British Cello Sonatas: Ireland, Delius & Bax (Lyrita SRCD361)
Lionel Handy, cello; Jennifer Hughes, piano
Bax: Cello Sonata in E flat
Delius: Violin Sonata No. 3 (arr. for cello and piano L. Handy)
Ireland: Cello Sonata
The Cello Sonata in G minor was written in 1923 and premiered the following year on 4 April by the cellist Beatrice Harrison with pianist Evlyn Howard-Jones at the Aeolian Hall, London. The composer himself performed the Sonata many times as pianist with several cellists including Antoni Sala, who pronounced it ‘the best cello sonata of modern times’, and recorded it with Ireland on the Columbia label in October 1928.