Jemima Drews / Flute

Alex Raineri / Piano

Live performance from the 2020 Brisbane Music Festival 'Streamed Series'.

Jai Farrell / Audio Engineer & Videographer

Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty was an Irish composer. He was also a pianist and organist of considerable repute and as a conductor achieved huge success in the UK, including productions of Tristan und Isolde and Carmen at Covent Garden and holding the position (albeit briefly) as conductor in chief of the London Symphony Orchestra. He wrote a significant amount of music, mostly for voice and piano, which for the most part is heavily influenced by the musical traditions of his native Ireland. As the title would suggest, 'In Ireland' is a musical homage to his home country, a tapestry of jigs and dances. It commences with a lyrical opening section where the flute soars over the piano with a gorgeous melody, and the piano ripples harp-like arpeggios. The score bears the subtitle “In Dublin streets at dusk, two wandering musicians are playing.”