From the Golden Age to the Present Day

The final talk of our Spring season takes place on Saturday 10th May in Buswells Hotel, Dublin, from 11am onwards. Arrive early for some tea/coffee and conversation.

This recital is being delivered by David Clarke, our Vice-Chairperson. It promises to be a captivating journey through the vocal treasures of Russia, the former Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe. Spanning from the 1890s to today, the program presents rare and beloved arias and romanzes interpreted by legendary singers whose artistry defined generations.

Voices featured include:

Feodor Chaliapin, Leonid Sobinov, Gohar Gasparyan, Irina Arkhipova, Georgi Nelepp, Ivan Migai, Antonia Nezhanova, Sergei Lemeshev, Ivan Kozlovsky, Pabel Lisitsian, Virginia Zeani, and Nicolare Herlea.

The not very Eastern European singer, John McCormack, will makes an appearance too, singing in Russian repertoire, including moving interpretations of romances by Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky, illustrating the wide reach and enduring power of these composers and the Irish tenor’s versatility.

From the soul-stirring gravitas of Chaliapin to the lyric elegance of Kozlovsky and Lemeshev, this playlist brings together voices and compositions that defined an era — celebrating over a century of emotive, passionate singing.

Our next talk on the 12th of April will be delivered by Gordon Ledbetter, the award winning broadcaster and author of two critically acclaimed biographies on John McCormack. The talk will commence at 11am.

His talk ‘Then and Now‘ refers to the period of singers captured by the talking machine from roughly the end of the nineteenth century up to the present day.    It will explore how singing has changed, in some respects quite radically, over the years as the history of sound recording amply demonstrates.

The talk looks to present reasons as to why this is the case.  Gordon has always had a predilection for the singers recorded in the era of the acoustic gramophone.  The illustrated examples point up what we may have lost in regard to the earliest singers and perhaps more recent singers show that there have been gains too.

We’re delighted to announce our series of talks for the spring. Martin Dwan’s talk took place last weekend and was blessed with a great turn out. We look forwarded to welcoming new faces and old to the rest of the talks which will be held in our traditional venue, Buswells Hotel.

Were have the pleasure of welcoming Martin Dwan to deliver our next talk on Saturday 7th December in Buswells Hotel at the usual time of 11am. Martin is the producer/director of the critically acclaimed documentary The Peoples’ Tenor on John McCormack. Tea and coffee will be available and all are welcome.

Martin’s talk will look at some of the artists that inspired John McCormack and others that that he worked with and admired. Artists such as Enrico Caruso, Fritz Kreisler, Mattia Battistini, Amelia Galli-Curci and Claudia Muzio will feature. The talk will open with a rarely seen clip from his 2006 Gala Tribute Concert to John McCormack at the National Concert Hall. It promises to be a lovely tour of the greats from the Golden Era of voices and musicians.

Eddie Dalton, a committe member of the Society, will give the first talk of our new season on the 14th September in Buswells Hotel. It starts at the usual time of 11am. Tea & Coffee will be provided.

Eddie was a longtime member of the choral group, The Tipp Singers, that was led by Betty Lynch. He also performed with the Cashel Choir and was the regular soloist for its performance of ‘Panis Angelicus’. His talk will be a mixture of reminisces about John McCormack recordings he heard on the radio growing up and their impact on him. Eddie will also intersperse some personal performances of songs that are close to his heart. It promises to be a unique journey down memory lane.

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