Ireland

The great Johnny Cash performed live on Irish TV in 1993 with his entire revue, and this marvelous music is making its debut release on DVD. Cash performs his greatest hits with The Carter Family, son John Carter Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Sandy Kelly, and wife June Carter Cash…

The piano music of English composer John Ireland is as richly imagined and fully realized a body of piano music as any written after Debussy. From the impressionism of the early works like Decorations through the neo-classical formalism of mature works like the Piano Sonata to the flirtation with atonality in late works like Sarnia – An Island Sequence, Ireland's piano music stands as high in his output as his much better known orchestral works. In these three recordings from 1975, 1977, and 1978 by Eric Parkin, Ireland's piano music is given performances that consistently do the works full justice.

Music never happens in a vacuum. The places where it is played inspire it, shape it and help it to develop; they are like an extra musician. And therein lies the creative stimulus which Siggi Loch provides as producer to Julian and Roman Wasserfuhr. He continually seeks out new contexts for their playing, and that opens up hitherto unimagined musical perspectives. After the Wasserfuhrs’ musical journey to meet the elite in Gothenburg in Sweden in 2009, and a thrilling session in hip and happening Brooklyn in 2017, the brothers, who come from the peaceful little village of Hückeswagen near Cologne, have now travelled to the South Coast of Ireland, and to John Fitzgerald’s Lettercollum Studio in Country Cork, a secret bolt-hole where several Irish and English rock stars have recorded albums.

Ireland is a Revue show that combines 10 years of Celtic Thunder hits and focuses on their most popular songs of the last decade, their Irish and Celtic fan favorites. Drawing from their most popular Television Specials of Celtic Thunder – The Show, Mythology, Legacy and Celtic Thunder X, Celtic Thunder Ireland features the songs and performances that launched Celtic Thunder into the hearts of Public Television viewers across the US. Memorable moments include their unique take on beloved Irish classics “Danny Boy” “She Moved Through The Fair” and “Caledonia”, their inspiring anthems of “Ireland’s Call’ and “My Land” and their fun upbeat numbers such as “Star of the County Down” “Seven Drunken Nights” and “Place in the Choir”. The wonderful arrangements of the ensemble numbers in Celtic Thunder Ireland reflect the power of the soloists, who range in age from 14 to 40, and feature songs that celebrate a common Celtic heritage.

Of all the music associated with Ireland, the airy and sophisticated sound of the harp most evokes the spirit of that place. The power and beauty of traditional Irish music lies “in the tune itself”, and the pure melody is brought to life through the skill and soul of the performer…
These are not all Irish tunes, but the pieces from England, Wales, and Scotland are rich in Gaelic flavor and were all composed on Irish themes. This is heavenly music played by capable hands that will change your outlook on the world on any given day. Surprising it would be if any hearing this didn’t search out more of Carol Thompson’s harp music, which speaks to the Irish in all of us. The fidelity of the recording is worthy of additional comment. Utilizing the fabled acoustics of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, the engineer’s intent was to give the illusion of each note hovering in a vast space before dying away into complete stillness, all to evoke an image of Carolan composing these tunes at a roadside under the open skies. – Barbara Flaska

This triptych of British violin sonatas bears a wartime theme. Ireland’s A minor famously elevated his name to prestige on its 1917 premiere, whereas the sonatas by Geoffrey Bush - this is its premiere recording - and Franz Reizenstein date from 1945.

Drawn from field recordings made between 1949 and 1969 (gathered now under the umbrella title of Folk Songs of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales), Classic Ballads of Great Britain and Ireland deals with storytelling songs as recorded by Francis James Child in his English and Scottish Popular Ballads (the first uniform attempt at getting these songs onto paper). Time, naturally, brings changes – often dramatic ones when it comes to an oral tradition such as folk song – so this collection is replete with songs varying from Child's versions (even where Child himself recorded numerous variants), sometimes with verses dropped, sometimes with verses added, sometimes both; others have been modified for a particular purpose, some are regional variants, and others have changed little over the years. Others yet are familiar in either lyric or melody but not both – folk song being sometimes a crazy quilt. The notes for this edition acknowledge several collecting and reference sources.

John Ireland was something of a child prodigy, entering the Royal College of Music at the age of fourteen. There he studied piano, organ and composition (under Charles Villiers Stanford). He quickly progressed to significant positions as an organist, whilst continuing to pursue his interests as a composer. The Forgotten Rite, from 1913, is one of his earliest orchestral compositions, and was premièred by Sir Henry Wood at the Queen’s Hall.