MacCunn: Three Overtures

Hamish MacCunn (1868–1916) had his first big success with his concert overture The Land of the Mountain and the Flood, which premiered on 5 November 1887 at the Crystal Palace through the auspices of Sir George Grove (1820–1900) and under the baton of August Manns (1825–1907). A few months later, Manns introduced MacCunn’s orchestral ballad, The Ship o’ the Fiend, and The Dowie Dens o’ Yarrow premiere followed on 13 October 1888. These three overtures established MacCunn as a composer, were three of his most regularly performed works during his lifetime, and remain his most often recorded and performed works today. All three works were published around the time of their premieres, although fewer than a dozen libraries in the United States and the United Kingdom hold these scores. This edition is the first publication of any of MacCunn’s scores (not including arrangements by others) since the mid-twentieth century.