Britain at War - The Home Front

Part of Radio 3's WWI season, Music in the Great War.

Penny Gore returns to the home front in today's afternoon exploration of music connected with World War One; starting with the recording from English National Opera of Mark-Anthony Turnage's opera The Silver Tassie, based on Sean O'Casey's play about the First World War. It is followed by the first modern performance of Stanford's own orchestration of the 2nd and 3rd movements of his 2nd Organ Sonata, edited by Jeremy Dibble. The programme includes partsongs by Ernest Farrar who was killed after two days on the Western Front.

Turnage
The Silver Tassie
Opera in 4 Acts
Harry Heegan ..... Gerald Finley (baritone)
Sylvester Heegan ..... John Graham-Hall (tenor)
Mrs Heegan ..... Anne Howells (mezzo-soprano)
Susie Monican ..... Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano)
Mrs Foran ..... Vivian Tierney (soprano)
Teddy Foran ..... David Kempster (baritone)
Barney Bagnal ..... Leslie John Flanagan (baritone)
Jessie Taite ..... Mary Hegarty (soprano)
Dr Maxwell ..... Mark Le Brocq (tenor)
The Croucher ..... Gwynne Howell (bass)
Staff officer ..... Bradley Daley (tenor)
Corporal ..... Jozef Koc (baritone)
Chorus and Orchestra of English National Opera
Paul Daniel (conductor)

3.54pm Stanford
Verdun: Solemn March and Heroic Epilogue, Op.151
(an orchestration by Stanford of the 2nd and 3rd movements of his 2nd Organ Sonata, edited by Jeremy Dibble)
Ulster Orchestra
Howard Shelley (conductor)

4.10pm Farrar
To daffodils; Care, thou canker of our joys; There was a maid
BBC Singers
Paul Brough (conductor).