Search - Frederick Delius, John [British Composer] Ireland, David Lloyd-Jones :: Delius: Piano Concerto in C minor; Ireland: Piano Concerto in E flat major; Legend

ENGLAND'S IRELAND

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 02/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"John Ireland's piano concerto used to be performed fairly frequently when I was young. Even the so-called Legend, which is a second piano concerto manqué, used to feature with surprising frequency in BBC programming. These days I hear them far less often, so if this fine disc helps restore them to the popularity I feel they deserve it seems to me that we are all the gainers. For newcomers, or for those whose memories need refreshing, the liner-note is quite informative but slightly rambling and inconsequential. I was startled to read part-way through that 'We may never fully understand Ireland's sexuality' as I had no intention of even trying to, but as the writer then assured me that 'a brief consideration is central to both of his works on this CD' I read on. However it immediately turns out that 'we have very little to go on', so I guess the consideration had maybe better not be too central after all. In any case what this all seems to be about is his apparent attraction towards women considerably younger than himself, and I would not have thought that was particularly unusual or mysterious. One thing I seem to recall is that Ireland belonged in the tradition of eccentric English semi-recluses, living in some strange abode - a lighthouse or an upturned lifeboat on the edge of the fens or something of the kind. I have not been able to confirm this offhand, but if it's right it probably sheds more light on him than his elusive but hardly astonishing sexuality.



In fact the two works are perfectly easy to understand and enjoy without such extraneous clarification. The concerto in particular is a highly attractive piece, neither avant-garde nor reactionary. It makes not inconsiderable virtuoso demands, but only of the kind that today's virtuosi devour whole, and Piers Lane's account, in excellent but tactful 2005 sound that does not over-dramatise this English music, shows understanding and affection as well as an easy command. The Legend is not in the same league as a piece of music I should say, but it's something that any of us ought to be glad to add to our collections whether or not we would go out of our way to hear it at a concert.



The Delius is inordinately interesting for a quite different reason. It is billed as 'original version', but even that appears to be not quite the case. The liner-note explains the issue, but I have to warn you that it is as clear as mud on a foggy night. It will help if you ignore the writer's gratuitous and inexplicable fixation with the key of D flat major, as this is of no relevance whatsoever. What the rest of it comes down to is that the version of this concerto that we hear nowadays - when we hear it at all - diverges startlingly from what we are given on this disc, and that the version here is being given its first recorded performance. This edition of the concerto contains a lot of music in the last movement - and fine music at that - that was abandoned later. That is an obvious plus. However the style of the piano part reveals Delius as an amateur in that respect. It shows no real grasp of virtuoso writing and is full of big oompah chords in a Warsaw-concerto vein that led Delius to acquiesce in a wholesale rewriting of the piano part by Theodor Szanto, this in turn being subject to further tinkering by Beecham in the version we customarily hear. There is therefore no direct comparison to be made with other recordings when assessing the merits of the performance. What I found utterly fascinating however was to play this version of the concerto back-to-back with my historic Moiseivitsch/Lambert account, which presumably gives the Delius/Szanto/Beecham score, although the liner-note with my disc never lets on that there is any issue of alternative versions at all. Moiseivitsch was Moiseivitsch, and Szanto gave him a virtuoso solo part which he sets about with all the gusto and address you would expect. I think it fair to say that Lane does anything that can be done with the part he is given, and in fact in the finale Delius gets a little more adventurous and actually gives the soloist a bit more in the way of genuine concerto style than in the earlier movements. All that, plus the fact that this is music I would never otherwise have heard, puts this performance outwith any criticism so far as I'm concerned. And obviously the sound is to the same standard as in the Ireland works.



All this makes this a disc that I recommend earnestly for a number of reasons, which I have attempted to make clear. Delius's concerto may have been prompted by hearing the then-new concerto by Grieg, and just as music (forgetting the leaden piano writing) I would call it very much better music. It's not the finest Delius, but I'm not complaining, and I would suggest that anyone getting hold of it really ought to have the tarted-up version as well. For all its antiquity the Moiseivitsch peformance comes over really very well. There is also an account by Beecham with his wife Betty Humby-Beecham as soloist. I have heard this, although too many years ago to recall much about it. In the normal way of things Beecham is a more-or-less-automatic first choice in Delius, but this may be an exception. It is related that at the rehearsal Beecham was less than captivated by his wife's efforts, and when the studio personnel came to move the piano he called over to them 'I shouldn't bother, gentlemen. It will probably slink away by itself'. So you have been properly warned. As for Ireland's concerto, if it has fallen in the charts these days, I now have a fine modern performance of my own, and about time too."