Phyllis Sellick (piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra (leader, Paul Beard ). Conducted by Julian Clifford ORCHESTRAPHYLLIS SELLICK AND ORCHESTRA
From a concert hall in the South
One of the most charming of Hoist's orchestral works is the Somerset Rhapsody '. It was written in 1906 at the request of Cecil Sharp, to whom it is dedicated, but it was rewritten in the following year and first performed in 1910. The work is founded on three Somerset folk songs collected by Cecil Sharp 'SheepShearingSong','HighGermany'. and ' The Lovers' Farewell '.
Ernst von Dohnanyi's ' Variations on a Nursery Song ' is very characteristic of the composer's brilliant and individual style. The charming and simple theme (' Ah vous dirai-je, Maman ') is subjected to a series of variations that are as imaginative in treatment as they are full of contrast in colour. Furthermore, the music has many touches of humour, notably the final cadence ending on a low bassoon note.
The work is dedicated * To the enjoyment of lovers of humour and to the annoyance of others '.