Leader, Harold Fairhurst
Conductor, Richard Austin
Solo pianoforte, Clifford Curzon from the Pavilion, Bournemouth
For many years Haydn served the great Austrian family of Esterhazy as Kapellmeister. At his palace at Eisenstadt, Prince Esterhazy had his own chapel, opera house, and concert hall, for which Haydn composed a great deal of music.
The opera The Uninhabited
Island was written by Haydn in honour of the name-day of his royal patron. The overture begins with the traditional slow introduction which gives way to a lively section. Then comes a quieter and more expressive section which is taken from one of the scenes of the opera representing the uninhabited island itself. )
John Ireland's Piano Concerto was first performed at a Prom concert in 1930. In construction it adheres neither to the classical sonata form nor to the cyclic form of Liszt, though elements of both are noticeable in its design. Unlike most other concertos, the music contains little showy writing for the solo instrument, although the themes are clothed in rich ornamentation. It possesses, however, a grace and lyrical charm that is not always an outstanding characteristic of Ireland's orchestral music.