News
In this issue ...
Page Page Address for Communications 2 Elgar Birthplace: Interim Director 17 Keep in touch 2 Birthplace Report 18 Letter from the Chairman 3 Donald Hunt at the Birthplace 20 Elgar Society News: the future 4 From the Birthplace Archive 21 Nomination for Secretary 5 Obituaries 25 Elgar Society AGM Adeste Fideles by Elgar 31 and Birthday Weekend 6 Concert Reviews 32 Elgar Day at 3Choirs Festival 8 Brief items 35 Treasurer’s Notes 8 Delius Society 39 Website News 9 Branch Reports 40 From the Membership Secretary 11 LSO Concerts: special offer 50 Welcome to new members 12 Branch Events 51 Elgar Works 12 Dates for your Diary 55 A new EE recording! 14 Crossword 64 This is what I do 16 Trustees’ Annual Report T1
No. 58 – April 2016 Address for Communications
Contributions for the August 2016 issue of the Elgar Society News should be e–mailed to both the compilers:
Richard Smith: [email protected] Peter James: [email protected]
Full contact details can be found on the back cover.
The latest date for submissions for the August issue is 25 June 2016. Ernie Kay
Some of you will already know that one of the compilers of previous issues of The Elgar Society News, Ernie Kay, is suffering from a non–reversible serious illness. He has had to move to a new address which is Perrins House, Moorlands Road, Malvern, WR14 2TZ but his telephone number, 01684 567917, remains the same. For this reason, Ernie can no longer play an active role in compiling the News. We are delighted to report, however, that he is willing to contribute his expertise (as can be seen below) to this and future issues. We wish him well as we are sure you will all do.
Keep in touch
Remember: you can keep up to date with the latest Elgarian news online at
Facebook: www.facebook.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com
London Branch Account: https://twitter.com/ElgarLondon
YouTube: www.youtube.com
or, search for ‘Elgar’ or ‘Elgar Society’ or ‘Elgar Birthplace’.
2 Elgar Society News Letter from the Chairman
Dear Friends Welcome to the annual special edition that includes the yearly accounts and the Trustees’ annual report, with its reports on the whole range of our work. Last year at this time I wrote, ‘I really ought to complete the set [of Branch visits] with a trip to the Southern Branch’, and I am delighted to tell you I shall see our friends in the south in May, following another enjoyable visit to the Scottish Branch in March. In the following pages are details on both the Birthday Weekend in June (which coincides with the Queen’s 90th birthday celebration) and the Elgar Day at the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester in July. I look forward very much to seeing as many of you as possible at these enormously enjoyable events. The two areas of endeavour on which we are making progress are our recordings and our German initiative. On the first, we are at an advanced stage of negotiation over the remaining five recordings we believe we need to complete a full discography of recordings of Elgar’s lesser appreciated works. More details will emerge as the year progresses. On the back of enthusiastic colleagues in Germany coupled with advocacy and practical help from the Executive Committee, the Elgar Family Charity Trust and Elgar Works, we are enabling and assisting increasing numbers of choral concerts in Germany, and over the next few years you will read about more performances in the Elgar in Performance section of the TAR. I recently heard reports from Ann Vernau, John Norris and Barry Collett about the superb performance of Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf in Herford, North Rhine–Westphalia, and regretted very much not being present then. However, I was lucky enough to attend in February an overwhelming performance of The Dream of Gerontius, given by the Kurrende choir under Benedikt Brändle in the ancient and lovely university town of Tübingen in Baden– Württemberg. From the moment my wife and I arrived at Stuttgart Airport, where we were met by Wolfgang Werner, we were treated with exemplary kindness and friendship. I witnessed the start of the choral rehearsal on Friday evening, one of the two afternoon rehearsals with soloists and orchestra on Saturday and Sunday
No. 58 – April 2016 3 Letter from the Chairman
culminating in what I described to my German friends as ‘a wonderful performance and an unforgettable experience’. Soloists, choir and orchestra were equally superb and I shall cherish for a long time the extended silence that followed the last chord and then the increasingly enthusiastic applause that brought a deserved standing ovation. Clearly, just as at the beginning of the last century, Elgar’s music is in excellent and sympathetic hands in Germany!
The Kurrende Choir, Tübingen [Photograph: Steven Halls]
Elgar Society News: the future When in April 2013 we heard that the editor of the Elgar Society News was retiring with immediate effect, we at the West Midlands Branch Committee discussed the likelihood of the Society losing its main channel of communication with the membership. Once gone it would not be easy to effect a comeback!
It was agreed that, on behalf of the Branch, Richard and myself would provide a stopgap for one year and three editions. A further aim during this period was to set a clear brief for the next permanent editor covering content, print and cover standards and the distinctive roles of the Journal and News.
4 Elgar Society News Elgar Society News: the future
Now with the invaluable addition of Peter James to our team, we have completed eight editions and achieved many of our aims. In any case we have had more bouquets than brickbats!
It was always my personal aim to retire from the scene though, in a non–executive role, my advice will of course be still available to Richard and Peter as long as useful.
Ambitions for the News for the future? Use of colour or improvement of black and white photographs in the printed version. While acknowledging the digital age and on–line publishing, I have the old fashioned love of printed archives on my bookshelf.
Personal thanks to my co–workers and all the many contributors for their help. Ernie Kay
Nomination for Secretary
I will be standing down as Secretary at the AGM on 11 June 2016, after ten years in the post. The Secretary’s main responsibilities are: to fix Executive, Council and Branch Chairmen’s meetings; to prepare agendas for those meetings, in consultation with the Chairmen of those committees; to take the minutes of those meetings and circulate them; and to fix the AGM and oversee arrangements for the Birthday Weekend. As Secretary I have also had the pleasure and privilege of presenting the Elgar Medal as well as making the arrangements for presentations. Nominations for the office of Secretary shall be made in writing, signed by a proposer and seconder (who must be members of the Society) and by the candidate signifying willingness to stand; and should be received by the Honorary Secretary by 16 April 2016. Should there be more than one valid nomination a postal ballot of the members of the Society shall be held, the results of which shall be declared at the Annual General Meeting. Ballot papers shall be distributed to members not later than twenty–eight days before the Annual General Meeting and shall be received by the
No. 58 – April 2016 5 Nomination for Secretary
Honorary Secretary not later than seven days before the Annual General Meeting. Ballot papers shall be subject to the scrutiny of two members of the Society.
If you consider that you have the necessary qualifications to act as Secretary of the Society you are invited to contact the Hon. Secretary. All the other officers offer themselves for re–election. Helen Petchey
Elgar Society AGM and Birthday Weekend 11–12 June 2016
If you are a new member or haven’t been to a Birthday Weekend before, please do consider coming. It’s good to meet other members. I have made many friends over the years whom I look forward to seeing each year in Worcester.
At 7.30 pm on Friday 10 June, John Harcup will be talking about ‘Elgar in Malvern and on the road to fame’ at Eden Church, Grovewood Road (off Townsend Way), Malvern, WR14 1GD (next to Malvern Spa). This is a meeting of the Malvern Civic Society, but Elgar Society members are most welcome.
On Saturday 11 June members will be able to meet for coffee at Birchwood from 10.30am. Our thanks to Eileen and Mike Vockins for opening their home to us. Members always enjoy visiting the house where Elgar composed The Dream of Gerontius. To find Birchwood take the A4103 from Worcester. There is a signed right turn 2 miles beyond Leigh Sinton. The house is on the right one mile on. The postcode is WR13 5RZ.
The AGM will be at 2pm on Saturday 11 June in the hall of St George’s Catholic Church (See AGM notice).
NB Choral Evensong will be at 5.30pm on Saturday at Worcester Cathedral, which will be followed by the traditional laying of a chaplet beneath the Elgar memorial window. This is because Evensong on Sunday will be celebrating the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, with a multitude of guests. Although
6 Elgar Society News Society AGM and Birthday Weekend there will almost certainly be some of Elgar’s music at the Sunday service, the Dean felt that there could be more focus on Elgar, and the Society, at the Saturday service, at which the Cathedral Choir will be singing. Members are welcome to attend Sunday Evensong too, and the Dean has offered to reserve seats for us. Please let me know on the booking form whether you would like to come so that I can let the Cathedral know how many seats to reserve for us. On Saturday evening at 7.30pm Malvern Festival Chorus will be performing Music for Shakespeare – Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music, Finzi’s Let Us Garlands Bring, and Parry’s This England at Great Malvern Priory. Tickets are £12 and available on the door or from the Malvern Theatres Box Office – 01684–892277. On Sunday 12 June at 11am the AT Shaw Lecture Re– imagining a Masterpiece: Donald Fraser’s Orchestration of the Elgar Piano Quintet will be given in the theatre of the King’s School (5 College Green, Worcester, WR1 2LL) by Kenneth Woods, Principal Conductor of the English Symphony Orchestra. Hailed by Musical Opinion as a ‘worthy addition to the Elgar canon’, the English Symphony Orchestra’s world premiere recording of composer Donald Fraser’s orchestration of the Elgar Piano Quintet (coming in May from Avie Records) is shaping up to be a major Elgarian milestone. Kenneth Woods offers a guided tour of Fraser’s inspired reworking of Elgar’s late masterpiece, and a look behind the scenes at how this landmark recording was made. After the lecture, Woods will be joined by colleagues from the ESO and some of the nation’s premier chamber musicians for a performance of the original version of the Quintet. The lecture includes excerpts from the new recording. Tickets £10 and available from me. (See booking form.) As already mentioned, members are invited to attend Choral Evensong at Worcester Cathedral at 4pm, to celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. The weekend will officially conclude with tea and cake at the Birthplace, where we will be delighted to present Martin Bird with the Elgar Medal for his significant scholarship in editing the Elgar diaries and correspondence. Helen Petchey Hon. Secretary
No. 58 – April 2016 7 Society AGM and Birthday Weekend
FORMAL NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting of the Elgar Society will be held at 2.00 pm on Saturday 11 June 2016 in the hall of St George’s Catholic Church, Worcester (1 Sansome Place, Worcester WR1 1UG), to elect the officers, receive the accounts and to deal with other appropriate business. The Elgar Day at the 3Choirs Festival 2016 The Elgar Society Day at the 3Choirs will be on Friday 29 July 2016 at Gloucester. This year the occasion is organised by the South Western Branch. The first event will be Dr Martin Firth talking about Elgar’s Organ Sonata. Martin was a senior lecturer in music at the University of the West of England. He is an organist and a conductor so he brings first hand insights into the subject. His lecture will take place at the Guildhall, Westgate Street, Gloucester at 11.00 am. This will be followed by the Society Lunch in the Festival Marquee at 12.45 pm. Booking for both events has to be done via www.3choirs. org from 18 April 2016 and not via the Elgar Society.
Treasurer’s Notes
From a financial point of view it has been a stable year.
As discussed at the AGM in June we had become aware that the Society had accumulated a large sum of money in bank current accounts bringing in very slim returns (0.05%). At the subsequent Executive Committee meetings and at Council, we discussed what investments we could consider that would produce higher returns, whilst protecting the Society’s capital.
Taking advice from a fully qualified and experienced financial advisor I proposed that a sum of £50,000 should be invested in an Investec ‘kick out’ deposit product. This investment ties up our money potentially for six years depending on the performance of the FTSE100 with the anticipation of a 4.25% return per year. The capital sum is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
8 Elgar Society News Treasurers’ Notes
This proposal was accepted unanimously by both the Executive Committee and the Council. We may well look at other similar investments next year given the amounts currently held on deposit. In December a one–year bond yielding 0.8% matured (£30,000) and I have re–invested this in another Lloyds Bank one–year bond yielding 1.8%. This is an instant access account, so keeps the capital readily available should we need it. Very recently we have received a most generous legacy of £38,000 from the estate of the late of Mr I B Browning, a member of the London branch. This will enable us to continue supporting ‘Elgar in Performance’ in the future. Legacies such as this support the vital work of our society. Please remember the society in your will. In addition to our investments we have circa £53K in the bank (£91K following our recent legacy). The accounts for the year to December 2015 are not yet finalised but should be ready for the Auditor very soon and will appear un– audited in the TAR in this issue. The legacy from Mr Browning will not appear in the accounts as that was not received until January 2016. We received no legacies during the year 2015 and overall there is a relatively small deficit of £6,680.59. Helen Whittaker
Website News
Whilst I realise that to many readers of the News the very idea of a website may bring on an attack of the vapours, I feel confident that the technology that makes such a thing possible would have been of immense interest to Elgar himself. I honestly believe that if he were composing today, his desk would undoubtedly have a personal computer, an electronic keyboard and a Bluetooth– connected iPhone!
