Composer of the Week - John Ireland (1879-1962) - Episode 3

John Ireland (1879-1962) 3/5. Ireland and the Ladies There was a brief interlude in Ireland's lifelong bachelordom, as in quick succession he married, separated, then sought an annulment. Ireland's song-cycle, Five Poems by Thomas Hardy, reflects a rather more idealised view of love, while his Piano Concerto was dedicated to the other woman in his life at this time, the pianist Helen Perkin. Ireland later withdrew the dedication in a fit of pique after she married another man. When I am Dead My Dearest (Rossetti) Roderick Williams (baritone) BBC Concert Orchestra Martin Yates (conductor) Five Poems by Thomas Hardy Benjamin Luxon (baritone) Alan Rowlands (piano) Sonatina John Lenehan (piano) Piano Concerto in E flat Eric Parkin (piano) London Philharmonic Orchestra Adrian Boult (conductor).