John Ireland:
Piano Concerto in E flat major
Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor

Alfredo Casella:
Concerto for Piano, Violin, Cello and Orchestra, Op. 56

Ireland’s Piano Concerto was the concerto he wrote. It was an immediate success, and for 40 years it was considered the outstanding British piano concerto, performed by all the leading players of the day such as Clifford Curzon, Moura Lympany and Artur Rubinstein.

This release co-incides with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Annarosa Taddei, the pianist in the Ireland Piano Concerto. This recording was made at the Italian premier of the work.

The Cello Sonata of Ireland is one of his most deeply passionate and expressive works. The recording on this CD was issued on 78s in September 1929. Ireland is the pianist, and the cellist is the Catalan Antoni Sala who discovered the sonata, and came to London to give many performances and recorded it with the composer.

If there were prizes on offer for the most-travelled composer of the twentieth century, the one who gave the most concerts, or the one who did most to help his composing colleagues, the Italian Alfredo Casella might well sweep the board. The catalogue of his activities as composer, arranger, conductor, keyboard player, teacher, concert organiser, writer and editor is simply mind-boggling.

This FHR issue unites the only surviving (broadcast) recordings of Casella the orchestral conductor and Casella performing on piano with orchestra.

Judging it to be one of his best pieces, Casella said of his Triple Concerto ‘the great success my Concerto has met with right across Europe and both Americas’ (North and South), recalling with particular enthusiasm the Trio Italiano’s appearance with the ‘prodigious’ Boston Symphony Orchestra and their conductor Serge Koussevitzky early in 1936.

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Recordings: 15 March, 1946 (Piano Concerto); 25 October, 1928 (Sonata); 22 February, 1936 (Concerto)