos 10169]. Born in London to an Irish father, lived most of adult life in Ireland. His composition teacher John Ireland was a student of Stanford.

:45—Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924): Symphony No. 3 in F minor, “Irish,” slow move., Vernon Handley, Ulster Orchestra [Chandos 8545]. Listeners often think this sounds like Brahms but the most “Brahmsian” melody is actually an Irish folk tune.

:53—Frederick May (1911-1985): “Scherzo,” 1933, Robert Houlihan, Irish Radio & Television National Symphony [RTE Lyric 135].

---THIRD HALF HOUR---

:04—E.J. Moeran (1894-1950): Symphony in G minor, scherzo, 1937, Vernon Handley, Ulster Orchestra [Chandos 10169].

:10—Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924): Symphony No. 3 in F minor, “Irish,” scherzo, Vernon Handley, Ulster Orchestra [Chandos 8545].

:18—John Kinsella (1932- ): Symphony No. 3, “Joie de Vivre,” second move., 1990, Proinnsias O’Duinn, Irish National Symphony [Marco Polo223766]. Born and raised in Ireland.

---FOURTH HALF HOUR---

:30—Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924): Irish Rhapsody No. 1, Op. 78, 1902, Vernon Handley, Ulster Orchestra [Chandos 10116]. The first professor of composition at the Royal College of Music, he taught Holst and Vaughan Williams.

(TRICK QUESTION: CAN YOU NAME THIS IRISH COMPOSER?)

:44—Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900): Cello Concerto, first move., Paul Watkins w/Charles Mackerras, BBC Symphony [BBC 9/7]. English by temperament, father Irish, mother Italian.

:45—Walter Beckett (1915-1996): Quartet for Strings, slow move., 1980, Vanbrugh Quartet [Chandos 9295]. Dubliner.

:49—Frederick May (1911-1985): “Sunlight and Shadow,” 1955, Robert Houlihan, Irish Radio National Symphony [RTE Lyric 135]. May lived 30 more years without completing another work.

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