It is for this reason (among many others) that I have no hesitation in once again encouraging each member to consider taking the thrice–yearly mailing in its electronic form. After all, you can still
No. 58 – April 2016 9 Website News
print out all or parts of it if you dislike reading from a screen and, let’s face it, how often do you refer to old issues? Even if you do, they are all available on the Archive page anyway!
For some time now we have had difficulties with the on–line forms that appear on the site. Whilst they have worked perfectly well for most users, some have had problems with downloading and completion. Usually this is due to a setting or software problem with the user’s computer, but whatever the cause, the result is invariably frustration and a frantic e–mail complaining that there is a problem. I am now happy to be able to report that all of the on–line forms have been completely re–cast and are now pages of the site, rather than files that need to be downloaded. If this means nothing to you, don’t worry, just be content that it’s a better system.
Of special note is the addition of an on–line Membership Renewal form. The most convenient way of ensuring that your yearly subscription is paid on time is to set up a Standing Order. A form for this can be found on the website and when completed should be returned to your bank. There are, however, some members who do not wish to use this arrangement and prefer to pay on a year– to–year basis. This can now be done on line using the form on the Membership page. This may be of particular use to members living outside the UK.
Finally, readers may be interested to know that the booklet written by Michael Trott and published by the Society in 2001 to mark its 50th anniversary is now available on the Archive page of the website. Stuart Freed
10 Elgar Society News From the Membership Secretary
Membership Cards
Just to clarify – a blank membership card is included in each December mailing pack. If you read the text on it you will see that it is only valid if you have paid your annual subscription which, of course, the majority of you now have. The pack is processed by our distributor; I have no involvement and, apart from agreeing the printing proof, I don’t even see the new membership card until my own mailing arrives. In effect you, as members, are trusted to be honest in your use of the card.
Subscription payments
Having processed over 600 Standing Orders, I am disappointed to see that some 50 members have still not changed their Standing Order to the ‘new’ subscription rate, which came into effect in January 2013. This is despite several reminders. Now that the list is shorter I am writing to those who are guilty to ask them to pay up what is still due! As I write this the total of underpaid subs is just over £500.
Thanks to everyone who has paid – the right amount, on time.
And also to those who, in effect, make donations, either by paying more than what is due or, as Honorary Members, are not required to pay anything.
Finally – remember that if you have not yet paid the subscription for the current year this will be the last mailing you will receive. I do not issue reminder notices: even allowing for e–mail reminders, the postal costs of sending out many notices by post is entirely disproportionate to the amount outstanding. The ‘Master Membership List’ is not pruned until I prepare the list for the August mailing in mid–July. David R Young Hon. Membership Secretary (My address is on the back cover)
No. 58 – April 2016 11 Welcome to New Members
We welcome warmly the following new members of the Society: Mr Peter Jelley Coventry Mr Peter Arnold Bungay Mr & Mrs Geoffrey & Margaret Caseley Grange–over–Sands Mr David J Childs Hopkins Aldsworth Mrs Margaret Chrystie Shipley Miss Janette Cooper Cardiff Mr & Mrs Paul & Jeanette Cull Leigh Miss Jane Ellman Manchester Ms Diana Hall Nantwich Ms Pamela Harper Worthorpe Miss Dianne Knowles West Didsbury Mr Gary Laird Huddersfield Mr Senji Lim Singapore Mr John Ling Harrow Mrs Margaret Morphew Fareham Mr Allen Prior Cheltenham Mrs Mary Rodriguez Greensboro, NC, USA Mr Simon Toomey Co. Kerry, Ireland Mr & Mrs Keith and Anne Wilson Dundee Ms Patricia A Wolsey Scarborough Mr Kenneth Woods Penarth Elgar Works
It is often seemingly the simplest of tasks which contain the unforeseen pitfalls. And so it was with the latest volume in the Collected Correspondence series, a second edition of Jerrold Northrop Moore’s The Windflower Letters for which most of the text had been written long ago, leaving us with the routine task of updating the footnote source references. Documents held in 1989 at the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Records Office presented no problems since, although all have since moved back to the Birthplace, they retain the same reference numbers, albeit with a new prefix. But many of those already at the Birthplace in 1989, mainly in ‘parcel 584’, had since been dispersed and proved difficult to track down. Exceptional (if predictable) intensive help from Chris Bennett succeeded in locating all but a handful, allowing the volume to be dispatched to the printers in time for us to take delivery three days before Christmas.
12 Elgar Society News Elgar Works
Editorial activity since then has been devoted almost wholly to the next Complete Edition volume. This will be Donald Hunt’s volume of accompanied part–songs which will include the Bavarian Highlands cycle, The Snow, Fly Singing Bird and the first uniform publication of Elgar’s entire œuvre for The Pageant of Empire. As with the unaccompanied part–songs, Elgar provided later arrangements, now largely forgotten, of many of the songs in this volume for other vocal forces, making it another exceptionally fat volume possibly exceeding the 520 pages of Vol.23 published last September. Donald had all but completed the editing of the songs by the middle of last year and, for a variety of reasons, progress towards publication has been unusually slow. We console ourselves with the thought that since publication of the Concertos volume in December 2014, in 18 months we shall have published two further volumes with a page–count close to that of four more typically– sized volumes, with the further consolation that the subsequent volume will be considerably slimmer.
With the Works financial year end falling on 2 January, administrative tasks always consume far too much time in the first weeks of the new year. This year the task has been complicated by the final stages of the merger of the two charities, Elgar Works and Elgar Society Edition Ltd. This is the inevitable conclusion to a process triggered by the launch of the Collected Correspondence in 2012, with the final act being to ask Companies House to strike off ESE Ltd, a dormant company since its business activities transferred to Elgar Works two years ago. We nevertheless planned to keep both bank accounts going as a useful way of ring–fencing money dedicated to the Complete Edition. Not possible, however, the Listening Bank told us, keen to protect itself against the possibility that ESE Ltd is actually a front for laundering money collected for Daesh: from the moment ESE Ltd is struck off, its bank accounts will be frozen and any remaining funds (which for months have legally belonged to Elgar Works) will be handed over to the Treasury. Obviously we shall have everything out of the bank’s vaults and the account closed before that happens. Persuading wholesalers to make future cheques payable to Elgar Works and all subscribers to amend their standing orders may prove trickier.
No. 58 – April 2016 13 Elgar in Performance
Our greater challenge in coming months, however, arises from the National Trust’s takeover of the Elgar Birthplace in the Autumn, since the Collected Correspondence series and score hire business were developed primarily for the benefit of the Birthplace. The loss of the Birthplace as a sales outlet for Elgar Works products would force us to look for new ways of marketing these lines, whereas if we can persuade the Trust to continue the Birthplace’s present role, it would open up a significant new market for our products. Although there’s a long way to go yet, I had an initial meeting with the National Trust in the past few days which proved as promising as it was interesting. John Norris A new EE recording!
I thought the days of finding any ‘new’ recordings conducted by the composer were long gone! But not so!
I was contacted last summer by a member of the Society to tell me that he had been browsing my Elgar discography on line and reckoned a friend of his had a recording conducted by the composer that I had not listed. On 11 April 1933 Elgar conducted the BBC SO for a recording session at Abbey Road.1 In addition to the records of Cockaigne, Pomp & Circumstance March No. 4 and the Prelude to The Kingdom which were issued soon afterwards and subsequently remastered for LP and CD, there was a final item, the premiere recording of Elegy. Elgar was sent test pressings in May by which time HMV’s ‘Record Testing Conference’ had passed them for possible publication. Two days later, Elgar responded: ‘The records have come & are very good’. However, in a letter that Fred Gaisberg wrote to the composer on 23 August, he refers to an earlier conversation in which Elgar had asked for the recording of Elegy to be repeated.
1 I am indebted to Jerrold Northrop Moore’s Elgar on Record pp.196–215 for details of these recording sessions and Elgar’s response to them. 14 Elgar Society News A new EE recording!
Elgar’s final recording session took place in Kingsway Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra on the afternoon of 29 August. First on the agenda was the Serenade and then at the end of what was probably a long and somewhat arduous afternoon for a 76–year old who was not by then in the best of health, a new recording of Elegy was cut, making it the last music Elgar conducted. It was this recording that was issued shortly after Elgar’s death – presumably someone at HMV considered that ‘newest is best’– and this is the version that has been made available on LP and CD. The assumption has always been that the masters and test pressings of the April recording were destroyed. What has now come to light is a test pressing from the April session, and the handwritten annotation on the label ‘Bee from Carice’ would suggest that this was the copy sent to Elgar. (I understand that the disc was part of a collection that came from the home of husband and wife, Peter Bates and Beatrice Sherwin. Both were pianists and I have seen their copies of the ‘Enigma’ Variations piano scores – his dated 1931, hers 1934.) What makes this such a significant find is that this is not merely a variant take of the published recording but a totally different performance made with a different orchestra and in a different location. And more than that it certainly sounds startlingly different, much more alive – there is a much greater sense of ebb and flow, of this very personal music being treated with the utmost sensitivity, beside which the LPO record sounds rather penny–plain. A small group of us have formed a syndicate and after careful negotiation have been able to buy the disc. Our aim is to issue it on a CD with other rare Elgar records that have not yet appeared on CD and then to ensure that this important disc is deposited somewhere where it will be preserved for posterity. John Knowles
No. 58 – April 2016 15 This is what I do
I was asked to write a piece saying ‘this is what I do’, but I guess after ten years it should be ‘this is what I have done’! I was elected Hon. Secretary in June 2006 when Andrew Neill was the Chairman, David Morris the Vice–Chairman, and dear Phyllis Shipp the Hon. Treasurer. There have been four other Treasurers since then, including the greatly missed Margot Pearmund, and now we have the wonderful Helen Whittaker. Steven Halls became Chairman in 2008 and Stuart Freed Vice–Chairman the following year. As Steven said last year, we don’t always agree but we have never fallen out, and have had a good working relationship. When I became Secretary I had never written minutes, but with guidance from both Carl Newton, who had been minutes secretary, and Andrew Neill, and at least 86 sets of minutes later, I think I’ve got the hang of it! I enjoy the administrative side of being Secretary and, although it’s time consuming, I like to dig out information from previous sets of minutes which I’ve been asked to check on. I can see that I may still be asked to do this even after I stand down in June! The Birthday Weekend has of course been an important part of my role as Secretary – making sure that the hall is booked for the AGM, the chaplet is ordered for the Cathedral and that everything is set for tea at the Birthplace. For the latter I must thank the West Midlands Branch, and particularly David and Ann Hughes for the delicious birthday cake they provide us with each year. Before they took over the cake–baking a lady called Mrs Chalmers used to make the cake but she decided to give up in her 90s! Sometimes there are things happening which we can latch onto, such as concerts, and I have to thank Donald Hunt for providing us with some lovely occasions over the years. This year I’m delighted that Kenneth Woods, the Principal Conductor of the English Symphony Orchestra, will be giving the AT Shaw Lecture and performing Elgar’s Piano Quintet with ESO colleagues. One of the things that give me the greatest pleasure is organising presentations of the Elgar Medal. It’s satisfying to see the end result of a worthy recipient receiving the medal, and the pleasure it gives, knowing that I have sorted out the logistics behind the scenes. One of the highlights of my time as Secretary was to present the medal
16 Elgar Society News This is what I do myself to Sir Andrew Davis at the Barbican in April 2014. I had sung at the Barbican many times with the London Symphony Chorus but to walk up those steps (and he made me go first!) was quite daunting! I told him I was quite nervous backstage but that at least I didn’t have to conduct The Apostles! He gave me a hug and said that he thought that was easier! It helped that I had friends in the BBCSO and Chorus cheering me on! There are many more occasions I could mention after ten years, but I would need at least half the Elgar News to tell you about them! I would like to thank all my colleagues, past and present, on the Executive, Council and Branch Chairmen’s Committee who have supported me over the years. Helen Petchey The Elgar Birthplace from the Interim Director
At the time of writing my last update on the proposed relationship with the National Trust, the terms of the proposed agreement had been developed and were about to go through the approval process with both the National Trust and the Elgar Foundation Board. December and January saw both organisations hold meetings which gave the go–ahead to the arrangement and the next stage will be the production of a formal legal agreement for signature by all parties. It is expected that the new arrangement will take effect on 1 October 2016 and the National Trust will then start work as soon as possible to build a café in the vacant offices in the visitor centre. Detailed planning is yet to be undertaken in relation to this work and so the impact on access for visitors is as yet unknown. However, in anticipation of the need to secure and protect display items, it is our current intention to close on 18 September to prepare for the building work that will take place. Over the next few months we will be working with the National Trust team to provide an input to their planning, and as this takes place more detail on the future operation of the Museum will emerge.
