Synopsis

Today we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Boston (where else?), noting two musical premieres that occurred in that Celtic city.

The first premiere was in March of 1922, when Pierre Monteux conducted the Boston Symphony in the premiere of three of the “Five Irish Fantasies” by the German-born American composer Charles Martin Loeffler. These were settings for solo voice and orchestra of poetry by William Butler Yeats, and, for their Boston premiere, the vocalist was none other than THE great Irish tenor, John McCormack. 

The second premiere dates from 1947, when the Eire Society of Boston commissioned another American composer, Leroy Anderson, to write an “Irish Suite” for its annual Irish night at the Boston Pops. Anderson used six popular Irish tunes, ranging from the sentimental to the exuberant, for his suite… skillfully arranging them into an immediate hit and lasting success.  

Arthur Fiedler conducted the premiere and the work soon became a staple item for St. Patrick’s Day concerts in Boston and concert halls all across the United States.

Music Played in Today's Program

Charles Martin Loeffler (1861 - 1935) — Five Irish Fantasies (Neil Rosenshein, tenor; Indianapolis Symphony; John Nelson, cond.) New World 332

Leroy Anderson (1908 - 1975) — Irish Suite (Decca studio orchestra; Leroy Anderson, cond.) MCA 9815