Charles Villiers Stanford - Irish Rhapsody No. 5 in G Minor Op. 147 (1917)

Irish Rhapsody No. 5 by Charles Villiers Stanford. Conducted by Vernon Handley with the Ulster Orchestra.

The events of the First World War prompted Stanford to write the Irish Rhapsody No. 5, Op. 147, which was completed in February 1917 and dedicated 'to the Irish Guards (officers and men) and to the memory of their first Colonel-in-Chief, the late Lord Roberts'. It was first heard at the Royal Albert Hall on 18 March 1917, conducted by Landon Ronald. Field Marshall Earl Roberts had died in 1914, which suggests that the piece had been in the composer's mind since then. Stanford uses five Irish tunes, three of them taken from Moore's Irish Melodies. After an introduction lasting about a minute, we hear clarinet and bassoon presenting the brisk 'Fingal March', in Stanford's words 'an old battle-tune... reputed to have been played at the battle of Clontarf, in the eleventh century, when King Brian Boroimh was killed'. He builds it to a brassy climax, and there follows an unnamed tune, first presaged by the trombones, for which Moore supplied his own words, beginning 'Oh, for the swords'.

This combative opening contrasts with the atmospheric elegiac middle section, marked Larghetto, which also presents two melodies: 'Sweet Isle', first played by the clarinet, Stanford seemingly taking his cue from his pupil Vaughan Williams's folksong rhapsodies, followed, more tellingly, by 'The Green Woods of Truigha'. This is the tune which Moore used for his lament on the death in 1833 of Sir John Stevenson, the composer of the 'symphonies and accompaniments' to his Irish Melodies; it was evidently of special significance to Stanford who works it into an extended emotional episode. The final section, now in triumphant vein, is founded on the victory song 'Michael Hoy' to which Moore set the text 'The wine-cup is circling in Almhin's Hall'. After the return of fast music, this melody is fanfared fortissimo by horns in octaves; wraiths of the first three themes are worked into the texture as the rhapsody ends in ebullient and cheerful mood.

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• Charles
• Villiers
• Stanford
• Irish
• Rhapsody
• No
• 4
• in
• G
• Minor
• Op
• 147
• 1917

[auroradefae]

repeat button, i'm sorry.

[antonflegias]

mi piace piu' la quinta rapsodia che la sesta col violino!

[rkentburke]

Goldie, you are my hero. This work has always been one of my favorites, and Sir Vernon's interpretation is magical! Thanks! Now we look for Number 6!

[redbrian3655]

Thank you for the interesting description. It really helps in understanding the composer and his message. BRIAN