No. 58 – April 2016 17 Report from the Interim Director
In my last update, I mentioned that a decision on the future of the Archive would not be taken immediately but would be deferred for up to 12 months to allow proper consideration. The Foundation’s Management Committee have set up a small independent working group to look at this and ensure that stakeholders and interested parties, including Elgar scholars, are consulted and their views taken into account. Ian Savage
Birthplace Report
The new season of Tuesday morning talks with Donald Hunt is now well under way at the Museum. The list of topics for this year’s talks can be found elsewhere in this issue, and the talks are proving as popular as ever. Donald creates such a warm and friendly atmosphere in the Carice Elgar Room, and his knowledge on such a wide range of musical topics is unrivalled. We are now in our sixth season of talks, and as Donald never accepts a fee, he has raised several thousands of pounds for the Museum. Do support them if you can – they can’t go on for ever! Another fast–approaching event is the annual fundraiser by Gabrielle Bullock and her colleagues from Sounds Arty. On 22 April, the eve of St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s 400th birthday, they will be presenting a show entitled Harry, England and St George, a light–hearted look in words and music at Shakespeare, his legacy, and ‘all things English, including St George, who wasn’t’. Tickets for all events are available from our website, or by telephoning the Museum. Something else that has kept us busy over recent weeks is the Museum’s new website. We realised that something had to be rather urgently prepared when it became apparent that the underlying software that ran our old site was no longer to be supported, and therefore the security of the site could not be guaranteed. We also took the opportunity to make the site more user–friendly for mobile users. I suppose websites are never complete and they are all ‘work in progress’, but this is more so for our new site. We felt that it was essential to get the basics on–line as soon as possible, with more information being added over a period of time.
18 Elgar Society News Birthplace Report
The on–line Elgar Shop is now up and running, but I’m afraid that those of you who registered your details with the old shop will find that those details no longer work. You may register your details quite easily with the new shop, but there is no need; you may shop as a ‘new customer’ each time if you prefer. One benefit of the new shop is the ability to offer discounts. Over the years, Elgar Editions published a series of award winning books, The Best of Me, Elgar in the Bavarian Highlands, Elgar in America, A Special Flame, Elgar and Chivalry, to name just a few. These books have already been slashed in price, but we’d like to celebrate the opening of the new website by offering a further 20% discount to all Elgar Society members. To take advantage of these extra discounts, please send an e mail to the Birthplace, quoting your Society membership number and requesting a discount code. When you receive your code, simply type it in to the relevant box in the check–out pages next time you want to purchase some goods, and the discounts will be applied automatically. What’s more, if you spend £50 or more, you will also get free delivery to a UK address. Payment can be by your own PayPal account, if you have one, or by a standard credit or debit card – or we can always take orders over the phone. We have been able to keep the old web address, so just log on to www. elgarmuseum.org
Our season of Family Events is also well under way, with events during the Easter and Whitsun holiday weeks, and throughout the summer holidays. Full details can be found on our website www. elgarmuseum.org
A reminder to all members that the Birthplace is now open Fridays to Tuesdays, 11am–5pm, opening on Wednesdays and Thursdays only for group visits. However, we do propose to open every day during Whit week and Three Choirs Festival week. Details will appear on our website. Further, in preparation for the Museum’s partnership with the National Trust, details are beginning to materialise and the major change is that the NT proposes to convert the vacant office space in the Elgar Centre in to a full café, to replace the current café bar. There is a possibility that the Museum will have to close to enable the building work to take place, and our current planning assumption is that this will be from 18 September. Again, details will appear on our web site as they become known, but we
No. 58 – April 2016 19 Birthplace Report
urge members who are considering visiting the Birthplace from late summer onwards not to travel long distances without first checking that we are open. We will of course update everybody on the situation in the August edition of the News. Chris Bennett
Donald Hunt Talks at the Birthplace
Tuesday 12 April, 10.30am Sir Arthur Sullivan – Victorian Musician There is so much more to admire in the compositions of this remarkable musician than the operettas he produced with W.S. Gilbert.
Tuesday 10 May, 10.30am The Savoy Opera in British Musical History A welcome return visit from guest speaker Roberta Morrell, former principal of the D’Orly Carte Opera.
Tuesday 14 June, 10.30am The Lure of the Movies A fascinating study of composers turning their sights to Hollywood and other film studios to produce some of the most distinctive music of the 20th century.
Tuesday 12 July, 10.30am ‘Pomp and Poetry’ A programme of poetry with a background of some of Elgar’s music, both familiar and unfamiliar, compiled by Stuart and Stella Freed and recited by Peter Sutton.
Tuesday 13 September, 10.30am Ralph Vaughan Williams – ‘A distinctive English voice’ An appraisal of the music of Vaughan Williams, who risked insularity in his quest to create an English style.
All talks feature recorded and / or live performances. Tickets are £6 per talk or £30 for the series. Talks begin at 10.30 and end at approx. 12.15, with free interval drinks.
20 Elgar Society News Donald Hunt Talks at the Birthplace
Tickets are available from the Elgar Birthplace Museum by telephoning 01905 333224, from our website www.elgarmuseum. org or by visiting us in Lower Broadheath, just 3 miles west of Worcester, off the A44.
THE ELGAR BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM CROWN EAST LANE, LOWER BROADHEATH, WORCESTER WR2 6RH (signposted off A44 Worcester–Leominster Road) Tel: 01905 333224 Fax: 01905 333426 e–mail: [email protected] Website: www.elgarmuseum.org OPEN FRIDAY TO TUESDAY, 11AM TO 5PM Last admission 4.15 pm. Possible closure from 18 September until spring 2017. If planning a visit during this period, please check before travelling. Elgar Society members admitted free (please show your new Membership Card). Please pre–book parties of ten or more with the Museum. Events leaflets available on request.
From the Birthplace Archive
The Birthplace is now up and running again after the winter break. During the closed period we like to give special attention to particular areas of the priceless collection, and in January we opened up the display cases and made sure that the books from Elgar’s treasured library weren’t deteriorating. However, it’s not always easy concentrating on the job in hand when you are renewing acquaintances with old friends – favourite and sometimes off–the–wall volumes; for example, Elgar’s own copy of P G Wodehouse’s Uneasy Money or his guide to Paris in Four Days, used by Elgar when he went on a little holiday with Charles Pipe, his future brother–in–law, in the summer of 1880. One rather macabre note by Elgar next to the entry for the Paris Morgue reads: ‘Went in alone. One male corpse’. On a lighter note there is Stephen Leacock’s collection of humorous essays Literary Lapses. Elgar’s copy bears his Marl Bank stamp and I’m sure he would have enjoyed the chapter entitled Self–Made Men, in which a group of successful businessmen try to outdo each other with their tales of hardship when they first arrived in New York, with
No. 58 – April 2016 21 From the Birthplace Archive
nothing to their name. ‘You merely show that you don’t know what living in a tar barrel’s like. Why, on winter nights you’d be shut in there in your piano box just as snug as you please, I used to lie awake shivering with the draught fairly running in at the bunghole at the back.’ ‘Draught! sneered the other man. Don’t talk to me about draughts. This box I speak of had a whole darned plank off it, right on the north side. I used to sit in there studying in the evenings and the snow would blow in a foot deep.’ Proving that Britain’s most original comedy team weren’t always as original as we thought, though I can find no references in the Leacock volume to the Norwegian Blue. Another favourite is Autumn Rambles in North Africa, containing a certificate stating that it was a ‘Prize awarded to Master Elgar for General Improvement’ at Littleton House School, Christmas 1868, and signed by the headmaster Francis Reeve. This would be around about the time that Reeve addressed the class with the words that Elgar would remember for the rest of his life: ’The Apostles were very young men and very poor. Perhaps, before the descent of the Holy Ghost, they were no cleverer than some of you here.’
22 Elgar Society News From the Birthplace Archive
Another favourite volume rejoices in the title Rabbit Keeping for Pleasure and Profit. Obviously a favourite also with the Elgars’ Angora rabbit, Peter, for in the chapter ‘Do Rabbits Drink?’ is written ‘Rather! (signed) Peter’. Chris Bennett
No. 58 – April 2016 23 From the Birthplace Archive
Photograph, above: Carice and Peter
24 Elgar Society News Obituaries
The middle two weeks of last November saw the deaths of two towering Elgarians. Together they had formed one half of Novello’s Elgar Complete Edition team during the 1980s, and yet neither would consider himself a dedicated Elgarian. Both were academic polymaths, both graduating from Caius College, Cambridge, and yet their greatest achievements were essentially practical. I was aware of little of this when I first got to know them through publishing activities in the early 2000s and, since neither of them was self– promotional, it is only in the past two months since their deaths that I have come fully to understand the breadths of their legacies.
Brian Trowell (1931–2015)
After graduating, Brian embarked on a formal career in academia, becoming a lecturer at Birmingham University from 1957 until 1962 where he specialised in early English music, and then at King’s College, London, where he rose to become Professor in 1974. In parallel, he was Director of Opera at the Guildhall School of Music from 1963 to 1967, a role which led to his being appointed Head of Radio Opera at the BBC from 1967 until 1970. It was in this role that he first met conductor David Lloyd–Jones and through their inventive collaboration they provided the listening public with acclaimed first performances of many barely–known operas. In 1988 he moved on to Oxford University as Heather Professor of Music, from which post he retired in 1996.
No. 58 – April 2016 25 Obituaries
Considering his keen interest in opera, it is surprising that Brian developed such a passion for Elgar’s music, but Brian was also a great theorist, for which Elgar provides fertile ground. In this field he did much to develop our understanding of the possible lingering influence of Helen Weaver on Elgar’s music. His theory that it was Helen’s son’s death on the Somme which gave Elgar the resolve to complete the first movement of The Spirit of England can be found in the last chapter of Lewis Foreman’s Oh My Horses! Although by then well in the grip of the Parkinson’s disease which troubled him for the last twenty years of his life, Brian starred in a 2005 New Zealand TV documentary exploring the theory. Elgar’s women seemed to hold a particular fascination for him and he discovered subtleties in the reading of Alice’s diaries which will have passed many readers by. I first got to know Brian through his continuing work for the Complete Edition. His Elgar specialism was the songs, not least in the many texts he had managed to identify through a painstaking search of the literature for the numerous songs Elgar left unfinished. Brian had already committed to providing the appendixes to the two Complete Edition volumes of Elgar’s solo songs, and when Geoffrey Bush, the original editor of these two volumes, died in 1998, it was natural that Brian should be invited to take on the editorship of the whole two volumes. But when I first became involved in the Complete Edition in 2001, the word was that Brian was too ill to complete the volumes and we should therefore quietly put them on one side until he died and a new editor could be appointed. I am eternally grateful to Diana McVeagh for correcting this misapprehension: far from being at death’s door, Brian was very much alive and keen to receive visitors who were avoiding him in the belief that he was too ill to see them. As Brian lived on my route home from the Birthplace, it was an easy matter for me to call on him, and we gradually worked through the material for the two volumes of songs which were eventually published in 2010 and 2013 respectively. It wasn’t easy going, not because of his ill health but his continuing intellectual curiosity. We would be in the middle of discussing a key point for the volume when, without a word, he would jump up and rush out of the room. That it wasn’t to satisfy an urgent call of nature only became clear
26 Elgar Society News Obituaries when, perhaps ten minutes later, he would stagger back into the room with an armful of books retrieved from his library that he hoped would provide an answer, or even take us off in a totally different direction. He continued to evolve new theories about the most obscure of Elgar’s works right up to my final visit, and I had to insist on the redaction of large chunks of speculation, inappropriate for the Complete Edition, from the Forewords to the two songs volumes. It was Brian who discovered Muleteer’s Serenade and The Millwheel, the two ‘new’ songs espoused by the BBC in June 2013 and now bound into the British Library volume of Elgar’s sketches for King Olaf. Brian realised that Elgar had almost certainly finished the songs as they had been performed by Miss Simpson (under Alice’s watchful eye) at an Elgar house party. He persuaded the British Library to raise the paste–overs which Elgar had added in adapting the songs for their later purpose, thus revealing the original forms included in the songs volume. He had planned to attend the first public performance of the songs at the Birthplace on Elgar’s 156th birthday, but sadly it was a day on which his anti– Parkinson’s dosage did not kick in with sufficient effect and he was unable to make the journey. A brave man who refused to be defeated and proved an inspiration to the end.
