Ireland: The Three Piano Trios and other chamber pieces for violin and piano. The Gould Piano Trio – Naxos 8.570507 (60 mins).
John Ireland was born on August 13, 1879, in Bowden near Manchester. The last of five children, his early interest in music was nurtured by his mother, Ann Elizabeth. At14 he went to London and enrolled in the new Royal College of Music where he made a name for himself as a fine student of the piano and organ.
Sadly, his mother died aged only 50, shortly after he began his first term and a year later his father followed suit aged 86. Guardians soon took the place of his parents, and the aspiring composer started to write his own stuff with the hope of being accepted by the celebrated Sir Charles Stanford as one of his composition students. He realised his wish in 1897 after winning a composition scholarship.
The next four years saw him as part of a group of famous musicians at the college including Vaughan Williams, Holst and Coleridge-Taylor. After leaving college, he made his living as a church organist and composer of church and organ music, ballads and short pieces for violin and piano, but by the time of his death in 1962 at the age of 83 his output included orchestral pieces, concertos, songs and a substantial amount of chamber works.
This issue includes three piano trios and four short pieces for violin and piano. The Phantasie Trio of 1908 was one of the first pieces to bring him to public attention. Beautifully constructed in four sections in a single short movement, the work is full of youthful and appealing tunes, and is one of his most popular chamber compositions.
The Second Piano Trio of 1917, and is full of dark foreboding reflecting the composer’s emotional response to the harrowing events of World War I. The 1938 Third Piano Trio draws on the musical ideas of his earlier Clarinet Trio (1912-13), and has an Andante cantabile of immense lyrical beauty. The shorter works reflect his melodic gifts and assured sense of structure even for tiny gems such as the Berceuse and Cavatina. A highly satisfying disc of one of England’s best 20th century composers who still awaits the recognition he deserves.
Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel (complete opera). Several soloists, Loughton High School for Girls’ Choir, Bancroft’s School Choir, Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan – Naxos 8.110897-98 (127 mins).
Born in 1854 in Siegburg, Germany, Engelbert Humperdinck studied in Cologne and Munich. In 1879 he met Wagner in Italy, and fell under his spell. His assistance in the preparation of Parsifal at Bayreuth in 1880-81 went as far as composing several bars for the opera that were later omitted.
The bridge sequence linking the Prelude with the Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde is indeed Humperdinck’s work, and it is this version that is often played in concert halls. He occupied prestigious posts such as professor of musical theory in Barcelona (1885-86), professor of harmony in Frankfurt-am-Main (1896) and music critic for the Frankfurter Zeitung. He was also appointed director of the Berlin Academy in 1900.
His greatest musical contribution was in the opera genre, of which he wrote seven. His first, Hansel and Gretel, premiered on December 23, 1893, is his most popular stage-work. With a libretto originally written for a children’s Christmas celebration by his sister Adelheid Wette, the opera has a fairy-like atmosphere that captivates audiences. Add to this Humperdinck’s enchanting melodies and sumptuous Wagnerian orchestration, and you have utmost charm and beauty that uplifts one’s soul towards the realms of peace and happiness.
This historical 1953 recording has acquired cult status, not only for the legendary performances of Elisabeth Grummer and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in the title roles, but also for Karajan’s faultless and imaginative handling of the score. Despite the 60-odd years since its taping, sound quality is unbelievably high and all the magical details of the piece are captured with amazing clarity – a fine tribute to both music makers and engineers alike.
Blake: The Passion of Mary; Four Songs of the Nativity. Several soloists, London Voices, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Howard Blake – Naxos 8.572453 (76 minutes).
Born in 1938, Howard Blake is considered to be one of Britain’s foremost composers of choral music. His achievements have even been mentioned in Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians. His affinity for choral music began as a six-year-old choirboy in Brighton, where he was lead treble and frequent soloist. When he was 12, he was appointed assistant organist, but around this time, concert music was also casting a strong spell on him, leading him to win a piano and composition scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music.
After leaving the Academy, a meteoric rise put Blake at the very front of British musical activity, but very few opportunities for serious choral writing presented themselves . This changed in 1971, when he moved back to the Sussex countryside, and from then on, his favourite genre flourished. Many commissions followed, and with his first dramatic oratorio, Benedictus, in 1980, he was able to create a work of compelling power in the best British choral tradition.
Both works on this recording are dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The Four Songs of the Nativity date from 1990, and with a gentle and loving trend permeating the cycle, they form a wonderful and tender tribute to the Infant Jesus and his Blessed Mother. 2006’s The Passion of Mary is his second dramatic oratorio. The piece strings together the Stabat Mater, the Magnificat, the Salve Regina and other Marian and Nativity texts; its style is reminiscent of Berlioz, and is a splendid and highly accessible work full of lofty, spiritual music that moves and inspires.
With the composer conducting, performances, as expected, are nobly executed, and many are the moments where one is drawn into peace and prayer. Unusual, but rewarding.
These CDs were made available for review by D’Amato Record Shop of 98/99 St John Street, Valletta.