John Ireland's substantial output for solo piano has not been well represented in the catalogue, and if this first volume of Eric Parkin's complete survey of the area is anything to go by, Chandos will be doing much to help redress the balance in favour of these fine compositions. The major work here is the Sonata in E minor (completed in 1920), revealing spiritual affiliations with the mystical evocations of his most questioning orchestral essay The Forgotten Rite. Parkin's grasp of the subtle invocations of the Sonata and his total mastery of its technical demands, notably in the quasi-orchestral final movement, is superb, and his performance should certainly prompt other pianists to investigate this music. The same legendary mysticism permeates the Rhapsody (1915), again superbly conceived and effectively played here.
Parkin is equally persuasive in the charming miniatures included on this recital disc, with the innocent transparency of Summer Evening proving memorable, whilst The Towing-Path and Merry Andrew find Ireland in surprisingly relaxed and undemanding mood, with the characteristic overtones of traditional English folk-song never far from the surface of these engaging works. Ireland made no secret of his admiration for Debussy's Preludes when the first series appeared in 1910, and Parkin's readings of the three Decorations and the later Preludes emphasize the improvisatory and impressionistic tendencies of Ireland's solo piano writing.
These performances have a freshness and sense of discovery which this unfamiliar music certainly needs and Parkin has been well served by the Chandos recording, made in St Jude's, London.'