Robert Anderson (1927–2015)
Although I didn’t realise it until many years later, I first encountered Robert during the late 1980s when I was still a newish Society member and he was conducting the first performance of The Kingdom we attended, given by the Barts Choral Society at the Royal Albert Hall. I first met Robert face to face in 2001 when he offered Elgar and Chivalry for publication to Elgar Enterprises, the Society’s trading arm. We have since published twelve books together, he providing the text and illustrations, I setting them and dispatching the print files to publishers of Robert’s choosing, usually in Eastern Europe. The range of titles shows a little of the breadth of Robert’s interests: books on Baalbek and Palmyra (the latter well under way before Daesh’s destruction of the city), a guide to the treasures of the Nile (a record of his lectures to passengers on Nile cruise ships), five anthologies of his music reviews (of which he wrote
No. 58 – April 2016 27 Obituaries
around one thousand in total, over 400 for the Music and Vision (www.mvdaily.com) website, and one relating to Pope Shenoute. If that isn’t a name with which you are familiar, I should explain that this Pope Shenoute was probably the most noteworthy leader of the (Egyptian) Coptic Church, not the Roman Catholic Church, but my mistake was to assume that Robert had written a short biography of Shenoute. Not at all, he explained: the book contained his own translations from the Coptic language.
Robert was born in India of Mancuno–Shetland parents and educated at Gordonstoun School (where he later served as director of music for five years), Harrow, and Cambridge University (where he developed his passion for Egypt). Thereafter, he divided his life into decades alternating between music and Egyptology. His achievements in the latter field, which included being one of the first to enter the re–opened Tutenkhamun’s tomb, are recorded more fully than space here allows in an interview in the November 2002 issue of the News. Apart from his prolific output of reviews, his musical achievements included radio and television broadcasts for the BBC, a season as assistant to Thomas Schippers at Gian Carlo Menotti’s Festival of Two Worlds at Spoleto in Italy, and serving as accompanist to Jacqueline du Pré when she called round at his Kensington home to rehearse the Elgar Cello Concerto. (Ironically, the cello was also Robert’s first instrument.) His conducting experience extended to such major orchestras as the London Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic, London Mozart Players and English Chamber Orchestra in a mainly choral repertoire, as well as directing Barts Choral Society for many years.
28 Elgar Society News Obituaries
Elgar was not his composer of choice, however – for him, Bach, Wagner and Sibelius all ranked higher – and his close association with Elgar came about partly by chance. He became an associate editor of The Musical Times which, being published by Novello, led to an invitation to join the editorial board of the Elgar Complete Edition, and this in turn led on to commissions from the publisher J M Dent to write the latest Elgar volume in the Master Musicians series and from the British Library for the seminal Elgar in Manuscript. In Novello’s day, many of the Complete Edition volumes were edited directly by members of the editorial board, with Robert taking a leading role in many of the volumes, making him the preferred choice to become General Editor on the Edition’s 2001 relaunch. He never intended this to be more than a stop–gap and stood down four years later, but then became a guiding light in the formation of Elgar Works, his resolute sense of direction steering us round many of the pitfalls a new company faced. I was surprised when he asked if the first volume to be published by Elgar Works could be dedicated to him as this seemed out of character. When he explained that this would allow him to tap his wealthier friends for donations in support of the dedication, all became clear. Within two weeks he had raised £7,000 towards our publication costs, including £500 from a donor who felt it hardly worth getting his chequebook out for so small an amount – the donor’s surname was Rothschild.
Money meant little to Robert; nor did an honorary doctorate from Moscow University and an honorary professorship from Rostov–on– Don because, as Robert explained, this was in return for lecturing engagements and the universities could better afford to pay him in honours than in roubles. But he was acutely aware of death duties so, with no heirs to whom he could hand on the valuable London properties he had inherited from his parents, in 1987 he set up the Robert Anderson Charitable Trust. He had always given board and lodging freely to students from Eastern Europe and the Middle East wishing to study in London. The establishment of the Trust not only put his generosity on a more formal basis but, by transferring ownership of the properties to the Trust, it ensured that the arrangement could continue after his death.
No. 58 – April 2016 29 Obituaries
Robert was not without his eccentricities – visitors were invariably entertained in his thoroughly unmodernised kitchen; his e–mails, whatever their subject, were always headed with the name of his latest cause; and, before a hand tremor deprived him of the ability to write, his letters were always dated according to what I assumed to be the Egyptian calendar until he put me straight: his dates derived from the putative date of the invention of writing. But there was no doubting his sense of fairness, and a determination that right must prevail, virtues which no doubt served him well during his Lairdship of a large part of the Shetland island of Yell. He was always a fascinating conversationalist, and I shall miss our meetings in the kitchen, frequently interrupted by the latest lodger or phone call from far–flung lands. John Norris
Ron Bleach
Ron Bleach, an enthusiastic and colourful member of the Elgar Society from the 1970s to the early years of this century and a great advocate of Bantock’s music, died on Christmas Eve in his Bristol care home. He was 85.
He was a founder member and former Chairman and Secretary of the South West Branch of the Elgar Society and a former Chairman of the Bantock Society. He served as a committee member of the Federation of Recorded Music Societies for a number of years.
Ron was born of a family originally named Blücher that was related to the famous Prussian army leader who assisted Wellington at Waterloo. He lived most of his life in Bristol. Michael Trott
30 Elgar Society News Adeste Fideles by Elgar
By the time Elgar was in his late teens, in the mid–1870s, he was writing and arranging music for small ensembles, in particular for string quartet, and many of these original pieces and arrangements still exist. It is not clear who comprised the quartet but it seems likely that it was mainly a family affair, as both Elgar’s father and uncle were experienced string players, and Elgar himself apparently learnt the cello as well as the violin. In addition, there was a young German named Karl Bammert, who lodged with the Elgars. Bammert was a violinist, and in 1883 Elgar wrote a fugue for violin and oboe, dedicated to the two players Bammert and Elgar’s brother Frank. There is also the possibility that Frank Weaver, brother of Elgar’s one–time fiancée Helen, could have been one of the violinists. The music survives in five ‘part–books’, labelled ‘Christmas Pieces’ which can be found in the British Library: Dr Christopher Kent in his Guide to Research dates them to around 1876. They contain arrangements for flute and string quartet, the flute part presumably having been written for Elgar’s lifelong friend Hubert Leicester. There are eight pieces altogether, but only the books for second violin and viola contain all of them, and only four of them were arranged for all five instruments. One of the complete pieces is an arrangement of the carol tune Adeste Fideles (which is sung to the words ‘O come all ye faithful’). The quartet play the familiar traditional tune, with the flute entering where the words repeat ‘Come and behold him’. There follow two sets of variations on the tune, the second of which is the more interesting: in it, the flute has the tune and the violist is given quite a demanding accompaniment, while the other strings play pizzicato off the beat. (I like to think that this viola part may have been Elgar’s Christmas present to his Uncle Henry, for whom he always had a great affection.) It is clear that Elgar had intended these variations to be a longer work, as two of the part books have ‘Variation III’ written at the end of the score. So, as the piece was never completed, it seems possible that it may never have been performed. There is also in the British Library part–books another arrangement of Adeste Fideles, this time for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, dating from December 1878; but this is not really an arrangement, as it merely comprises the standard four–part harmony as found in the hymn–books of the day. Geoff Hodgkins
No. 58 – April 2016 31 The Dream of Gerontius in Switzerland
Stadtcasino Basel, Switzerland, Friday 27 November 2015, 7.30pm It was billed as ‘England’s musical national monument – for you in Basel’, which both paid tribute to Elgar’s great work and showed that it needed some introduction to a Basel audience. To my knowledge, The Dream of Gerontius had never been performed here previously and certainly none of the members of the orchestra or choir had ever performed it or even knew it before, as they told me afterwards. Amongst a very full concert calendar in the city, it was a pleasure then to experience something other than the usual run of Haydn to Shostakovich. There was an air of genteel excitement in the foyer of Basel’s main concert hall as the audience gathered and a smattering of English could be heard amongst the local tongues. The hall is a big space to fill, and the concert was very well attended. After a slightly tentative start, the performance unfolded with much to recommend it. The double choir, made up of the Bach Choir of Basel and the Mixed Choir of Zürich, was well trained and had obviously worked hard to get to know the long work well. It is, of course, a work that represents a challenge for any choir, never mind an amateur one, albeit a very good one. Some difficult vocal entries were confidently handled, the fast passagework was admirably sung – the choir definitely being at its limit, but doing a good job there (with the exception of the tricky cross–rhythms in the second part), and there was a genuine attempt to express the work. The high entries from the sopranos, which some professionals have trouble with, were extremely well negotiated. Whether determined by a wish for ‘authenticity’ or the Swiss preference for English over high German (as opposed to Swiss dialect), the choice to perform the work in the original language of Cardinal Newman was an interesting one. (Julius Buths translated the work into German for a performance in 1901, only a year after the premiere in Birmingham, which he attended, so a performance in German would have been far from revolutionary.) The diction from the choir could have been improved, but given that they performed the whole in a foreign language, this must be seen as a minor quibble. A quibble that is less minor concerns the balance within the orchestra. The string section of the professional orchestra, the
32 Elgar Society News The Dream of Gerontius in Switzerland
Basel Sinfonietta, was generally too small (eight first violins, for example) and top–heavy – presumably for financial reasons. The three cellos and two double–basses did an admirable job of trying to hold their own, but the acoustics in the hall being anyway rather top–heavy, they were definitely fighting a losing battle. The brass were sometimes allowed to dominate, for example towards the end of the work. Whether they were allowed to enjoy themselves too much or whether the strings just couldn’t compete is a moot point. When the cellos were playing divisi in the second part, there was certainly no hope of dividing and conquering with only three players, and page turns on two desks meant that the leader of the cello section was sometimes left with an impromptu solo. That said, the strings did a very good job, with some fine playing, a particularly good sound in the all–important violas, and a real sense of trying to gain a feel of the music. There was some very good playing amongst the wind and brass too, and the trumpets – despite perhaps enjoying themselves a little too much on occasion – did a particularly fine job. It was a joy to hear the organ in the hall – the instrument is not often played – and the balance and registration of the organ were perfectly uplifting. The conductor, Joachim Krause, who is also Director of Music at the Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit in Basel, is obviously at home in the world of Catholic church music. As well as doing an excellent job of training the choirs, he managed the many tricky changes of tempo well and usually managed to keep the choir in time. His performance had plenty of drive, but less poetry and depth than can be found in the score. Whilst Gerontius, the North–German tenor Thomas Mohr, seemed in rude health during the first part, some of the members of the audience seemed to be rather nearer to death’s door, as the first cold snap in Basel ushered in the coughing season just prior to the concert. Gerontius was in fine voice and made much of the part, but his scary visions were rendered more persuasively than the depths of his conviction. Romanian–born mezzo–soprano Ileana Mateescu, by contrast, gave a lovely and impressively ‘other–worldly’ performance as the Angel. Despite the maturity of her voice, the balance with the brass and with Gerontius was sometimes problematic, with the Angel definitely out–gunned. Moreover, despite her colourful sound
No. 58 – April 2016 33 The Dream of Gerontius in Switzerland
complete with a very nice high range, Mateescu’s English diction did not always come across clearly. Both male soloists were more at home with the English text, although Gerontius definitely brought a slight twang to his ‘pray’–ing: perhaps he has spent time in the home counties!? Werner Van Mechelen gave strong performances as the Priest and the Angel of the Agony. The colours in his voice made for interesting listening and I found myself wishing that Elgar had written rather more for the second male voice. Throughout the audience and the choir were very attentive and whilst there was no standing ovation (a very rare occurrence in Basel), the mere fact alone that the choir stood for the entire work without a murmur should have earned one. One was reminded how wonderful it can be for amateurs to make music at a high level for sheer pleasure and with everything they can muster. At its best – when combined with a professional orchestra and performing a great work – the result can be something truly memorable and memorably moving. It was high time to perform the work in Basel, so ‘bravo’ to the choirs and the conductor for putting the work on the musical map here. Dr Jessica Horsley (conductor), Basel
Cello Concerto in Mannheim
While on holiday in Germany I was able to attend a concert in Mannheim, given on 14 December by the Musikalische Akademie des Nationaltheater–Orchesters Mannheim e.V. in the impressive modern Mozartsaal of the Rosengarten. The programme consisted of the Elgar Cello Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme and the Elgar ‘Enigma’ Variations. The soloist was a young cellist Maximilian Hornung and the conductor Dan Ettinger. The audience filled the large venue and was very enthusiastic. I am not a skilled music critic but the performance of the ‘Enigma’ struck me as very fine. The Concerto and the Tchaikovsky suffered a little from the exuberant soloist choosing excessive speeds for the faster sections at the expense of expression. The concert was repeated the following day, with every sign that it would be another capacity audience. This experience certainly reinforces the view of growing interest in Elgar’s music in Germany. Dr David McBrien
34 Elgar Society News Brief Items
Sir David Willcocks
