From the Archive: Brian Boydell concert programmes
To mark the centenary of composer Brian Boydell’s birth in 2017, CMC features a selection of materials on the composer from its archive (see also Brian Boydell in his own words for a feature on audio recordings of interviews and talks by the composer). The following are a number of concert programmes which include his works.
Clontarf Choral Society (1959)
Brian Boydell was very active as a conductor of amateur groups throughout his life. He founded the renaissance group, the Dowland Consort, in 1959, and was conductor of the Dublin Orchestral Players for 25 years. A trained singer, he was also Professor of Singing at the Royal Irish Academy of Music for a time. This programme from the late 1950s is for a concert given by the Clontarf Choral Society conducted by the composer, and includes the premiere of Boydell’s work Timor mortis alongside two cantatas by Bach and Stanford’s Phaudrig Crohoore.
Dublin Festival of Twentieth Century Music (1969)
The Dublin Festival of Twentieth Century Music was first held in 1969. This festival was founded by the Music Association of Ireland, of which Brian Boydell was a founder member, and ran biannually until 1986. The programme for the first festival featured two of Boydell’s works from the 1940s - his Five Joyce Songs and his String Quartet No. 1.
Dublin Festival of Twentieth Century Music (1972)
This programme for the 1972 Dublin Festival of Twentieth Century Music originally belonged to Brian Boydell, who donated the programme to CMC. This festival featured a performance of his cantata Mors et Vita, which grew out of the earlier work featured above in the programme for the Clontarf Choral Society.
RTÉ Symphony Orchestra concert (1976)
Brian Boydell’s orchestral works were frequently performed by the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra and its predecessor the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra throughout the composer’s career. This programme, from a concert in 1976 celebrating the 50th anniversary of Irish broadcasting, includes the premiere of a new work by Boydell Jubilee Music by the orchestra and conductor Albert Rosen in celebration of this occasion.