BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert: War's Embers

In the opening performance of this four-concert series – presented by LSO St Luke’s regulars the Nash Ensemble – are two works that give two very different reactions to a conflict that brought a new form of brutality and devastation.

John Ireland’s 1917 Second Piano Trio is a vivid journey, from its languorous opening, to the crushing fear and agitation in its depiction of men going ‘over the top’ – yet there’s a flicker of optimism and hope underneath it all, which triumphs in its impressive finale. Elgar’s 1919 Piano Quintet is a different side of the same coin; introspective, ghostly melodies reign, inspired by the beauty of the Sussex countryside where the composer had retreated in a dark psychological state.