John IRELAND (1879-1962)
Piano Music - Volume 4
The Towing Path (1918) [3:58]
Three Pastels: A Grecian Lad, The Boy Bishop, Puck’s Birthday
(1941) [10:08]
Summer Evening (1919) [4:13]
Soliloquy (1922) [3:30]
Spring Will Not Wait (1926-7) [5:02]
In Those Days: Daydream, Meridian (1895) [9:36]
Merry Andrew (1918) [3:24]
Leaves from a Child’s Sketchbook: By the Mere, In the Meadow,
The Hunt’s Up (1918) [3:57]
Meine Seele (1931) [2:02]
Epic March (1942) [9:02]
Pastoral (1896) [4:18]
Month’s Mind (1933) [5:38]
On a Birthday Morning (1922) [3:25]
Columbine (1949/51) [3:57]
Equinox (1922) [2:40]
Mark Bebbington (piano)
rec. Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 3-4 January 2011
SOMM SOMMCD 0115 [74:54]
I have said this before - but it bears repeating. In the early nineteen-seventies,
I got hold of three Lyrita LPs of piano music by John Ireland played by Alan
Rowlands. I treasured these, as it was unlikely that it would ever be recorded
again. It is hard to believe that forty years later, there are some five complete
or near complete cycles of this music available in the CD catalogues. Out
of interest, these are by Alan
Rowlands, Eric Parkin (two separate recordings - one on Lyrita
and the other on Chandos: CHAN9056, CHAN9140, CHAN9250) John Lenehan (Naxos)
and finally by Mark Bebbington (vol.1,
vol.2,
vol.3).
One of the desiderata of reviewing is to compare versions. Yet in this case,
it is a matter beyond my capability or desire. I admit to a preference for
the Lyrita versions by Alan Rowlands and Eric Parkin. However this is probably
predicated on the fact that it was with these recordings that I first seriously
explored this repertoire. Both of these pianists worked with the composer
- so there is a certain authority to their interpretation that may be lacking
from Lenehan and Bebbington. However, I have never been disappointed with
any of these recordings: all these performers give valid and
sympathetic accounts of Ireland’s music. They are all in my collection.
There are three facets to Mark Bebbington’s fourth and final disc in
this present cycle. Firstly, there are the ‘standard’ pieces from
Ireland’s repertoire - such as Merry Andrew, Equinox and
The Towing Path. Secondly there are the delightful ‘children’s’
pieces Leaves from a Child’s Sketchbook. Finally there are a
number of extremely rare or première recordings. It is the last two
aspects on which I wish to concentrate.
Firstly, a few words about the potboilers. The CD gets off to a great start
with the barcarolle-like The Towing Path. It is one of the earliest
Ireland pieces I heard ‘live’ and it is still a favourite. The
deeply expressive Three Pastels date from 1941 and are revisions of
earlier works: they are sensitively played here. Summer Evening is
a delightful example of ‘South Downs’ pastoral music. Its 1919
date suggests that the composer was harking back to the Edwardian pre-Great
War era. The Soliloquy is one of Ireland’s easier pieces to play.
However, this technical facility does not hide the deeply-introverted mood
of the music: it is heartbreakingly beautiful in its exploration of love and
loss. Spring will not wait is the last ‘movement’ or ‘epilogue’
to the song-cycle ‘We’ll to the Woods no more’ (1928). I
am never convinced that this piece should be excerpted from the vocal work,
although Stainer & Bell have issued it as a stand-alone.
Daydream and Meridian are from In those Days. These were
composed when Ireland was still a student at the Royal College of Music. He
did not agree to publish them until 1961 after some gentle revision in 1941.
The final four pieces present the reflective Month’s Mind with
it 'longing desire’, the ebullient On a Birthday Morning dedicated
to close friend Arthur George Miller, the Ravelian waltz Columbine
and lastly the toccata-like Equinox portraying a summer storm in both
the landscape and in the heart.
In 1918 Winthrop Rogers issued Ireland’s offering to a younger, less
technically competent audience - probably at about today’s Grade 4 level.
