The Green Isle of Erin

"The Green Isle of Erin," as sung by the fabled Irish tenor John McCormack, is just one morsel in an entire banquet of music from that emerald isle. John Field (b. 1782), Irish composer and pianist, inventor of the nocturne and the "Chopinesque" style of pianism, is well represented throughout the evening, as John O'Conor plays Nocturnes Nos. 6 and 8‑13. Interspersed are John Gardner’s "Irish Suite," played by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia under Gavin Sutherland, and Amy Beach's "Gaelic" Symphony, offered by the Detroit Symphony under Neeme Jarvi. Many lilting, traditional Irish tunes also garnish our feast. Swiss-born Frank Martin's "Piano Trio on Irish Folk Tunes" merits special attention, as it incorporates jigs and dance tunes, a fiddle reel and much toe-tapping rhythm.
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