AlOyS FlEiSchMANN

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aloys
fleischmann:
orchestral works
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Robert Houlihan Conductor, RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
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Aloys Fleischmann (1910-1992)
1. The Four Masters (Overture 1944) 15.54
2. Sinfonia Votiva (1977) 24.35
2. Introduction 4.21
3. Funeral March 13.36
4. Bacchanal 6.36
5. An Cóitín Dearg (Ballet Suite 1951) 19.12
5. No. Prelude & No. 2 Figure Dance 3.23
6. Men’s Dance 0.58
7. Girl’s Dance 1.03
8. Combined Dance 0.56
9. No. 4 Romance 4.34
10. No. 5 Fughetta and Passacaglia 3.40
11. No. 7 Reel 2.26
12. No. 8 Finale 2.12
13. Clare’s Dragoons (1944)* 16.20
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra/ Robert Houlihan conductor
*with the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir/ Mark Duley chorus master, Gavan Ring baritone,
Pat Fitzpatrick warpipes
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aloys fleischmann: orchestral works
Aloys Fleischmann (1910-1992) was one of the most prominent figures
in Irish musical life of the last century, who made a cultural contribution
of exceptional significance through his many-sided activities as a
composer, performer, scholar and educator. His creative output is not
extensive, comprising as it does just over fifty works, but many of these
evince a refinement of craftsmanship and an imaginative distinction
that undoubtedly place them amongst the finest achievements of their
period. As a young man in the 1930s, Fleischmann wished to evolve a
distinctively Irish style of composition, which, like the compositions of
eminent contemporaries such as Bartók and Vaughan Williams, would
draw on modern technical resources but be rooted in folk music. Several
of the works on this recording arose out of this artistic engagement with
Gaelic culture.
In 1944, Fleischmann was commissioned to compose a new work for
the tercentenary commemoration of the death of Micheál Ó Cléirigh,
a Franciscan lay brother who was the chief of a group of seventeenthcentury
annalists known collectively as The Four Masters. For a
composer whose declared aim was ‘to delve into the hidden Ireland, and
to create an idiom which would express in music some of the essence of
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this rich untapped literary tradition’, this was an ideal subject. The Four
Masters evokes the romantic tales recounted in the Annals and suggests
the pageantry at the court of an early Irish king.
Cast in a broad sonata form, the overture commences with a slow
introduction which the composer described as ‘archaic and medieval’.
An energetic first subject in G major, the principal key of the work, gives
way to an extended transition section, which is dominated by a distinctive
syncopated rhythm. The lyrical second subject in C major is first heard
on cellos and is expansively treated before the ensuing development
section. After a recapitulation of the first subject, the transition material
becomes the basis of a vigorous subsidiary developmental episode, in
which, as Fleischmann suggests, ‘the din of battle may be heard’. The
turbulence subsides and the first subject returns in the woodwind and
strings before being restated in majestic augmentation in the brass.
This climax leads to a triumphant return of the second subject which
has been held in reserve until this moment. The work concludes with a
marvellously imaginative coda: under a high string chord, a joyful peal
of bells rings out, and after three sonorous chords in the orchestra, the
pentatonic bell motif moves up through the strings until it eventually
comes to rest on high octave Ds. Against these, a chord of E flat major is
sounded three times by the harp, until finally the music dies away on a
high sustained G major chord.
Sinfonia Votiva was premiered at the 1978 Dublin Festival of
Twentieth-Century Music by the Radio Telefís Éireann Symphony
Orchestra with the composer conducting. This work grew out of an
earlier score, Introduction and Funeral March, which was composed in
1960; and although complete in itself, Fleischmann always intended it
to form part of a larger composition. This plan was eventually realised
in 1977, when he added a third movement. Dedicated to the memory
of Edward Sheehy, a friend from Fleischmann’s student years, Sinfonia
Votiva is one of the composer’s most personal utterances. According to
his original programme note, the first two movements express ‘one’s
reactions on first hearing of the loss of a close friend – the shock, the
mounting frenzy of grief ’. The music here has an unrelieved and at times
searing intensity, and despite the polytonal harmonic idiom, its deeplyfelt
eloquence recalls the manner of late romanticism.
The Introduction opens dramatically with an anguished idea in the
strings, supported by horns and trombones. After building to a climax,
the music collapses onto a low bass E flat over which we hear desolate,
sighing fragments on two bassoons. The Funeral March, which ensues
without a break, is cast in a broad ternary form; the steady crotchet tread
of its bass lines is maintained continuously until the central trio. After a
varied recapitulation of the march, a poignant coda recalls the material
of the trio and brings the movement to a quiet close.
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The Bacchanal, as Fleischmann explained, ‘has a precedent in the
funeral games of antiquity, in the merry-making which used to take
place at Irish country wakes’. After an initial flourish of brilliant swirling
figuration on woodwind and strings, the principal thematic material
is stridently announced on trombones, cellos and double basses.
