Cello Sonata (Ireland)
The Cello Sonata in G minor is a work by John Ireland, composed in 1923 and premiered on 4 April 1924 by Beatrice Harrison and pianist Evlyn Howard-Jones at the Aeolian Hall, London.[1] Harrison then performed it again at the Salzburg ISCM Festival in August the same year. Ireland subsequently performed and recorded the Sonata for Columbia Records in 1928 with Antoni Sala.[2] Lionel Tertis made an arrangement for viola in 1941 and played it with Ireland at one of the wartime National Gallery concerts that year.[3]
There are three movements: Moderato e sostenuto (which begins quietly but with an important four-note motif that informs the rest of the work); Poco largamente, a lyrical, pastoral movement in the key of Eb; and (without a break) the lively Con moto e marcato, returning to G minor.[4] Performances typically last between 20 and 25 minutes.
Sala described it as "the best cello sonata of modern times".[4] Pablo Casals also thought highly of the piece, but political circumstances prevented him performing it at the time.[5] Ireland had previously written two violin sonatas and a piano sonata. This was his only major composition of 1923.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Cello Sonata (Ireland, John) at IMSLP
- ^ Radio Times, Issue 261, 30 September 1928, p. 18
- ^ Music and Letters, Vol. XXIII, Issue 1, January 1942, p. 94
- ^ a b British Cello Sonatas, Lyrita SRCD361 (2017)
- ^ Muriel Vivienne Searle. John Ireland, the Man and His Music (1979), p.66
- ^ John Ireland: Sonata for cello & piano in G minor at AllMusic
