Charles Villiers Stanford
England, 1852-1924

Venon Handly is one of the great conductors of British music, and his recordings of Stanford’s music for Chandos received tremendous critical acclaim.

Stanford’s six Irish Rhapsodies contain some of his most popular music. Despite what the ‘rhapsody’ part of the titles may suggest, each of these pieces is an immaculately crafted and tightly constructed orchestral movement, worthy of a place in his symphonies.

This sweeping and richly coloured music, written in the late-Romantic tradition, is instantly appealing.

Much of the music is only available on this CD set, now available in slim-line packaging at mid-price for the first time.



The First Rhapsody, based on the heroic Irish folk tales of the Fiana led by Finn and the loves of Cuchullin and his wife Emer, was a huge and instant success for Stanford and was performed so frequently that he was said to have begun to regret its composition!
The Second Rhapsody is an emotional evocation of the death of Osca, son of Ossian, Ossian’s demand for vengeance and Oscar’s burial. It never achieved the success of the first, perhaps because of its lamenting and haunting mood.
The Third Rhapsody, scored for cello and orchestra, falls into two sections: the extended first part is more than two thirds of the work’s total duration and features as its main theme ‘The Fairy Queen’, one of the two hundred or so airs ascribed to the Irish harper and composer Carolan (1670-1738).
Stanford’s weaved into the score of his favourite rhapsody, the Fourth, the traditional tunes ‘I will raise my sail black, mistfully in the morning’, a fisherman’s song, an Ulster marching tune and lastly, in contrast, ‘The Death of General Wolfe’.
The events of the First World War prompted Stanford to write a Fifth Irish Rhapsody, dedicated ‘to the Irish Guards (officers and men) and to the memory of their first Colonel-in-Chief, the late Lord Roberts. In this work, Stanford uses five Irish tunes, three taken from Moore’s Irish melodies.
Events in Ireland in Stanford’s last years quite literally broke him – the idea of an independent Ireland was an anathema to him – and the tormented elegiac quality of the sixth and final Irish Rhapsody, scored for cello and orchestra, surely reflects this.

"...superb performances and recording."

The Penguin Guide - 1000 Greatest Classical Recordings 2011-12

With a distinguished array of soloists, committed playing from the Ulster Orchestra and richly sonorous sound, these discs will give much pleasure.
'The performances are impressive and Lewis Foreman's notes are conspicuously good. This set is real value for money.'
Splendidly played and recorded.


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