May I respectfully offer a small factual correction and a clarification to Philip Petchey’s excellent obituary of Sir David Willcocks (News 57 – December 2015) which was comprehensive in its interest and information. It is stated that Sir David was responsible for ‘the first televised performance of Nine Lessons and Carols in 1963’. In fact, the first performance to be televised was nine years earlier in 1954, three years before David Willcocks arrived at Kings. A digitally– restored tele–recording of this first programme was transmitted on BBC 2 in December 2014. It can still be seen via the YouTube site on the internet by searching for ‘Carols from King’s 1954 Complete [REMASTERED]’. The overwhelming public success of what was then the Corporation’s biggest television outside broadcast, of the Coronation in 1953, inspired continued experimentation and as the BBC had been relaying the King’s College service on the wireless since 1928, it was understandable that a version should be tried on television. It was a successful one–off, but the caravan moved on and didn’t return until 1963, after which the programme’s position as a Christmas fixture in the TV schedules was soon established. The annual radio transmissions remained uninterrupted. David Willcocks was organist for the 1957 service. Boris Ord was still Director of Music, as he was when he appeared in the 1954 TV programme. Ord then retired and David Willcocks began his tenure as Director which saw the cameras back in 1963. The description ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’ has become a kind of shorthand for the annual TV programme, but it should be noted that the television version has never replicated the Christmas Eve service which has been so faithfully relayed by the BBC on the radio for nearly 90 years. As a transmission of a public service, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols takes approximately 80 minutes, and nowadays is broadcast on Radio 4 on Christmas Eve afternoon, repeated on Radio 3 on Christmas Day. The television version is certainly based on the traditional form of service but it is much shorter and the congregation participating in King’s Chapel is specially invited. In 1954 it was titled A Festival of Lessons and Carols, but this evolved to become Carols from
No. 58 – April 2016 35 Brief Items
King’s. Like the 1954 programme it is usually 45 minutes long, although in its time it has been as short as 25 minutes. This means it is possible to fit in only six Lessons at most, and in recent years some of these have been replaced by poems and secular readings. Whereas the traditional radio broadcast is live on Christmas Eve, the special television programme is recorded a couple of weeks in advance. What was particularly telling to anyone who saw the accompanying documentary 60 Years of Carols from King’s, which was transmitted in 2014 on the same night as the complete 1954 re–run, was the intercutting of phrases of the same carol from different years’ transmissions. It is a tribute to the direction of Sir David Willcocks and his successors, Philip Ledger and Stephen Cleobury, that to this viewer at least each sounded pitch–perfect and it could have been one choir singing it all. Chris Rogers
The last two surviving ‘Variations’
Just before Christmas I was approached by a fellow member of the chamber choir with which I sing in Taunton. ‘I gather you are into Elgar?’ she said. Well, I could hardly deny it. She then produced a photograph, shown overleaf. It had been taken by her father, Ralph Nicholson, a professional violin player who also had an interest in photography. The pencilled note beneath the picture reads: ‘“Dorabella” &Troyte (Enigma) Broadheath 1938’. On the back is written ‘Last 2 surviving “Enigmas” “Dorabella” & “Troyte” at Worcester “3 Choirs” in the 1930s (1938) in Elgar’s garden’. The photo must have been taken on the occasion of the formal opening of the Birthplace to the public. Nicholson joined the LSO in 1937 and played in it for many years. He was a friend of ‘Billy’ Reed and deputised for him as conductor of the various orchestras that Reed directed. Ralph Nicholson wrote a book of memories and opinions about many eminent composers, conductors and instrumentalists with whom he had worked, but his daughter does not think that he ever played under Elgar’s baton. The photograph is included in the book A Fiddler Tells All published in 2000 when the author was in his nineties. David Young
36 Elgar Society News Brief Items
A mystery postcard
I have a postcard that I recognise, possibly from seeing it in a book, but cannot place.
Might it be possible to circulate this to your members to see if anyone knows of its origin?
When I first saw it the bottom half of the card was covered up and yet I knew exactly what was written there. This proved to me that it was linked in some way to Elgar and not just a randomly sent card bearing his picture. I own quite a large number of books here relating to Elgar, but I’ve not been able to locate it in any of these.
I’m hoping you can help. You may actually recognise it yourself and know of it origin. Augustus is the signature, but I don’t think it is Jaeger’s writing. The date puts it around the time of Carice’s thirteenth birthday. Geoff Poulton
(The postcard is reproduced overleaf.)
No. 58 – April 2016 37 Brief Items
38 Elgar Society News Brief Items
The Enigma Variations Ballet in Florida
We had a very interesting visitor to the Birthplace this morning who is a member of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. He had come to revisit the museum to get ideas about the Enigma ballet characters in which he has danced Elgar, Jaeger and Basil Nevinson over the years, and he is about to stage in Sarasota with the city’s ballet company. Three performances of Sir Frederick Ashton’s setting of the Enigma Variations are to be staged at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236, between 8 and 9 April 2016. The ballet captures a moment in time in 1899 with Elgar’s friends at his house at Forli in Malvern. Enigma Variations’ theme of friendship and family still resonates and it is considered one of Sir Frederick Ashton’s finest works. The Sarasota Ballet will become the first American company to bring this ballet into its repertoire. Steven Morris
Elgar’s Concert Allegro EM Records have just issued a new disc entitled A Western Borderland, featuring Ivor Gurney’s Five Western Watercolours, Elgar’s Concert Allegro, Walford Davies’s Theme and Variations and the attractive Fantasy Sonata and Characteristic Pieces by contemporary composer Richard Francis. Em Marshall Delius Society
The Elgar Society has a reciprocal agreement with the Delius Society, whereby we offer each other’s members a reduced subscription of 50% for the first year of membership. Contact Membership Secretary Paul Chennell: [email protected].
The London Branch meets six or seven times on weekday evenings between September and March, usually in central London. The Midlands Branch organises its own programme of meetings which are usually held in the Derby area at weekends. Details can be found on the Delius Society website: www.delius.org.uk.
No. 58 – April 2016 39 Branch Reports
EAST ANGLIA: The East Anglian branch has met twice since my last review and it never ceases to amaze me how diverse our topics can be. At the end of October Rupert Marshall–Luck talked to us about the effort taken in ensuring that the musical score printed and played by musicians is as the composer intended. It is possible to research the original score, perhaps held at the Birthplace or British Library and to scrutinise the original printer’s engraving. The February meeting commenced with a brief AGM followed by a fascinating talk by Dr Christopher Wiltshire entitled ‘Elgar as we know him’. Over many years Chris had recorded from the radio any snippets of conversation or programmes featuring Elgar. He briefly set the excerpts in context giving a brief biography of the speaker and their relationship to Elgar or the family. There were pieces from some of the performers of the day but just as interesting were the people who worked for him, the maid who worked for the Elgars in London and the nurse who cared for him during his final illness. Unfortunately, the amount of material exceeded the time, so we hope for a return visit to listen to some more of these little gems of insight. We have a varied programme to look forward to this spring and we are very pleased that our group continues to thrive and would welcome anyone who would like to join with us. Bev Simpson
EAST MIDLANDS: Our 2015 year ended on a high note with two very contrasting meetings. In November Peter Walden gave a talk which he called ‘Special People’. He was referring of course to those in the musical world who had most influenced him: conductors, performers, composers. He also talked about his work with special needs children and how much he and his co–musicians found this rewarding. We enjoyed ‘Members’ Choices’ at our December meeting when we gave our audience the chance to share some music with us and say a few words about why they liked it. The range was quite broad and included Sursum Corda in an arrangement for military band; Chanson de Matin; Pomp and Circumstance No.1; and In the South (Alassio) amongst other pieces.
40 Elgar Society News Branch Reports
The highlight of our 2016 meetings to the time of writing (mid– February) has been when we worked together with the Bishop St Methodist Church in Leicester to celebrate their 200th birthday on 13 February with a live performance of Sea Pictures and other pieces including Serenade for Strings. A talk on ‘Poetry of the sea’ complemented this perfectly. This was indeed something special as it attracted literally a ‘full house’ with not a chair or pew unoccupied. Concerns that the audience figures might be quite low, after all the work that was put into it, especially by Dr Michael Toseland, proved overwhelmingly unfounded! This was to be followed by Barry Collett on ‘Elgar Abroad’ on 12 March and Margaret and Howard Newton on 9 April with a talk entitled ‘Beyond Vivaldi – Seasonal Sounds’. Peter Avis will be welcomed back on 14 May to tell us about Rosa Newmarch (NB This replaces our advertised visit to the Elgar Birthplace), and the first half of our 2016 programme concludes with Dr Christopher Fifield on 11 June speaking on ‘Conducting Elgar’. As usual, everyone, member or otherwise, is welcome at any of our meetings. Howard Newton
Leicester’s Bishop St Church on 13 February. Paul Jenkins conducting the Knighton Chamber Orchestra, with Motje Wolf (mezzo) in Sea Pictures. [Photo: Howard Newton].
No. 58 – April 2016 41 Branch Reports
LONDON: At our November meeting, Terry Barfoot spoke about some of the orchestral songs with particular reference to Sea Pictures and From the Bavarian Highlands, illustrated by some very attractive photographs. More unusually, we also heard music from Grania and Diarmid, a first for several members. ‘Superb’, ‘Sheer delight’, ‘Glorious’ – just a few of the comments we received after our December meeting, when we were treated to a wonderful presentation on ‘Elgar, Blackwood and The Starlight Express’ by Kevin Mitchell. As well as hearing some of the music, we saw many fascinating illustrations, and with Stephen Harrow and Lyn and Peter Nixon taking on the roles of several characters we were taken through the story of the work’s composition and original production. We understand that the repertory company may be open to offers from other branches – book early to avoid disappointment. We started the new year in February, with John Drysdale talking about Elgar’s earnings. Many will have seen his Journal article a few years ago or read his book on the subject, but it came as a surprise to many of us that Elgar was actually far better off, at least in later years, than we’ve been led to believe. John’s meticulous research into publishers’ archives and other primary sources put the whole question of composers’ earnings into context – a fascinating subject. Ruth Hellen
NORTH AMERICAN: As some of you will know, due to the enormous area which our Branch covers we hold an annual three–day meeting in various part of the USA and Canada. This year the meeting will be in Chicago and details are given below. By the time you read this it will already have taken place, but a full report will be given in the August 2016 issue.
Thursday 3 March 2016
6.30pm Drinks in the bar on the 2nd floor of the University Club 7.15pm Dinner in the University Club’s 7th floor Front Grill room 8.30pm University Club’s Brown Room, 6th floor: John Covell’s talk entitled ‘Elgar in Chicago’
42 Elgar Society News Branch Reports
Friday 4 March 2016
8.00am Breakfast in the University Club’s 6th floor Millennium Room 9.00am Millennium Room : Chairman’s welcome and update on the Elgar Society 9.30am Millennium Room : Branch business meeting : election of officers 10.30am Chicago Symphony Orchestra headquarters : tour of the CSO archives 12.00pm UC meeting room: Lunch, followed by Q&A session with Maestro Edward Gardner 2.30pm 2nd Presbyterian Church chamber concert 4.00pm Post–concert tour of the 2nd Presbyterian church 5.00pm Dinner at the Bergoff restaurant 6.30pm Chicago Lyric Opera : Der Rosenkavalier conducted by Edward Gardner
Saturday 5 March 2016
8.00am Millennium Room : Breakfast 9.00am Millennium Room : Terry Brennan on ‘Elgar in Fiction’ 11.00am Chicago Art Institute : private tour including the special exhibition entitled ‘Van Gogh’s Bedroom Paintings’ 1.15pm Lunch at Terzo Piano, the restaurant atop the Modern Wing of the Art Institute 3.00pm St. Chrysostom’s Church : organ recital of transcribed Elgar works 4.45pm Cocktails and hors d’œurves chez John & Connie Covell 8.00pm Concert in Orchestra Hall conducted by Sir Mark Elder 10.00pm Orchestra Hall Green Room : Q&A session with Maestro Mark Elder Arthur Reynolds
No. 58 – April 2016 43 Branch Reports
NORTH WEST: At our December meeting, the tables were turned on our Branch Chairman, Geoff Scargill, when he was put under the spotlight by NW Vice–Chairman, David Jones, who interviewed Geoff in a ‘Desert Island Discs’ type of programme about his origins, family, childhood, education, work, hobbies and musical tastes – which were more varied than some of us may have imagined. Geoff was certainly not lost for words but responded in a positive and often highly amusing way to the questions which were posed. We thought we knew quite a lot about Geoff, but much more was revealed during the course of the afternoon. The ten records which he was allowed to choose (eight were just not enough!) revealed a wide–ranging taste in music from Bohemian Rhapsody through an excerpt from a Bernstein musical (Some Other Time), through Butterworth, Rossini, Schubert and Sibelius to the Adagio from Elgar’s Second Symphony (Barbirolli – of course! – thank goodness, DLJ) part of ‘Pentecost’ from The Kingdom in an interesting recording made at a splendid performance of the work in Germany which Geoff had attended. Geoff’s final choice was also derived from the final work performed at that same concert – Parry’s Jerusalem in Elgar’s orchestration. As Geoff pointed out, it was a very moving experience to hear a German audience enthusiastically singing Jerusalem in English. An excerpt from Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood (superbly read by Richard Burton) had previously revealed something about Geoff’s tastes in literature as well as music. All–in–all, it was a most successful and highly entertaining afternoon. Our opening meeting of 2016, on 16 January, was held at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. The meeting was held in the School’s Baronial Hall and more than seventy people filled it to capacity. So, what was the big attraction? Answer – Sir Mark Elder (world–renowned conductor and Music Director of the Hallé for the last fifteen years). Sir Mark had agreed to come and talk to us and to answer questions put to him by the enthusiastic audience. Our eager anticipation was completely justified. Sir Mark answered the many questions put to him with great aplomb, sincerity and, to our great delight, told some highly amusing stories (some of which involved well–known musicians). It was, to our general acclaim, the highlight of our 2015–2016 season, ‘so far’ – we are not finished yet! After a break for refreshments, we held our formal AGM. For obvious reasons, it was a little more streamlined and regimented than usual.
