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Home , Adrian Boult, Dennis Noble, Eileen Joyce, Henry Wood, John Ireland (composer), Leslie Heward

JOHN IRELAND 70th Birthday Concert

Sir conductor piano PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 70th Birthday Concert

The Promenade Concerts were BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Conductor, inaugurated in 1895 in London’s principal the move from one rostrum to another was concert venue, Queen’s Hall. Following the effected with great smoothness: “I was only hall’s destruction during World War II, the out of work for two or three days,” he liked to BBC Promenade concerts have continued say. For Ireland’s birthday concert he was the ever since at the . The annual ideal choice. Boult’s wide embrace of English summer season is in effect a huge music music had long included Ireland’s music: he festival, drawing the greatest artists and had premièred These things shall be in his BBC orchestras from all over the world. In the days, and in 1936 encouraged the composer to years after the 1939–45 war it became quite turn his Comedy , originally composed usual to celebrate composers’ anniversaries, for brass band, into A London Overture, so sometimes devoting a concert entirely to giving it a wider and more popular following. their music. The concert recorded on this CD, Ireland had a great love of London, revealed in given on 10 September 1949 to mark John such cameos as his picturesque London Pieces Ireland’s 70th birthday, was conducted by Sir for piano with their nostalgic titles ‘Chelsea Adrian Boult (1889–1983). Boult described Reach’ and ‘Soho Forenoons’. A London Overture the composer as ‘one of the most interesting boasts a particularly acute piece of observation and complex characters among all our recent in the perky theme that represents one of the composers, whose whole output, all of great bus conductors of past times calling out ‘'dilly! importance, yet fills a comparatively small Piccadilly!’ as his bus reached Piccadilly Circus; space in any catalogue.’ Small as Ireland’s elsewhere there is a reference to an old London output was, particularly his orchestral song about church bells and a slow central oeuvre, had he lived beyond 1962 he would elegy in memory of one of Ireland’s friends. surely have rejoiced to see Boult go on to place all of it on disc with the London Philharmonic The other purely orchestral work in the Orchestra in the mid 1960s. concert was the prelude The Forgotten Rite, dating from 1913: inspired by his life-long love In 1949 Boult had yet to become permanently of the Channel Islands and perhaps reflecting associated with the London Philharmonic some pre-historic ceremony, it was Ireland’s Orchestra, although when he reached 60 first claim for attention as an orchestral the following year and had to retire as the composer. When first heard at on 13 September 1917 it was conducted Ireland’s visionary cantata These things shall by Sir Henry Wood, the founder-conductor be was commissioned by the BBC to mark the of the concert series, who later also directed Coronation of King George VI on 12 May 1937. the premières of the A setting of words from the poem A Vista (2 October 1930) and A London Overture by John Addington Symonds for male voice, (23 September 1936). chorus and orchestra, Boult conducted its first performance with BBC forces in the Eileen Joyce (1908–1991) was another ideal studio on the night after the Royal event; choice for the birthday concert: she had the soloist was the , become closely associated with Ireland’s Piano who also sang when the work was repeated Concerto in the late 1930s, and in January 1942 in public later on 1 December. As Boult’s made the first-ever recording of it with the biographer Michael Kennedy has observed, Hallé Orchestra under (a younger the work is a hybrid of Parry and Walton, friend and colleague whom Boult greatly though Boult never lost his affection for it. admired). Right from its successful première in Doubtless its anti-war sentiments stirred 1930 the Concerto was taken up eagerly by him; and, in any case, ‘It is beautiful music, pianists (not only native players: Artur isn’t it?’ he was heard to remark during Rubinstein even made his 1936 Proms debut one rehearsal. Ireland attended a Boult performing it) and it enjoyed a vogue lasting performance in 1945, subsequently writing well into the 1950s. The fact that Ireland had to him: ‘No conventional words can be written it originally for a young female pianist, marshalled by me to express my feelings Helen Perkin, at one time perhaps led to it about your performance of my choral piece being viewed as something of a female last night … all I met afterwards [was] province; Eileen Joyce, however, had become a spontaneous praise and admiration for your hugely popular artist during the 1939–45 war inspired and truly splendid presentation of and it was an astute move on the part of the what is embodied in this music. If it happens recording company to capitalise upon it by that I have been the amanuensis of this so engaging her. Ireland thoroughly approved: urgent message, you have been the orator according to her biographer he provided special chosen to deliver it …’ coaching and attended all the rehearsals and the recording in . Lyndon Jenkins 2009 These things shall be

