Douglas Cameron (cello). BBC Symphony Orchestra : conducted by Clarence Raybould
British Music
John Ireland's ' London Overture ', first played in its present form at a Promenade Concert in September 1936, is based on some of the material of an Overture for Brass Band written in 1934 as the test piece for the National Brass Band Contest at the Crystal Palace. But the two overtures have little in common except his basic material-to all intents and purposes they are two entirely different works. Ireland wishes his Overture to be regarded as No. 4 of his ' London Pieces ', the first three of which-the piano pieces 'Chelsea Reach', ' Ragamuffin and 'Soho Forenoons '-were written in 1917-18. Elgar's Cello Concerto is a deeply expressive and contemplative work, but it is very much freer in form than the Violin Concerto. If anything, it follows the romantic tradition of Liszt, who applied the principles of the symphonic poem to that of concerto form.