44 Elgar Society News Branch Reports
Sadly, because of health problems, our long–standing and devoted Honorary Branch Secretary, Pat Hurst, had indicated that she would take a sabbatical from official duties to concentrate on getting better from a prolonged period of illness. Roger Hurst also stood down from the Branch committee. After some thought and persuasion, I agreed to take on the role of Honorary Branch Secretary in addition to that of Vice–Chairman. Geoff Scargill, our very hard– working Branch Chairman has agreed to take on (at least for the time being) the important role of programme organiser (engaging speakers, etc) and I will take on most of the administrative tasks of Hon. Branch Secretary. I hope that we can follow in Pat’s footsteps. She will be a hard act to follow! Our annual Branch luncheon was held on Sunday, 7 February at the Alma Lodge Hotel, Stockport. It was attended by 34 people and much enjoyed by everyone present. Thanks to excellent planning by John Mawbey and the attentive hotel staff and good food we were all well satisfied in more ways than one. The icing on the cake was provided by Kay Thomas and Trevor Davies (two of our Branch members) who spoke briefly but interestingly about Elgar works from which they played extracts. David L Jones SCOTTISH: Our final meeting of 2015 was in November when we saw a visit from Andrew Keener. Andrew is an independent recording producer who gave us an illustrated portrait of one of the most popular but complex personalities among 20th–century conductors. In his audio–visual presentation entitled ‘Sir Malcom Sargent: Elitist with the common touch?’ Andrew played examples of the music of Sargent from the whole classical range including Elgar (The Dream of Gerontius), Delius and Vaughan Williams as well as Gilbert and Sullivan. A fascinating, interesting and revealing talk on a complex conductor. The first meeting of 2016, which was held in January, included the Annual General Meeting of the Scottish Branch in its 19th year! We were treated to Richard Smith, a long–time member of the West Midlands Branch of the Elgar Society, and his wife, Joan, who gave us a very interesting and informative presentation, with many pictures, entitled ‘Elgar in America’. Elgar visited America four times either with or to see Sanford of Yale and Julia Worthington, and Richard
No. 58 – April 2016 45 Branch Reports
and Joan described the visits with extracts from letters, diaries and many photographs from home and abroad. This was a very popular talk from very knowledgeable and popular friends of the Branch. For our March meeting we are pleased to welcome back Dr Steven Halls, cellist and Chairman of the Elgar Society, to Edinburgh. Steven’s presentation is entitled ‘Elgar’s Orchestral Miniatures’. In his talk he will use musical examples and illustrations, and Steven will examine the varied and delightful works from throughout Elgar’s career that helped secure his popularity and financial stability, even if individually they did not scale the heights of his masterpieces. We look forward to our 30 April meeting when we welcome a very special musical treat from David Lyle and the stars of the Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society in a presentation called ‘Elgar meets Gilbert and Sullivan – again!’ We hope to include a production of Box and Cox, one of G & S’s shorter operettas, songs from Elgar’s Starlight Express and Fringes of the Fleet, and hopefully feature our own member, Ian Lawson, in some G & S ‘patter songs!’ A great afternoon is in prospect!! There are two meetings in May for our delectation when, on 7 May, Michael Butterfield, a well–known member of the South Western Branch of the Elgar Society, visits and poses the question, ‘Why do we like Elgar’s Music?’ and he will give us a fascinating presentation entitled ‘Elgar’s 7ths’, as he puts it ‘an investigation into Elgar’s musical fingerprints’. Following this, on 28 May, we offer top–class piano playing from Iain Farrington, the up–and–coming London pianist, as seen in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics with Mr Bean! Iain will give us his brilliant presentation, ‘Falstaff!’ He will play his own piano transcription of the great Elgar work, along with an explanation of the piece, and he will top it all off by playing some of Elgar’s lighter pieces ... not to be missed! Paul Bassett SOUTHERN: The Branch has enjoyed three very different talks in its meetings this quarter, two of which, on Elgarian topics, were held at our traditional venue at The Spring, Havant, and the third, on the life and music of Roger Quilter, at St Lawrence Parish rooms at Winchester: all were well attended.
46 Elgar Society News Branch Reports
In November the return visit of Jane and Martin Bird did not disappoint and their presentation ‘Lively Wives and Lovers’ proved to be very entertaining. At our January meeting, Southern Branch member Kevin Allen talked to us on ‘Alice Roberts, Novelist and Poet’. He spoke of her great interest in geology and of the assistance she gave to William Symonds, indexing his book Records of the Rocks. Kevin also discussed Alice’s novel Marchcroft Manor, drawing parallels between the story and her future life with Elgar. Branch member Margaret Morphew read extracts from the book. The February meeting, held at our Winchester venue, attracted a good audience, many of them visitors. Dr Valerie Langford’s talk ‘Roger Quilter: The Man, the Music and How the songs were sung’ provided us with a most entertaining afternoon. Dr Langford, the author of a biography of Roger Quilter, was able to compare modern interpretation of his songs with those of the early 20th– century singers. The early recordings on 78rpm records, some accompanied on the piano by the composer, were played on a ‘wind–up’ gramophone. In March, and coinciding with the 400th anniversary year of Shakespeare’s death, we look forward to Terry Barfoot’s talk ‘Elgar’s Symphonic Study Falstaff’ to be held at a local hotel in Emsworth. In April we return to Winchester for John Pickard’s talk on ‘Elgar’s First and the Modern Symphony’, before returning to Havant for our Chairman Steven Hall’s talk ‘Edward Elgar’s Brinkwell’s Music’. Wendy Wiseman
SOUTH WESTERN: On 28 November our Chairman Dr Christopher Redwood spoke on ‘The music Elgar heard’. Christopher is an authority on English music and was able to delight us with examples of English music with which Elgar would have been familiar, but which were unfamiliar to us. The year ended with our Christmas lunch attended by 14 members. The event ended with an Elgarian quiz, and, as has happened on some previous occasions, the winner was Charles Kinsey, who is a veteran of more public quizzes including the music quiz on Radio 4.
No. 58 – April 2016 47 Branch Reports
The New Year started with our AGM. Following the formal part of the proceedings we watched the second Ken Russell film (downloaded from YouTube) Elgar – Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle (2002). Although less admired than the film Russell made 25 years earlier, it was of interest to those who had not seen it already. We closed with mulled wine and fruit cake as usual. The first meeting of the new season was a talk by Richard Westwood–Brookes, who gave a fascinating talk to a small but appreciative audience on Elgar’s life and music after the death of Lady Elgar. Michael Butterfield
WEST MIDLANDS: On the miserable Saturday afternoon of 14 November 2015 the distinguished playwright and translator, Peter Sutton, treated us to an animated and extremely entertaining talk on William Langland’s 14th–century poem Piers Plowman, which he had recently translated into modern English. The question which troubled us before Peter’s talk was: ‘where did William Langland and Edward Elgar meet? What bought them together?’ In brief, hills, dreams, passions and awkwardness seem to be the glue. In the second half of his talk Peter read from his translation; using his acting skills to perform each character with a different regional accent which was most engaging. Peter’s talk can be thoroughly recommended to other Branches. On 5 November we were delighted to welcome Martin and Jane Bird back to the Carice Elgar Room for our last Branch meeting of 2015. On another rather grey and wintry afternoon we heard a delightful talk about Elgar and his life during the Great War. Martin’s research yielded very interesting photographs of Brinkwells and the people of Fittleworth. The genesis of the Violin Sonata is a fascinating story – albeit a sad one. Marie Joshua, its dedicatee, died soon after learning of its dedication to her. Alice’s diary entries were read beautifully by Jane, who captured Alice’s baby talk perfectly and emphasised the banality of much of Alice’s writing. It’s hard to remember that Alice was a published novelist and poet before she met Edward. The afternoon concluded with a previously unheard recording of Elgar’s variations on Adeste Fideles which sent us home with early ‘Season’s Greetings.’ Our thanks to Geoff Hodgkins for this.
48 Elgar Society News Branch Reports
Left to right: Ernie Kay, Richard Smith (Branch Secretary) and John Harcup (Branch Chairman) at the Annual Lunch. [Photo: Joan Roche]
Our first event of 2016 was the Annual Branch Lunch which took place on an even wetter afternoon! Nevertheless, the event proved very enjoyable with convivial company and a chance to see friends from far and near. This year the quiz was compiled by Wendy and Bernard Hill and was won by Michael Trott. We were especially pleased that Ernie Kay, who has a serious illness, was able to come and receive the good wishes of all present. We were also pleased to see Moira, widow of our previous Branch Secretary, Hywel Davis.
A positive project of the Branch has been to establish a sub– committee to tackle the daunting subject of bringing classical music in general, and Elgar in particular, back to schools and young people. Our president, Julian Lloyd Webber, and others such as Alison Balsom and Nicola Benedetti have been most vocal on the subject and we hope that we can contribute in some small way to supporting their initiatives. Richard Smith
YORKSHIRE and NORTH EAST: I’m glad to say that numbers attending meetings are picking up. The season started with the AGM, followed by Richard Surrey. He was unable to do the Quiz he had intended, but played to us some of Elgar’s lesser known works, which made for a very enjoyable occasion.
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At the AGM I put forward my resignation as Branch Contact because of minor health reasons, and requested that someone with Computer knowledge take over. Part of the task is to develop our Branch’s pages on the Society’s website. We still await that person. Help is available from Stuart Freed, the Society’s Vice Chairman. Members are invited to join a small group who will visit the Birthplace in June. Contact Paul Grafton at [email protected] (he may also be contacted regarding the person to replace me). Professor Rachel Cowgill, who was to be our speaker on 21 May, has swapped with Peter Godden, and will now speak on 12 March. We hope that those who attend our meetings are full members of the Society, although there is no charge for coming to our Branch events at the Bar Convent in York. Marc Seccombe
LSO Concerts: special offer
London Symphony Orchestra : ‘Elgar Up Close’ series
Society Members are offered a 20% discount on tickets for this series.
