Delius’ only piano concerto went through several revisions on its way to its final form, which is about 10 minutes shorter than the full three-movement structure on display here. It’s probably not a major work, but this is certainly the way to hear it, as its flaws (such as they are) don’t have anything to do with form per se, but rather relate to the composer’s own anti-virtuosic idiom. At only 28 minutes, the piece hardly outstays its welcome, and the extra room for lyrical expansion, particularly in the finale, brings us closer to the composer’s later style. From the listener’s point of view there’s nothing wrong with a concerto predominantly lyrical in style. The problem (as with the similar case of Dvorák’s lovely concerto) is getting pianists to play the thing in the first place. So kudos to Piers Lane for doing such a beautiful job, and for projecting the solo part with so much sensitivity and intelligence.
John Ireland’s Piano Concerto is a minor masterpiece for sure, and its current neglect is puzzling. The music is wonderful, and having played in the orchestra in a performance of it, I can say from personal experience that it is wonderfully written, not to mention being a real crowd-pleaser. Among earlier recordings, Eric Parkin’s effort on Chandos suffers from blowsy sound and a surprising heaviness. Kathryn Stott on Conifer is better, but Piers Lane’s performance captures the music’s wit and jazzy inflections more effectively than anyone, and it’s very nice to have the equally attractive Legend included as well. David Lloyd-Jones and the Ulster Orchestra provide very sensitive accompaniments, while the engineering is first class. This is another triumphant entry in Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Music series, a disc to return to often. [2/9/2006]
