‘Notes from a Small Island’ is a series of concerts in which pianist Mark Bebbington showcases major works by British composers of the twentieth century. In this second concert, Mark is joined by some of London’s leading instrumentalists, principals from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, for a delightfully rich and varied chamber programme.
John Ireland’s lush Fantasy-Sonata for Piano and Clarinet, reflecting in 1943 the composer’s recent experience of evacuation from Jersey, paves the way for an earlier example of chamber music written in time of war: Elgar’s sublime Piano Quintet of 1918. Rejuvenated and inspired by the peace and rural beauty of the Sussex countryside, Elgar displays imaginative, unabashed late romanticism and a richness of texture that is at times almost orchestral – “full of golden sounds and I like it”, wrote the composer himself.
Linking the two works is a pair of pieces by one of Britain’s most respected composers, Peter Dickinson (b 1934). First, ‘Lullaby’: originally part of a six-movement suite called ‘The Unicorns’ (1982), it has been arranged by the composer for both voice and clarinet, and now for solo piano in a version dedicated to Mark Bebbington. It is followed by a set of miniatures - five delicious ‘Forgeries’ for piano duet evoking in turn the spirits of Poulenc, Hindemith, Delius, Stravinsky and Bartok, in which Mark will be joined by the Malaysian pianist, Irene Loh.
Mark Bebbington’s commitment to British music is well-known and his recordings for the Somm label are numerous and varied, having included major works by Bax, Carwithen, Ireland, Vaughan Williams, Mathias, Alwyn and Bridge, which have earned him consecutive sets of 5***** in BBC Music Magazine, a Gramophone Magazine ‘Editor’s Choice’, and an International Record Review ‘Outstanding’ accolade, prompting International Piano Magazine to write: “Bebbington’s revivals of British piano music are second to none; he could well be dubbed the concert pianists’ Richard Hickox. Bebbington has almost single-handedly demonstrated that 20th-century British piano scores have an exciting role to play in the concert hall and recording studio”.