At LSO St Luke’s Thu 14 Apr 1.00pm Jennifer Pike Thu 21 Apr 1.00pm LSO String Ensemble Thu 28 Apr 1.00pm Elias Quartet / Huw Watkins Thu 5 May 1.00pm Elias Quartet
At the Barbican Hall Sun 29 May 7.00pm London Symphony Orchestra Elgar Symphony No 2 conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano
To buy tickets and claim your discount, either:
Contact the Barbican Box Office on 020 7638 8891 and quote ‘Elgar Society 20% Discount’
or book via www.lso.co.uk and use the promotional code ‘261857’
50 Elgar Society News Branch Events
For further details see Branch Reports or contact the relevant Secretary (see back cover)
(EA = East Anglian; EM = East Midland; L = London; NA = North America; NW = North West; Sc = Scottish; So = Southern; SW = South Western; WM = West Midlands; Y = Yorkshire and North East)
Sat 2 Apr 2016, 2.30pm (EA) Carl Nielsen: the Danish Elgar Lecture Room, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Donald Hunt Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1LS
Mon 4 Apr 2016, 7.30pm (L) Elgar’s War Music Queen’s College, 43 Harley Street, W1G 8BT Barry Collett
Sat 9 Apr 2016, 2pm (EM) Beyond Vivaldi – Seasonal Sounds The Garden Room, Margaret and Howard Newton Unitarian Chapel, East Bond Street, Leicester LE1 4SX
Sat 9 Apr 2016, 2pm (So) Elgar’s First and the St Lawrence Parish Rooms, Modern Symphony Colebrook Street, Winchester John Pickard
Sat 16 Apr 2016, 2pm (Y) To his friends pictured without : Bedingfield Room, Bar Convent, live music 17–19 Blossom Street, York by Jo Peach & Amanda Crawley
Sat 16 Apr 2016, 2.30pm (NW) Live music Chetham’s School, Long Millgate, performed by the staff and Manchester, M3 1SB students of Chetham’s School of Music
Sat 23 Apr 2016, 2.15pm (SW) Piers Plowman, Elgar’s bible The Bristol Music Club, Peter Sutton 76 St. Paul’s Road, Clifton, Bristol. BS8 1LP
Sat 23 Apr 2016, 2.30pm (WM) The Light of Life Elgar Birthplace Museum, Geraint Bowen Lower Broadheath, Worcs, WR2 6RH
Sat 30 Apr 2016, 2pm (Sc) Elgar meets St. Mark’s Unitarian Church, Gilbert and Sullivan–again! Castle Terrace, Edinburgh David Lyle
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Fri 6 May 2016 (L) Richards Memorial Event This will take the form of a Branch visit to Southwark Cathedral, to include a guided tour, a special Elgar choral evensong at 5.30 p.m. and additional music. Further details will be announced in due course.
Sat 7 May 2016, 2pm (EA) Elgar and Vaughan Williams Day Various venues (see below) Symposium, meal and concert
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Sat 7 May 2016, 2pm (Sc) Elgar’s 7ths St. Mark’s Unitarian Church, Michael Butterfield Castle Terrace, Edinburgh
Sat 7 May 2016, 2.30pm (WM) Elgar’s String Writing Elgar Birthplace Museum, Simon Baggs Lower Broadheath, Worcs, WR2 6RH
Sat 14 May 2016, 2pm (So) Edward Elgar’s Brinkwells music The Spring, East Street, Havant Dr Steven Halls
Sat, 14 May 2016, 2.30pm (NW) Elgar’s Interpreters Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester on Record John Knowles
Sat, 14 May 2016 (EM) Rosa Newmarch The Garden Room, Unitarian Chapel, Peter Avis East Bond Street, Leicester LE1 4SX
Sat 28 May 2016, 2pm (Sc) Elgar’s Falstaff on piano St. Mark’s Unitarian Church, Iain Farrington Castle Terrace, Edinburgh
Sat 28 May 2016, 2.15pm (SW) An Elgar Song Recital The Bristol Music Club, Russell Painter (tenor) 76 St. Paul’s Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1LP
Sat 28 May 2016, 2.30pm (EA) Hans Richter Lecture Room,St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Christopher Fifield Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1LS
Sat 28 & Sun 29 May 2016 (WM) WM Branch: Elgar Birthday Weekend This will include a coffee morning at Great Malvern Station on Saturday at 10.30am, a drinks reception at 6pm in the Upper Circle Bar at Malvern Theatres followed by a BBC Philharmonic Concert which includes Elgar’s Sea Pictures. Tickets for this will be available at a reduced price. A Mass will take place on Sunday at 10.30am at St. Wulstan’s Church, Little Malvern, followed by a laying of a wreath on the Elgar Grave. For details please contact the WM Branch Secretary.
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Sat, 11 Jun 2016 (EM) Conducting Elgar The Garden Room, Unitarian Chapel, Dr Christopher Fifield East Bond Street, Leicester LE1 4SX
Sun 12 Jun 2016 (NW) North West Branch Day Out (departing from the RNCM in Evesham, at 9am; pre–booking essential) Pershore & Worcester
Mon 13 Jun 2016, 7.30pm (L) Branch AGM: St George’s Church, cello and piano recital Hanover Square, W1S 1FX Students from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Thu 16 Jun 2016, 7.30pm (WM) Elgar the Edwardian Elgar Birthplace Museum, Dr John Harcup, Lower Broadheath, Worcs, WR2 6RH Linda Tolchard (soprano) and Tim Sidford (piano)
Sat 25 Jun 2016, 2.15pm (SW) King Olaf – The Bristol Music Club, an unjustifiably neglected work 76 St. Paul’s Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1LP Michael Butterfield
Sat 2 Jul 2016, 2.30pm (WM) Performing Elgar Elgar Birthplace Museum, Teresa Cahill Lower Broadheath, Worcs, WR2 6RH
Sat 9 Jul 2016, 2.30pm (EA) Sir Hubert Parry Lecture Room, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Jeremy Dibble Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1LS
Fri 29 Jul 2016, 11am (SW) Elgar’s Organ Sonata The Guildhall, Westgate Street Gloucester Dr Martin Firth (booking via www.3choirs.org)
Fri 29 Jul 2016, 12.45 pm (SW) Elgar Society Lunch Festival Marquee (booking via www.3choirs.org)
54 Elgar Society News Dates for your Diary
This section is only as comprehensive as the data we are aware of. If you know of an event including a MAJOR Elgar work please send information to [email protected]. The period to be covered is from the 1st of the month of publication – August, December and April – to approximately 5 months ahead). We’d rather hear about an event twice than not at all! The Compilers Sat 2 Apr, 7.30pm Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Dream of Gerontius Smith / Bowen / Rowlinson / Salford & Congleton Choral Socs / Orch of the North / Cromar Sat 2 Apr, 7.45pm Anvil, Basingstoke Sun 3 Apr, 3pm Royal Festival Hall, London Enigma / Beethoven / Brahms Philharmonia / Temirkanov Thu 7 Apr, 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall, London Cockaigne / Holst / Panufnik / Philharmonia / Yamada Waxman / Brahms Thu 7 Apr, 7.30pm Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Une Voix dans le Désert / Casken / Ravel / VW Hallé / Elder Thu 7 Apr, 8.00pm Teatro Jovellanos, Gijón Fri 8 Apr, 8.00pm Auditorio Príncipe Felipe, Oviedo Enigma / Dorman / Barber Principado de Asturias SO / Lockington Fri 8 Apr, 7.30pm Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham Sospiri / Butterworth / Casken / VW Hallé / Elder Fri 8 Apr, 7.30pm Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sat 9 Apr, 2.00pm & 7.30pm 777 North Tamiami Trail, Enigma Variations Ballet / Sousa Sarasota, Fl. 34236, USA Sarasota Ballet / Sarasota Orchestra Fri 8 Apr, 8.00pm Auditorio Príncipe Felipe, Oviedo Enigma / Dorman / Barber Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias / Milanov Sat 9 Apr, 7.30 pm St Stephens, Barbourne, Worcester WR3 7HS Music Makers / The Spirit of the Lord / Rutter Longmate / Boggon / Bertram / Philomusica of Glos and Worcs / Parsons
No. 58 – April 2016 55 Dates for your Diary
Sat 9 Apr, 8.30pm Auditorio Manuel de Falla, Granada Serenade / Schubert Orquestra Ciudad de Granada / Mann
Sat 9, 7.30pm & Sun 10 Apr, 3.00pm Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto Enigma / Wagner / Handel / Mendelssohn Toronto SO / Feddeck
Sun 10 Apr, 4.00pm Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, The Apostles Wolf / DuPlantis / Bentch / Doylestown PA Teadt / Deas / Bucks County Choral Soc / Riverside Symphonia / Lloyd
Tue 12 & Wed 13 Apr, 8.00pm Maison Symphonique de Montréal Thu 14 Apr, 10.30am Vogler / OSM / Altinoglu Cello Concerto / Bertrand / Good / Ryan / Holst
Wed 13 Apr, 7.30pm Barbican, London Symphony No. 1 / Bax / Dean BBCSO / Oramo
Thu 14 Apr, 1.00pm Jerwood Hall, St Luke’s, London Violin Sonata / VW Pike / Limonov
Sat 16 Apr Worcester Cathedral Part Songs / P & C No. 2 British Police Symphony Orchestra
Sat 16 Apr, 12 noon Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham Dream of Gerontius Spence / Soar / Afonwy–Jones / Nottingham Trent University Choir / Philharmonia / Hopkins
Sat 16 Apr, 7.30pm St. Matthews Church, Durham Road, SW20 Give unto the Lord / The Light of Life (excerpts) / Tallis / Parry Wimbledon Chamber Choir / Smith
Sun 17 Apr, 11.00am Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden, Essex Violin Sonata / Britten / Ernst Baker / Lebhardt
Tue 19 Apr, 7.30pm Zankel, Carnegie Hall, New York Piano Quintet / Beethoven / Webern Ohlsson / Takács Quartet
56 Elgar Society News Dates for your Diary
Wed 20 Apr, 7.30pm Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Lancs Violin Sonata / Beethoven / Brahms / Gershwin / Wieniawski Rosa / Buckle
Thu 21 Apr, 1.00pm Jerwood Hall, St Luke’s, London Intro & Allegro / VW / Britten LSO / Simovic
Sat 23 Apr, 7.30pm Rochester Cathedral, Kent Dream of Gerontius Williams / Green / Thorpe / Gravesham Choral Soc & Orchestra / Vincent
Sat 23 Apr, 7.30 pm Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire The Music Makers / The Spirit of the Lord / Rutter Longmate / Boggon /Philomusica / Parsons (This is the Philomusica’s 1,000th concert. They will be receiving the Elgar Society’s Certificate of Merit in recognition of their longstanding commitment to Elgar’s music.)