The headlong pace relents for a recitative-like episode featuring solo
bassoon and tuba which, ‘with apologies to Bartók’, is entitled Giuoco
delle due inebriati [Game of the two drunks]. This is succeeded by a brief
reflective Andantino. A resumption of the opening Allegro molto brings
the symphony to a boisterous conclusion.
Fleischmann composed his second ballet score An Cóitín Dearg [The
Red Petticoat] in 1950-51 to a scenario by Micheál MacLiammóir, the
Irish actor and playwright. Having been thwarted in their love, two young
lovers, Colm and Nora, leave the west of Ireland separately for New York.
Despite their more comfortable material circumstances there, they find
that they are deeply unhappy, feeling themselves to be rootless. Both
return home, but clothed in their American finery, they fail to recognise
each other when they eventually meet. Colm changes back into his
báinín, Nora into her red petticoat, and, as MacLiammóir put it: ‘when
they return to the simplicity that is natural to them they recognise one
another again and the love that is between them’. The outer acts of the
ballet are set in the west of Ireland and depict a life which, if not by any
means idyllic, is at any rate authentic: it is here, however frustrating their
circumstances may be, that Colm and Nora finally realise they belong.
Fleischmann described the music as being ‘to some extent
astringently contemporary, to some extent neo-romantic, and of
course impregnated with the idiom of Irish folk song’. The ballet
played to capacity houses in Cork in May 1951. The following October,
Fleischmann conducted the first performance with the Radio Éireann
Symphony Orchestra of an eight-movement suite extracted from the
score. (The suite has been slightly abbreviated for this recording, with
movements 3: Theme and Variations and 6: Intermezzo omitted.)
In 1945, the centenary of the death of the poet and patriot Thomas
Davis was commemorated nationally and the Irish government
commissioned a number of composers, including Fleischmann, to write
new works for the celebrations. Davis’s political vision was based on an
inclusive and non-sectarian nationalism. His literary output includes a
large number of ballads in which he recounted important events in the
history of his native country. These ballads, which were aimed at the
widest possible audience, had an enormous and enduring influence.
Fleischmann chose as the text of his new work one of the best known of
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them, Clare’s Dragoons, which portrays the courageous exploits of Irish
émigrés in French armies during the eighteenth century.
The forces used in Clare’s Dragoons (baritone solo, mixed-voice
chorus and orchestra) include the war pipes, a folk instrument today
akin to the Scottish bagpipes, which is used to brilliant effect. This idea
was inspired by the virtuoso playing of a champion piper Joan Denise
Moriarty, who participated in the first performance. The work’s thematic
material is based on the popular melody to which Davis had composed
the words of his ballad.
The atmospheric opening of Clare’s Dragoons suggests the gradual
approach of an army — evoked by a soft roll on the bass drum, to which
divided double basses add a drone-like idea in parallel fifths. More
definite melodic shapes soon begin to emerge, culminating in a vigorous
march-like tune which gives way to a turbulent passage depicting the
strife of combat. This prepares for the first choral entry, in which the
first stanza of the ballad is sung to the traditional melody by the tenors
and basses, followed by a full choral statement of the second stanza.
The ensuing orchestral climax breaks off abruptly, and the war pipes
are heard off-stage, as though from a distance, playing a tune in twelveeight
time. As their sound fades, this idea is transferred to the orchestra,
and features in the accompaniment to the setting of the third stanza for
solo baritone.
The impetuous choral polyphony of the fourth stanza is interrupted
by the second entry of the baritone, who plaintively recalls Ireland’s
wrongs. The mood soon turns to one of affirmation and, as the music
builds to its final climax, the sound of the pipes is heard once more.
In a marvellous coup de theatre, the piper marches from the rear of the
auditorium and takes his place on stage with the other performers. The
choir sings the final refrain and the march-like idea of the opening blazes
out resplendently to bring the work to a triumphant conclusion.
Séamas de Barra, February 2010
RTÉ lyric fm gratefully acknowledges the support of the Fleischmann
family in the production of this recording.
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Clare’s Dragoons
by Thomas Davis
When, on Ramillies’ bloody field,
The baffled French were forced to yield,
The victor Saxon backward reeled
Before the charge of Clare’s dragoons.
The flags we conquered in that fray
Look lone in Ypres’ choir, they say.
We’ll win them company today,
Or bravely die like Clare’s dragoons
Viva la, for Ireland’s wrong!
Viva la, for Ireland’s right!
Viva la, to battle throng,
For a Spanish steed and sable bright!
The brave old lord died near the fight,
But, for each drop he lost that night,
A Saxon cavalier shall bite
The dust before Lord Clare’s dragoons.
For never, when our spurs were set
And never, when our sabres met,
Could we the Saxon soldiers get
To stand the shock of Clare’s dragoons.
Viva la! the new brigade!
Viva la! the old one too!
Viva la! the rose shall fade,
And the shamrock shine for ever new!
