Wagner’s Music in Ireland is a two-part documentary exploring the relationship of Irish audiences, authors, critics and composers with the music of Wagner over the past 150 years.

In this, the bi-centenary year of Richard Wagner’s birth, Michael Murphy, lecturer in the Department of Music, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, investigates the peformance history of Wagner’s music in Ireland from the 1860s to today. Featuring contributions from musicologists and musicians, the programmes explore Wagner’s art and how it influenced Irish composers and authors such Stanford and Harty, Joyce and Synge.

The first programme investigates how Wagner’s music became increasingly popular with Irish audiences from the 1860s up to the early 1900s.

The contributors are: Christopher Morris, Ita Beausang, Jeremy Dibble, Aine Sheil, Axel Klein and Jennifer O’Connor-Madsen. The reader is Lorcan Cranitch.

The programme was produced by Claire Cunningham. This is a Rockfinch production (www.rockfinch.ie) for RTÉ lyric FM. Sound supervision by Tinpot Productions.

This programme was made with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

MUSIC

The programme includes extracts from:

Prelude to Act 1 of Tristan und Isolde, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, cond. Fergus Sheil

Prelude to Die WalkureVienna Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Bruno Walter

Tannhauser Overture, Jorge Bolet (Wagner, arr. Liszt)

Tannhauser, Act III, Sc 1, Pilgrim's March, Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Cheryl Studer, Andreas Schmidt, Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Giuseppe Sinopoli

Lohengrin, Act III. ‘In fernem Land’, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Jess Thomas, cond. Rudolf Kempe

The Flying Dutchman, ‘Senta my child’, John Tomlinson, London Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. David Parry

Prelude to Die Meistersinger, National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, cond. Alexander Anissimov

Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin, National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, cond. Alexander Anissimov

Parsifal Act III, final scene, ‘Höchsten Heiles Wunder’, Berliner Philharmoniker, Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin, cond. Barenboim