Music from Ireland

Orchestras of the World label and Marshall Plan poster

The French conductor Jean Martinon (1910-76) was known for his performances of French, Russian and German composers, but in this unusual set we have him in circa 1950 recordings of music from Ireland.

The performances, with the then-new Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra, were issued on transcription discs by the Economic Cooperation Administration. The ECA was a US government agency that administered the Marshall Plan, which provided postwar aid to Western Europe. The agency produced an "Orchestras of the World" series that encompassed radio recordings from Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.

Jean Martinon

On the Radio Éireann set, the composers represented are Hamilton Harty, Charles Stanford, E.J. Moeran, Redmond Friel and J.F. Larchet. A conservative selection to be sure, and one that includes an Englishman (Moeran, who was of part-Irish descent and did live and work at times in Ireland). As far as I can tell, only the Harty work had been recorded before this set was issued.

Charles Stanford

The program begins with the Overture to Shamus O'Brien, an 1895 composition by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924), a prolific composer and important teacher in England. It's a tuneful piece that gets the program off to a good start.

Redmond Friel

Next is Two Linked Melodies from Donegal by Redmond Friel (1907-79), a prolific arranger of traditional melodies. It's also enjoyable, but the Radio Éireann orchestra does seem a bit unsure of itself here. In 1950, it had only been in existence for a few years and did not have a music director, although Martinon and Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt worked with it regularly.

J.F. Larchet

John Francis Larchet (1884-1967) was the music director of the Abbey Theater from 1908-35, where he was responsible for the stage music for important plays by Yeats and others. He also taught such composers as Elizabeth Maconchy, Brian Boydell, Havelock Nelson, Seóirse Bodley and Frederick May. (See below for music by Boydell, Bodley and May.) Larchet primarily composed short works and arranged traditional tunes. His composition The Tinker's Weddingis a colorful piece sketching a social event among the itinerant people of Ireland.

E.J. Moeran

The two most substantial works on the program are next. First is the 1948 Serenade in G major by E.J. Moeran (1894-1950). This is one of Moeran's best works, a gorgeous reworking of circa 17th century dance forms. Martinon programmed the six-movement version of the work; it is what was to be published in 1952, after the composer's death. Moeran's original has eight movements. That version was recorded much later.

Sir Hamilton Harty

The symphonic poem With the Wild Geese by Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1941) dates from 1910. The "Wild Geese" were Irishmen who were recruited to serve in continental armies in the 16th-18th centuries. Harty's lively programmatic composition includes such movements as "Soldiers' Life Abroad,""Night Before the Battle,""Battle" and "Return Home." The composer also achieved fame as a conductor, principally of the Hallé Orchestra.

The transcription discs also include a five-minute talk on "Life in Ireland Today" by former foreign correspondent Frank Gervasi, who was then working for the Marshall Plan.

I transferred this program from a set of the 16-inch transcription discs. The original sound is adequate broadcast quality for the time. There is some occasional mild rustle caused by a bit of warping, to which the large vinyl pressings were prone.

New Music from Old Erin, Vol. 1

I first shared this circa 1958 disc about a decade ago, but wanted to add a new version to this post because it complements the previous set by presenting compositions by three younger composers. It also features the Radio Éireann Symphony.

Milan Horvat

In this program the orchestra is led by Milan Horvat (1919-2014), its music director from 1953-58. He was later the chief conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic in his native Croatia.

Brian Boydell

The Megalithic Ritual Dances by Brian Boydell (1917-2000) were inspired by pre-Christian rituals, although they follow no specific program. The work was written for the Radio Éireann Symphony. The composer was a professor at Trinity College in Dublin for many years.

Seóirse Bodley

The next composition, Music for Strings by Seóirse Bodley (1933-2023) was given its first performance by the Dublin Orchestral Players under Brian Boydell in 1952, when the composer was just 19. Bodley was to become one of the most significant Irish composers, and was also active as a teacher and conductor. This early work was influenced by Hindemith. Bodley later adopted different compositional methods.

Frederick May (1911-85) was hindered by health issues throughout his life, including increasing deafness. Almost all of his works were composed by 1942, including the Suite of Irish Airs, from 1937. Like his teacher J.F. Larchet, he spent a period as music director of the Abbey Theater.

I have remastered the recording in ambient stereo for this post. The sound is very good. These are all first recordings, as far as I know.

The Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra later became the RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) Symphony Orchestra and then the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. It is now the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.

Ina Boyle

Finally, as a bonus to New Music from Old Erin, I have added the 1934 Overture by Ina Boyle (1889-1967), a fine if conservative composer whose music has achieved some currency in recent years. This concert performance from 2018 is by the Ulster Orchestra under Maxim Emelyanychev. Thanks to the original poster for the source file.