Another Clare is here to lead,
The worthy son of such a breed:
The French expect some famous deed
When Clare leads on his brave dragoons.
Our colonel comes from Brian’s race,
His wounds are in his chest and face,
The bearna baoghail is still his place,
The foremost of his brave dragoons.
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Viva la! the new brigade!
Viva la! the old one too!
Viva la! the rose shall fade,
And the shamrock shine for ever new!
There’s not a man in squadron here
Was ever known to flinch or fear,
Though first in charge and last in rere
Have ever been Lord Clare’s dragoons.
But see! we’ll soon have work to do
To shame our boasts or prove them true,
For hither come the English crew,
To sweep away Lord Clare’s dragoons.
Viva la, for Ireland’s wrong!
Viva la, for Ireland’s right!
Viva la, to battle throng,
For a Spanish steed and sable bright!
Oh! comrades, think how Ireland pines,
Her exiled lords, her rifled shrines,
Her dearest hope, the ordered lines,
And bursting charge of Clare’s dragoons.
Then fling your green flag to the sky
Be Limerick your battle-cry,
And charge, till blood floats fetlock high,
Around the tract of Clare’s dragoons.
Viva la! the new brigade!
Viva la! the old one too!
Viva la! the rose shall fade,
And the shamrock shine for ever new!
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obert houlihan
A native of Killarney, Robert Houlihan studied with George Hurst in
England and Leon Barzin in Paris. Since winning awards at international
competitions in France and Hungary, his career has taken him to conduct
over 100 orchestras in Europe, USA, South America and South Africa. From
1990 to 1993 he was Principal Conductor of the Tirgu Mures Philharmonic,
Romania, and from 1992 to 1998 he was Principal Conductor and Artistic
Director of the Savaria Symphony Orchestra, Hungary. He continues
to work with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and RTÉ Concert
Orchestra as well as appearing as guest conductor with orchestras in
Europe and South America.
Robert Houlihan’s international festival appearances include the BBC
Proms, the Almeida Fesival, London, the Bartók Festival, Hungary, and the
Wexford Opera Festival. He has appeared at some of Europe’s prestigious
concert halls - The Royal Albert Hall, London, The Concertgebouw,
Amsterdam and the Musikverein, Vienna. He has recorded the works
of major Irish composers A.J. Potter, Seóirse Bodley, Frederick May
and Gerald Barry and is active as a teacher of conducting at the Canford
Summer School of Music in England and around Europe.
rté national symphony orchestra
The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra plays a central role in
classical music in Ireland, through live performance, broadcast and
touring. As an integral part of RTÉ, the orchestra reaches a great
number of listeners through its weekly broadcasts on RTÉ lyric fm and
through its association with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). In
addition to its annual subscription season, Horizons contemporary music
series, summer concerts series, residencies and national tours, the
orchestra continues to make a name for itself internationally through
its recordings with Naxos, Marco Polo and on the RTÉ label. In 2004
the RTÉ NSO won the Orchestra and Concerto: CD Première category of the
Critics’ Awards in the 2004 Cannes Classical Awards for its recording of
Joly Braga Santos’s Symphony No. 4 under conductor Alvaro Cassuto. In
2005, Gerald Barry’s opera The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant was released
by RTÉ to considerable acclaim. This has been followed by CDs of work
by Raymond Deane, Seóirse Bodley and Deirdre Gribbin, the latter two
on the RTÉ lyric fm label.
Full details of all upcoming RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
concerts are available on: www.rte.ie/nationalsymphonyorchestra
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té philharmonic choir
Mark Duley chorus master
The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir has been at the centre of choral music
in Ireland since its foundation by Colin Mawby in 1985. It is the country’s
premier symphonic choral ensemble. The choir works principally with
the RTÉ orchestras in the performance of large-scale choral works and on
occasion gives concerts in its own right. The choir broadcasts frequently
on RTÉ lyric fm. Conductors with whom it has worked regularly include
Gerhard Markson, Alexander Anissimov and the choir’s chorus master,
Mark Duley.
The choir performs between three and six concerts a year. Repertoire
includes works such as Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, ‘Choral’;
Mahler Symphony No. 2 in C minor ‘Resurrection’ and Symphony No.
8 in E flat major ‘Symphony of a Thousand’; Brahms German Requiem;
Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri; Elgar The Dream of Gerontius; Janáček
Glagolitic Mass and Pärt Berliner Messe and Credo.
Recorded: National Concert Hall, Dublin, 10-12 June 2009 and 12,13 October. Recording
Producer: Gary Cole. Recording Engineers: Richard McCullough & Anton Timoney (Studio 1,
RTÉ 15 January 2010). Cover and booklet images by kind permission of the Fleischmann Family
16 Sleeve Notes: Séamas de Barra. Design: www.origin.ie. Executive Producer: Eoin Brady.
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Cork Symphony Orchestra Ballet Rehearsal, Old Opera House c.1950