Joseph Holbrooke & Haydn Wood: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 23)

Featuring

Martyn Brabbins
Hamish Milne
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Joseph Holbrooke
Haydn Wood

Did you know?

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Compositional Technique

Holbrooke's 'The Song of Gwyn ap Nudd' is based on a Welsh legend retold by his patron Lord Howard de Walden (writing as T.E. Ellis), with the music intended to illuminate the poem.

Cultural Impact

Haydn Wood's song 'Roses of Picardy' was one of the most successful hits of the First World War, selling over a million-and-a-quarter copies and bringing him fame.

Notable Performances

A 1936 radio broadcast of Holbrooke's Piano Concerto, conducted by Sir Dan Godfrey with Frank Merrick as soloist, survives because Holbrooke recorded it off the air on acetate discs, making it one of the earliest 'demo discs'.

Composer Biography

Joseph Holbrooke, born in Croydon, first appeared as a pianist at Collins Music Hall in 1890, demonstrating his working-class origins and talent.

Composition History

Joseph Holbrooke's Piano Concerto No. 1 'The Song of Gwyn ap Nudd' was first heard at Queen's Hall on November 21, 1910, with Harold Bauer as soloist and Holbrooke conducting.

Critical Reception

Before the First World War, Joseph Holbrooke was dubbed 'the Cockney Wagner' by journalist Hannen Swaffer, indicating high expectations for his career.

Composer Biography

Haydn Wood, though born in Yorkshire, is associated with the Isle of Man and considered its leading composer because his parents moved there when he was two.