One of the reasons I like Leaves from a Child’s Sketchbook is
because I can play them - whereas the majority of the composer’s grown-up
music is beyond my gift. As the Musical Times reviewer noted, these numbers
‘show the not too frequent combination of simplicity and significance’.
I am pleased that Bebbington has chosen to play these wistful works with seriousness
and without condescension.
I have never had the opportunity of hearing Meine Seele, although it
has been recorded before by Jonathan Plowright. This was part of the well-known,
but now rarely-heard A Bach Book for Harriet Cohen assembled in 1931.
This volume contained a number of miniatures by Granville Bantock, Arnold
Bax, Lord Berners, Arthur Bliss, Frank Bridge, Eugene Goossens, Herbert Howells,
Constant Lambert, Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Walton and W. Gillies Whittaker.
All were direct transcriptions of Bach’s music arranged for the piano.
Ireland’s contribution was Meine seele erhebt der herren (My
soul doth magnify the lord) which was derived from the fourth (BWV 648) of
the Six Schübler Chorale Preludes for organ. The cycle was first
performed at the Queen’s Hall on 17 October 1932 by the dedicatee. The
piece does not really appeal to me - it lacks interest. However, it is good
to have this piece for the sake of ‘completeness’.
In 1941, John Ireland was approached by the Ministry of Information and invited
to compose a patriotic march. The Epic March was duly first performed
at a Promenade Concert on 27 June 1942. The piano transcription of the Epic
March does not work - but then neither does that of Walton’s Crown
Imperial or even Elgar’s Pomp & Circumstance No.1. They
seem to lack any sense of pianism. I also believe that Epic March is
a little too long. However, that does not belittle the piece - the middle
section is truly lovely and presents a deeply felt tune that deserves to be
part of the ‘ceremonial music' repertoire. There is nothing particularly
epic about the march except for the wartime circumstances in which it was
composed. It is well played by Mark Bebbington, and once again deserves its
place in this ‘complete’ survey of Ireland’s music.
The third ‘novelty’ is the Pastoral. If this piece were
played to the ‘innocent ear’ listener he would not guess that
it was written by John Ireland. This splendid work was written in 1896 by
the student composer whilst he was staying at the village of Pontwgan in the
Conwy Valley. It portrays the landscape in a near perfect way. I noted in
a previous review of this piece that the music ‘contrasts the darker,
introverted mood of the hills with smiling fields in the valley on a hot summer’s
day.’ I do wonder if Wales was the actual inspiration for this piece
or whether its true genesis is to be found in events or locations nearer London.
It was previously included in John Lenehan’s survey of Ireland’s
piano music.
The CD is attractively presented with a fine ‘sepia’ photo of
The Towing Path at Pangbourne. The liner notes by Bruce Phillips (President
of The John Ireland Charitable Trust) are well-written and extremely helpful.
Finally, the sound quality is all that I have come to expect from SOMM.
This present recording concludes Mark Bebbington’s exploration of the
‘complete’ piano music of John Ireland. Each CD has presented
a well-balanced programme that examines different aspects of the composer’s
remarkable achievement. I have enjoyed Bebbington’s performances on
this disc and throughout the series. His playing is excellent, is sympathetic
and reveals a deep scholarly and emotional engagement with this important
and beautiful music.
I stick by my assertion that all lovers of John Ireland’s music will
insist on owning all the currently available editions of the piano works -
including the excellent EMI discs by Daniel Adni and Desmond Wright. However
for completeness, the Bebbington cycle cannot be beaten. It is an excellent
place for a detailed exploration of some of the finest piano music in the
repertoire of British music. Finally, if SOMM and Mark Bebbington are looking
for other composers’ music to explore - how about Harry Farjeon, Leo
Livens or Alec Rowley (and also Greville Cooke and Norman Peterkin. Ed.)?
John France
The Bebbington cycle cannot be beaten. An excellent detailed exploration of
some of the finest British piano music.