London

Variations as a way of producing music go back a long way. Composing them for orchestra is a less ancient art, and Elgar will have known examples from Mozart onwards. Theorists considered Variations a strict form: some nineteenth-century composers, for instance Brahms, continued on this path but, in Op. 36, Elgar was very much more free; the coherence of this work depends on other factors that were not unprecedented but which he handled with striking originality.

Julian Rushton taught at Cambridge before being appointed West Riding Professor of Music at Leeds; he is now retired, but still writing on the music of Elgar (among others). In 2023 he was honoured by appointment as a Vice-President of the Elgar Society.

This presentation will compare and contrast the two composers, both as men and musicians, with particular reference to Stanford’s initial advocacy of Elgar, the inaugural lecture at Birmingham, the impact of the Great War, and the role played by Malvern.   Branch Secretary from 1995 to 2007, Relf Clark is a regular contributor to the Society’s Journal.

The 1924-1925 British Empire Exhibition held on what is now the site of Wembley Stadium was attended by almost half the nation. For 1924, Elgar was invited to compose music for the Pageant that was held as part of the Exhibition. Andrew Dalton and Andrew Neill consider the background to the Exhibition, this now almost forgotten Pageant and the music which Elgar composed but never completed.

From 1918 to 1978, Adrian Boult was one of Elgar’s most dedicated advocates. He was still at school when he first met Elgar in 1904 at Frank Schuster’s house, and his last public performance in 1978 was The Sanguine Fan at the London Coliseum. Drawing on Boult’s diaries, correspondence and annotated scores, this talk will consider Boult’s personal relationship with the composer and his very long association with the music, illustrated with extracts from unpublished broadcast recordings.

Nigel Simeone is a writer and broadcaster. His book Edward Elgar and Adrian Boult is due to be published in Spring 2025.

Much of Elgar’s choral writing is well known to those who admire his music, but there are many pieces, especially early compositions, which are unfamiliar. This talk will focus on researching, performing and recording these works, a number of which were included on the choral disc The Reeds by Severn Side. Performed by the Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and conducted by William Vann, this recording surveyed Elgar’s choral music throughout his life, and a follow up disc is planned for 2025. Conductor and pianist William Vann is Director of Music at the Royal Hospital Chelsea and has a particular interest in English choral and vocal music.

Gustav Holst was a younger contemporary of Elgar.  To celebrate the 150th anniversary of his birth in 1874, Chris Cope will present music by Holst, other than The Planets. He will start his talk with a brief biography of Holst, his relationship with Vaughan Williams and the way that his style of composition developed from his early ‘Wagner period’ to finding his own individual style. There will be musical examples starting in 1905 and running up to 1933, the year before Holst’s death. The music will range from works for solo instrument and orchestra, full orchestra, brass band, sacred music, part-song and voice and piano. He is confident that members will be hearing some of this music for the first time.

Chris Cope is an experienced amateur musician and Chairman of the Holst Society.

This talk will consider the role played by the cellist Beatrice Harrison in the composition and performance of three works: the Cello Concertos by Elgar and Delius, and Delius’s Double Concerto, which he wrote for Beatrice and her sister, May Harrison. The talk will assess Beatrice’s creative contribution, as well as Elgar’s and Delius’s compositional approach to the format.

Daniel Grimley is Professor of Music and Professorial Fellow at Merton College, Oxford.  He researches and writes on late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century music, especially in Scandinavia and England.  

The programme of English music will include Elgar’s Soliloquy for oboe and Romance for bassoon and Stephen Dickinson’s Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano.

The recital, at 8.00 p.m., will be preceded at 7.00 p.m. by the Branch AGM.