Brian Boydell

(* Dublin 1917, † Howth Co. Dublin 2000)

Boydell was a familiar name to many Irish music lovers, concert-goers and radio listeners through his many activities as conductor, teacher and broadcaster. He started his career in natural sciences, obtaining a university degree in Cambridge (1938). He studied music at Heidelberg (1935), London (1938-9) and Dublin (1940-2) and was Professor of Singing at the Royal Irish Academy of Music from 1944 to 1952. From 1962 to 1982 he was Professor of Music at Trinity College, Dublin.

Boydell’s music of the 1940s and 1950s was among the most modern achievements of the time in Ireland. Conservative in an international context, his music is part of a parallel, more traditíonal movement to the serial avantgarde, to which he could find no relationship. Though his main orchestral works have been recorded, much fine music still has to be discovered by the recording media.

 

Recorded works:

 

In memoriam Mahatma Gandhi op. 30 (1948) orch

Marco Polo 8.223887, CD (1997): National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Colman Pearce (cond).

 

String Quartet No. 1 op. 31 (1949) str-qu

Deutsche Grammophon 32291, LP (c. 1956): Benthien Streichquartett.

Goasco GXX 002-4, MC (1985): Academica Quartet.

Carducci Classics CSQ 8841 (CD, 2010): Carducci Quartet.

 

Violin Concerto op. 36 (1953-54) vn, orch

Marco Polo 8.223887, CD (1997): Maighread McCrann (vn), National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Colman Pearce (cond).

 

Megalithic Ritual Dances op. 39 (1956) orch

Decca (USA) DL 9843, LP (1956): Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra, Milan Horvat (cond).

Marco Polo 8.223887, CD (1997): National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Colman Pearce (cond).

 

Noël op. 41 (1956) satb, 2rec, org

TCDCC03 (CD, 2000): Jennifer Kelly (rec), Alison Gillespie (rec), Michael Quinn (org), Trinity College Dublin Chapel Choir, Simon Harden (cond)

 

Elegy and Capriccio op. 42 (1956) cl, orch

RTÉ Lyric fm CD 124, CD (2009): John Finucane (cl), National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Robert Houlihan (cond).

 

String Quartet No. 2 op. 44 (1957) str-qu

Chandos CHAN 9295, CD (1994): Vanbrugh Quartet.

Carducci Classics CSQ 8841 (CD, 2010): Carducci Quartet.

 

Dance for an Ancient Ritual op. 39a (1959) pf

New Irish Recording Co. NIR 001, LP (1971): Charles Lynch.

 

Capriccio op. 48 (1959) pf

New Irish Recording Co. NIR 001, LP (1971): Charles Lynch.

 

Three Yeats Songs op. 56a (1965) v, pf/hp

Columbia (Japan) JX-32, LP (1965): Gráinne Yeats (S, hp)

 

Symphonic Inscapes op. 64 (1968) orch

New Irish Recording Co. NIR 011, LP (1974): RTÉ Symphony Orchestra, Albert Rosen (cond).

 

String Quartet no. 3 op. 65 (1969) str-qu

Carducci Classics CSQ 8841 (CD, 2010): Carducci Quartet.

 

A Pack of Fancies for a Travelling Harper op. 66 (1970) hp

Riverrun RRCD, CD (2003): Cliona Doris.

 

Three Pieces op. 70 (1973) gui

Black Box Music BBM 1002, CD (1998): John Feeley.

 

Masai Mara op. 87 (1988) orch

Marco Polo 8.223887, CD (1997): National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Colman Pearce (cond).

 

Adagio and Scherzo op. 89 (1991) str-qu

CMC CD01, Promotion-CD (1995): Vanbrugh Quartet.

Carducci Classics CSQ 8841 (CD, 2010): Carducci Quartet.

 

Viking Lip-Music op. 91 (1996) brass band

Rondo Grammofon RCD 8358, CD (1997): Royal Danish Brass.