Chorus Chorus Say, heart, what will the future bring, … one fraternity. To happier men when we are gone? They shall be simple in their homes, What golden days shall dawn for them, And splendid in their public ways; Transcending all we gaze upon? Filling the mansions of the state With music and with hymns of praise. These things shall be! A loftier race Than e’er the world hath known shall rise In aisles majestic, halls with pride, With flame of freedom in their souls In gardens, in groves and galleries, And light of science in their eyes. Manhood and age and youth shall meet To grow by converse only wise. They shall be gentle, brave and strong, Not to shed human blood, but dare New arts shall bloom of loftier mould, All that may plant man’s lordship firm And mightier music thrill the skies On earth and fire, on sea and air. And ev’ry life a song shall be When all the earth is paradise. Baritone solo Nation with nation, land with land (Say, heart, what will the future bring?) Unarmed shall live as comrades free; These things, they are no dreams, shall be, In ev’ry brain and heart shall throb For happier men when we are gone: The pulse of one fraternity. Golden days for them shall dawn, Transcending all we gaze upon.

John Addington Symonds John Ireland Eileen Joyce

Sir Adrian Boult and Redvers Llewellyn at the Royal Albert Hall. Photos courtesy of Lyndon Jenkins. London Philharmonic Orchestra

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is known between September and May each year. as one of the world’s great orchestras with In summer, the Orchestra moves to Sussex a reputation secured by its performances in where it has been Resident at Glyndebourne the concert hall and house, its many Festival Opera for over 40 years. The Orchestra award-winning recordings, its trail-blazing also performs at venues around the UK and international tours and its pioneering has made numerous tours to America, Europe education work. Distinguished conductors and Japan, and visited India, Hong Kong, who have held positions with the Orchestra China, South Korea, Australia, South Africa since its foundation in 1932 by Sir Thomas and Abu Dhabi. Beecham include Sir Adrian Boult, Sir John Pritchard, , Sir , The London Philharmonic Orchestra made , Franz Welser-Möst and Kurt its first recording on 10 October 1932, just Masur. was appointed the three days after its first public performance. Orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor in It has recorded and broadcast regularly ever March 2003 and became Principal Conductor since, and in 2005 established its own record in September 2007, succeeding . label. These CDs are unique: amongst them The London Philharmonic Orchestra has been are archive, studio and live concert recordings resident symphony orchestra at Southbank including world-première performances. Centre’s since 1992 and These are also available as high quality there it presents its main series of concerts downloads. Visit: www.lpo.org.uk © Richard Cannon Highlights from the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s label For more information or to purchase CDs telephone +44 (0)20 7840 4242 or visit www.lpo.org.uk

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LPO-0039 LPO-0040 LPO-0016–LPO-0020 (5 CD set) JOHN IRELAND (1879–1962) 70th Birthday Concert

01 11:48 A London Overture

24:36 Piano Concerto in E flat major 02 08:51 I In moderato 03 07:39 II Lento espressivo 04 08:06 III Allegro giocoso

05 08:59 The Forgotten Rite – Prelude

22:30 These things shall be (baritone, chorus & orchestra) 06 05:46 Say, heart, what will the future bring 07 04:41 These things shall be! 08 08:03 Nation with nation, land with land 09 04:00 These things, they are no dream, shall be

SIR ADRIAN BOULT conductor LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA EILEEN JOYCE piano Redvers Llewellyn baritone LUTON CHORAL SOCIETY (music director Arthur E Davies) David Wise leader

Recorded live at the ROYAL ALBERT HALL London

LPO – 0041