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Famed Irish tenor Frank Patterson, who died in June 2000, is remembered in World of Music, which features concert performances as well as brief interview segments with friends and family members. His widow, Eily O'Grady Patterson, provides personal anecdotes, as does Patterson's son Eanan, who is also seen accompanying his father on violin. In concert, Patterson sings with orchestral accompaniment as well as with an Irish folk group, the Cassidy Brothers. He showcases his classical training by singing a Bach cantata, and his popular appeal is demonstrated with Irish songs such as "Farewell My Derry Love" and even the American country standard "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain." Patterson himself recalls performing in John Huston's final film, The Dead, explaining the significance of "The Lass of Aughrim" in the story by James Joyce before he performs the song. This is a fitting tribute to "Ireland's Golden Tenor," who carried on the tradition of the great John McCormack and reached a worldwide audience. God Bless America: An Irish Salute was conceived to give a sampling of Irish music to an American audience. Videotaped before an adoring audience in New Jersey in September 1999, Patterson sings such standards as "The Rose of Tralee," "Mother Machree," "Danny Boy," and a medley that includes "Galway Bay" and "The Town I Loved So Well." Also participating is a harp orchestra (led by Eily O'Grady Patterson), son Eanan playing violin, a bagpipe and drum band, and what's billed as "hundreds of Irish-American dancers." Indeed, the stage and even the aisles of the theater become so packed with children step dancing in colorful costumes that it makes Riverdance look like a neighborhood ceilidh. Though the theme of the concert is overwhelmingly Irish, Patterson also dons a cape to perform "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera, and he pays homage to his adopted home with "God Bless America" and a flag-waving finale performance of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." --Robert J. McNamara
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