The Slipped Disc daily comfort zone (198): You can’t get too much of it
mainHamilton Harty’s wonderful setting of Danny Boy.
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John McCormack tells the story of the origin of the Derry air, Leprechaun orchestra and all, from 1936 with Teddy Snyder on piano, pure genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UahNYR0VXzo
Thank you for this post. It’s a beautiful, haunting and universal tune; maybe one of the greatest the human species ever “wrote”. The Harty arrangement really should be better known, but everyone seems to only play the Percy Grainger – admittedly a great one, at least in the brass band version.
My comfort zone is sitting in a concert hall with a thousand or two other music lovers waiting for the excitement to start. Then afterwards walking out into the world with the music still bringing joy to body and soul. Oh! When will the real comfort zone return?
Yes.
The boy from Belfast James Galway plays it himself with the Ulster Orchestra and first Brian Boru’s march!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTDTfWDj8aU
The more I listen to this song the more I realize how difficult is to find the right tone, balance .
Not too “casual “ and “relaxed “ not too “stretched “toward the drama.
To me Bryn Terfel found the ideal way to move me and make me cry.
Gorgeous piece.
He is not an Irishman!
Yes, it is a wonderful setting. Harty’s reputation as a conductor has tended to obscure his compositions. Good to see Bryden Thomson’s name there as well, a fine conductor who was taken too much for granted.
Thank you Peter Philips! I am so glad to hear mentioned ‘Jack’ Bryden Thomson. Like ‘Glorious John’ Barbirolli, Bryden Thomson was an excellent orchestral accompanist. Reassuring many a young soloist and seasoned veteran alike! Do we have their like now? It has been a very long time since I have been able to hear music outside my home. Stay happy and well 🙂
The Dublin Philharmonic played an Irish suite vy Sir Hamilton Harty at their concert here in Wheaton College. In the USA, Harty is best remembered for his version of G. F. Handel’s “Water Music” suite. It was fine, but Chas. Mackerras quite blew it away with the original instrumentariumt and “Royal Fireworks” now on a Testament CD with every serpent, hautboy, and horert in the British isles recorded one midnight when they were off their day jobs.
Yes the fella who recorded it said they had a job getting 24 oboe players in one place at the same time, it had to be done in the middle of the night. That was years before HIP