Ireland: A London Overture
D’Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain Air
INTERMISSION
Braga Santos: Symphonic Variations on a Popular Song from the Alentejo
Gershwin: An American in Paris
Other than An American in Paris I am unfamliar with these pieces, but they seem worth exploring. Always open to new adventures. Interesting that both Ireland and Gershwin were great songwriters: Ireland wrote a wonderful song based on a poem by John Masefield called The Vagabond performed beautifully by Bryn Terfel on his album of the same name. The poem itself is kind of cool:
Would a series of videos on top ten pieces by different composers be a good idea?
American in Paris is such a fun piece of music with Taxi Horns at the start
Other than An American in Paris I am unfamliar with these pieces, but they seem worth exploring. Always open to new adventures. Interesting that both Ireland and Gershwin were great songwriters: Ireland wrote a wonderful song based on a poem by John Masefield called The Vagabond performed beautifully by Bryn Terfel on his album of the same name. The poem itself is kind of cool:
Vagabond
by John Masefield
Dunno a heap about the what an' why,
Can't say 's I ever knowed.
Heaven to me 's a fair blue stretch of sky,
Earth 's jest a dusty road.
Dunno the names o' things, nor what they are,
Can't say 's I ever will.
Dunno about God—He 's jest the noddin' star
Atop the windy hill.
Dunno about Life—it 's jest a tramp alone
From wakin'-time to doss.
Dunno about Death—it 's jest a quiet stone
All over-grey wi' moss.
An' why I live, an' why the old world spins,
Are things I never knowed;
My mark 's the gypsy fires, the lonely inns,
An' jest the dusty road.
As always. thanks for introducing me to several new pieces!
Dave, have you ever struck the Tam Tam on the wrong beat?
Nobody plays d'Indy's intriguing Istar anymore either, the variations with the theme revealed only at the end, and it used to be standard rep.
Now this is a concert I would buy a ticket to! I love travelogue pieces and music that strongly evokes a certain era.
(If they did the uncut version of American in Paris, I'd even try to see if I could pay to watch the rehearsals).
D'Indy! Yes! Good to see him on one of these program lists.
🇬🇧🇲🇫🇵🇹🇺🇲👍Great program!