Top 10 classical recordings with Irish connections
Gramophone
Friday, March 17, 2017
From Thomas Roseingrave to Gerald Barry, this selection of recordings shows the diversity of music-making in Ireland
No 1
Roseingrave Keyboard Works
Paul Nicholson hpd/org
(Hyperion)
'He shapes the lines with a naturalness which comes from instinct rather than conscious deliberation, and ornamentation blends in so well that you hardly know it's there' Read review
No 2
Field Piano Works
Míceál O’Rourke pf
(Chandos)
'Nationally coloured Irish, Scottish and Polish dances, plus a Triumphal March and the spirited concluding A flat major Rondo, in their turn set your feet tapping' Read review
No 3
Balfe Falstaff
Sols; National Chamber Choir of Ireland; RTÉ Concert Orchestra / Marco Zambelli
(RTÉ Lyric FM)
'From the joyous overture onwards, it’s also a score full of skilfully worked numbers, several of which enjoyed favour on both sides of the English Channel for some years afterwards.' Read review
No 4
Stanford Irish Rhapsodies
Ulster Orchestra / Vernon Handley
(Chandos)
'I've always had a soft spot for the First and Fourth Rhapsodies, Raphael Wallfisch and Lydia Mordkovitch shine in the concertante Third and Sixth respectively. Glowing sound complements Handley's understanding advocacy.' Read review
No 5
Harty The Children of Lir
Ulster Orchestra / Bryden Thomson
(Chandos)
'Chandos have always done the Ulster Orchestra proud, here with an excellent digital recording. I have enjoyed the orchestra's earlier records, though wondering if I had not slightly over-valued Harty's music. This time I am in no doubt whatever, and I had unreserved pleasure because of the quality of the music and its mastery. I most warmly commend this thrilling and exciting issue' Read review
No 6
Moeran Symphony in G minor
LPO, New Philharmonia / Adrian Boult
(Lyrita)
This recording of Moeran's Symphony, which was mostly written in County Kerry, won the Historic Reissue Award at the 2007 Gramophone Awards.
No 7
Fleischmann Orchestral Works
RTÉ National SO / Robert Houlihan
(RTÉ Lyric FM)
'Houlihan draws strongly committed performances from all his forces, making this a valuable memento of a composer virtually unknown outside Ireland, who might otherwise be forgotten.' Read review
No 8
Arnold Irish Dances
LPO / Arnold
(Lyrita)
'The new set of Irish Dances, written in 1986, opens with a rumbustious movement very much in the style of the earlier sets, with characteristic and attractive syncopations, but the other three dances are both sparer in instrumentation and darker in tone, effectively so.' Read review
No 9
Barry The Importance of Being Earnest
Soloists; BCMG / Thomas Adès
(NMC)
'Gerald Barry magnifies the fizzing quality into a relentless high-wire act that has the audience relishing the stamina of the performers, here under the needle-sharp control of ringmaster-in-chief Thomas Adès.' Read review
No 10
‘An Irish Songbook’
Ailish Tynan sop Iain Burnside pf
(Signum)
'This is far from being a conventional Irish song collection, such as John McCormack might have offered in recording’s early days' Read review