Sat 23 Apr, 7.30pm Rochester Cathedral, Kent Dream of Gerontius Williams / Green / Thorpe / Gravesham Choral Society & Orchestra / Bexley Phoenix Choir / Vigo Singers / Vincent
Sat 23 Apr, 7 45pm Wilmslow Leisure Centre Cockaigne / P & C 5 / Symphony No. 1 / VW / Arne Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra / Chasey
Sat 23 Apr, 7.00pm Cathedral, Wells, Somerset Te Deum and Benedictus / Enigma / Coronation Ode (excerpt) / Parry / Walton / Jacob Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society / Choristers of Wells Cathedral / Southern Sinfonia / Owens
Sun 24 Apr, 7.00pm Barbican, London Dream of Gerontius Coote / Clayton / Finley / LSO / Elder
Thu 28 Apr, 1.00pm Jerwood Hall, St Luke’s, London Piano Quintet / Stravinsky / Busoni Elias Quartet / Watkins
Thu 28 Apr, 7.30pm Stavanger Concert Hall In the South / Britten / VW Stavanger SO / Tortelier
No. 58 – April 2016 57 Dates for your Diary
Thu 28 & Fri 29 Apr, 8.00pm Teatro Monumental, Madrid Symphony No. 1 / Busoni / Stravinsky RTVE SO / Kalmar
Fri 29 Apr, 7.30pm St Martin–in–the–Fields, Trafalgar Square Serenade for Strings / Boccherini / Mozart / Borodin Thames Chamber Orchestra / Marshall
Sat 30 Apr, 7.30pm Hereford Cathedral The Kingdom Bowen / Williamson / Weller / Langford / Ledbury and Bromyard Choral Socities / Bromyard Sinfonia / Mynors
Sat 30 Apr, 8.00pm Garde Arts Center, New London, CT Coronation Ode / Tchaikovsky / Mozart / Handel Yanovitch / O’Dwyer / Fay / Vu / Eastern Connecticut Symphony Chorus & Orchestra / Shimada
Sat 30 Apr, 7.30pm The Roundhouse, Derby The Music Makers / Andrew / VW / Parry / Britten Shell / Derby Choral Union / William Gilbert Endowed School Childrens’ Chorus / Bardi Symphony Orchestra / Dacey
Sun 1 May, 4.00pm St Theresa’s Church, Trumbull, CT Sea Pictures (arranged for choir and strings) / Paulus Connecticut Chamber Choir / Chase
Wed 4 May, 7.30pm Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury Thu 5 May, 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall, London Symphony No. 2 / Mozart / Beethoven Philharmonia / Gardner
Thu 5 May, 1.00pm Jerwood Hall, St Luke’s, London String Quartet / Purcell Elias Quartet
Thu 5 & Sat 7 May, 8.00pm Chicago Symphony Center Tue 10 May, 7.30pm Enigma / Britten / R Strauss Chicago SO / Runnicles
58 Elgar Society News Dates for your Diary
Thu 5 May, 7:30pm Symphony Hall, Birmingham Sea Pictures / Bax / VW Coote / CBSO / Wilson
Fri 6 May, 8.30pm Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas Symphony No. 2 / Vega / Roukens Gran Canaria PO / Halffter
Fri 6 & Sat 7 May, 8.00pm Orchestra Hall, Detroit Violin Concerto / Schumann / Schuman Kennedy / Detroit SO / Slatkin Sat 7 May, 7.00 pm Gloucester Cathedral Civic Fanfare / Ecce sacerdos magus / Handel / VW / Parry Gloucester Choral Society / Partington
Sat 7 May, 7.30pm St Mary’s Church, Woodbridge, Suffolk Piano Quintet / VW Matthewman / Sacconi Quartet
Sat 7 May, 7.30pm Exeter Cathedral Enigma / Brahms / Mendelssohn Bournemouth SO / Karabits
Sat 7 May, 7.30pm Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire The Apostles St Ives Choral Society / Ely Sinfonia / Merson
Sat 7 May, 7.30pm Royal Hall, Harrogate Music Makers / MacMillan Huddersfield Choral Soc / BBC Philharmonic / Angus
Thu 12 May, 8.00pm Colburn School, Zipper Hall, Los Angeles Fri 13 May, 7.30pm Music Academy, Hahn Hall, Santa Barbara Sun 15 May, 8.00pm Temple Beth Torah, Meister Hall, Ventura Tue 17 May, 7.30pm Huntington Library, San Marino Piano Quintet / Barber / Tchaikovsky Camerata Pacifica
Sat 14 May, 7.30pm St Mary’s Church, Hitchin, Herts Froissart / Tchaikovsky / Brahms Hitchin SO / Rooke
Sat 14 May, 8.00pm Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles Cello Concerto / Rossini / Berlioz Mørk / LAPO / Slatkin
Sat 14, 6.00pm & Sun 15 May, 3.00pm NHK Hall, Tokyo Enigma / Takemitsu / Mozart NHK SO / Otaka
No. 58 – April 2016 59 Dates for your Diary
Sat 14 May, 7.30pm Capstone Theatre, Shaw Street, Liverpool Serenade for Strings / Mozart / VW / Delius Liverpool Mozart Orchestra / Tortelier
Sat 14 May, 7.30pm St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds The Music Makers / Sea Pictures / Parry / Harris Reid / Bury Bach Choir / Prometheus Orchestra / Reed
Sat 14 & Sun 15 May 2016 NHK Hall, Tokyo Enigma / Takemitsu / Mozart NHK Symphony Orchestra / Otaka
Sun 15 May, 3.00pm Sage Hall One, Gateshead Enigma / Bax / Walton Royal Northern Sinfonia /Wilson
Thurs 19 May, 7.30pm Hull City Hall Enigma / Dvoák / Ravel / VW BBC Philharmonic / Chauhan
Thurs 19 May, 7.30pm Coronation Hall, Ulverston Sospiri / Serenade / Albinoni / CPE Bach / Grieg Manchester Camerata / Takács–Nagy
Sat 21 May, 8.00pm & Sun 22 May, 3.00pm All Saints Church, Cello Concerto / Mendelssohn E 60th St, New York Segev / Park Avenue Chamber Symphony / Bernard
Sun 22 May, 3.30pm Forest View Educational Center, Cello Concerto / Korngold / Horner / Grieg Arlington View, IL Williams / Northwest SO / Diehnelt
Sun 22 May, 7pm Brighton Dome Dream of Gerontius Coote / Murray / Rose / Brighton Festival Chorus / CBSO / Gardner
Wed 25 May, 6.30pm, Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto Thu 26 & Sat 28 May, 8.00pm Toronto SO / Davis Sospiri / Ives / Janáek / R Strauss
Thu 26, 7.30pm, Fri 27, 2.00pm, David Geffen Hall, New York Sat 28 May, 8pm NYPO / Robertson Intro & Allegro / Williams / Holst
60 Elgar Society News Dates for your Diary
Thu 26 May, 7.00pm Nat Opera & Ballet Theatre, Vilnius Sun 29 May, 7.00pm Barbican, London Symphony No. 2 / Beethoven LSO / Pappano
Thu 2, Fri 3 & Sat 4 June, 8.00pm Davies Symphony Hall, Symphony No. 2 / Shostakovich San Francisco San Francisco Symphony / Ashkenazy
Sat 4 June, 10.00am Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral The Music Makers (two hour workshop) ‘Sing Saturday’ with Adrian Partington
Tue 7 June, 7.30pm Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Cello Concerto / Walton / Pickard Gerhardt / Brabbins / BBC NOW
Wed 8, Thu 9, Fri 10, 8.00pm Philharmonie, Berlin Sat 11 June, 8.00pm De Doelen, Rotterdam Intro & Allegro / Beethoven / Anderson / Dvoák Berlin Phil / Rattle
Sat 11 June, 7.00pm St John’s Smith Square, London Violin Concerto / Holst Nabarro / Royal Orchestral Soc / Jopling
Thu 16 June, 2.15pm Symphony Hall, Birmingham Cello Concerto / Beethoven / Sibelius Wispelwey / CBSO / Yamada
Fri 17 June, 7.30pm Snape Maltings Concert Hall Fantasia and Fugue in C minor / Butterworth BBC Symphony Orchestra / Knussen
Sat 18 June, 3.00pm Philharmonie, Cologne Piano Quintet / VW / Bridge Members of Gürzenich Orch Köln
Sat 18 June, 7.00pm Symphony Hall, Birmingham Cello Concerto / Weber / Beethoven Wispelwey / CBSO / Yamada
No. 58 – April 2016 61 Dates for your Diary
Sat 18 June, 7.30pm Elgar Concert Hall, University of Birmingham Dream of Gerontius Keeble / Lloyd Owen / Ayebare / Birmingham Choral Union / Chandos Choir / Birmingham Choral Union Orchestra / Baines
Sat 18 June, 11.00am Snape Maltings Concert Hall Violin Sonata / Debussy / Carter Waley–Cohen / Baillieu
Tue 21 June, 7.30pm Snape Maltings Concert Hall Enigma / Tippett / Anderson / Matthews BBC Scottish SO / Wigglesworth
Wed 22 & Thu 23 June, 7.00pm Suntory Hall, Tokyo Symphony No. 2 / Schumann NHK SO / Ashkenazy
Sat 25 June, 7.30pm Southwell Minster, Notts Cockaigne / Dvoák / Rimsky Nottingham PO / Heron
Mon 27 June, 7.30pm St John’s Smith Square, London Falstaff / Walton / Britten Kensington SO / Keable
Wed 30 June, 7.30pm Leeds Town Hall Serenade / Butterworth / Jenkins Manchester Camerata / Gernon
Wed 30 June, 7.30pm Cadogan Hall, London Serenade / Tchaikovsky / Dvoák RPO / Zukerman
Fri 1 & Sat 2 July, 8.00pm Hong Kong Cultural Centre Symphony No. 1 / Prokofiev Hong Kong PO / Ashkenazy
Sun 3 July, 11.00am, Philharmonie, Cologne Mon 4 & Tue 5 July, 8.00pm Gürzenich–Orch Köln / Enigma / Schoenberg / Rachmaninov Roth
Tue 5 July, 7.30pm Cadogan Hall, London Intro & Allegro / Mozart / Beethoven RPO / Zukerman
62 Elgar Society News Dates for your Diary
Wed 6 July, 8.00pm Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Enigma / Beethoven / Rachmaninov Gürzenich–Orch Köln / Roth
Sat 9 July, 7.30pm St John’s Smith Square, London Dream of Gerontius Westcott / Auty / Soar / Twickenham Choral Soc / Brandenburg Sinfonia / Herrick
Sun 10 July, 4.00pm Newbold Church, Binfield, Berks Cello Concerto / Tchaikovsky / Sibelius / Márquez / Copland Goto / Windsor & Maidenhead SO / Gee
Sun 17 July, 8.00pm Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Intro & Allegro / Mozart / Puccini / Schubert Munich CO / Giglberger
Sat 23 July, 8.00pm St. Bonifaz, Munich Sun 24 July, 8.00pm KulturetageRiem, Munich Five Unaccompanied Part Songs op. 71, 72, 73 / Stanford / VW / Holst / Finzi Choir vox nova / Kneisel / Schiebel
Three Choirs Festival, Gloucester (Booking via www.3Choirs.org)
Sat 23 July, 7.30pm Gloucester Cathedral The Kingdom / Parry 3 Choirs Chorus / Philharmonia Orchestra / Partington
Fri 29 July, 11.00am The Guildhall, Gloucester Elgar’s Organ Sonata Talk by Dr Martin Firth (SW Branch event)
Fri 29 July, 12.45pm 3 Choirs Festival Marquee Elgar Society Lunch (SW Branch event)
Fri 29 July, 7.30pm Gloucester Cathedral Enigma / Phibbs / Orff Philharmonia Orchestra
No. 58 – April 2016 63 An Elgarian Crossword
No 22, set by PIETRO
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10
11 12 13
14
15 16 17 18
19 20 21
22 23 24 25
26
27 28
29 30
Across 1,7 Picture The Wandering Scholar (Reel 1) – we grasp it. (5,6,3) 9 See 19. 10 ‘Rondel’ arranged with no grand ending for one person. (5) 11 In preparation, like Siegfried repairing Nothung. (2,3,5) 13 RPA variation may finally please. (4) 15 He wrote ancient history (The Quiet American). (7) 18 Picture of old Vienna, Habsburg capital. (2,5) 19,9,29 Picture clue for Batman’s big horn? (7,7,2,3) 20 Make a bad sketch – Edward’s impatiently holding back. (7) 22,5 Mendelssohn’s 29 can’t lose its head – sedative needed. (7) 23 Blesses The Fringes of the Fleet, as I since revealed. (10) 27 Fantastic rendering of central section of Pastourelle. (5) 28 Retry tempi changes Ysaÿe at first omitted – it shows how far he’s come. (4,5) 29,30 Picture by Rubens gleams so bewitchingly. (3,7–4)
Down 1 Starts to write Imperial March, then has to sulk and duck the challenge. (4,3)
64 Elgar Society News An Elgarian Crossword
2 Oddly, Elgar went for the bird. (5) 3 Picture a lento movement – out out out! – it’s right in the middle. (10) 4 Hats off to Offenbach, Rachmaninov, Gounod and Nielsen’s instrument. (5) 5 See 22. 6,26 No sailor will give a wrong description of the sea. (8) 7 Vehicle for unfinished rondo with Ravel orchestration. (4,5) 8 ‘In the Dawn’ perhaps – noble, that. (5,2) 12 Prestissimo? I didn’t hold back giving expression. (5) 14 Picture a merest whim indulged. (3,7) 16 For the end of the aria Tebaldi acted a strange version: died off unexpectedly.(9) 17 Indeterminate sound at the start of Schwanengesang. (5) 19 Alpha minus for Socrates’ work on areas. (7) 21 Rash vibrato in some Wagner – clean it up with this. (7) 24 Contralto, 50, needs a doctor to get up high. (5) 25 Partially retain Troyte’s opening. (5) 26 See 5. 28 Minotaur, no inferior Greek character. (3) Solution to the December 2015 Crossword (No. 21)
D L J S P B S A
A R A B E S Q U E A L K A N
N U U U N S E D
I B R O X A T A V I S T I C
E E B N L C I
L A N C E R S C A M P H O R
B C X E A C
A S E P T I C S H I A T S U
R R L N U M
E M B R A C E D U E N N A S
N I C A I E T
B O N G O D R U M P O L K A
O Y V O P O E N
I N O N E F O L K M U S I C
M N R F E P S E
No. 58 – April 2016 65 THE ELGAR SOCIETY
Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1 January 2015 – 31 December 2015
A THE SOCIETY
Charitable Status The Society was founded in 1951 and was registered as a charity no. 298062 on 22 January 1988.
Office The Society has no registered office. Correspondence should be addressed to the Society’s Secretary at 12 Monkhams Drive, Woodford Green, IG8 0LQ
Trustees The following acted as Trustees during the period under review: Paul Bassett Helen Petchey Stuart Freed Geoff Scargill Jon Goldswain John Harcup (from June 2015) (until June 2015) Steven Halls George Smart Ruth Hellen Clive Weeks David Young
Elected Officers Chairman: Steven Halls Vice–Chairman: Stuart Freed Secretary: Helen Petchey Treasurer: Helen Whittaker
Other National Post–holders Archivist: Richard Hall Data Protection Officer: Richard Hall Journal Editor: Martin Bird Membership Secretary: David Young News Editors: Ernie Kay, Richard Smith, Peter James Web Officers: Stuart Freed / Robert Gilbert
T1 Branch Officers
Branch Chair Secretary East Anglia Peter Newble Robin Self East Midlands Howard Newton Ken Smith London Philip Petchey Ruth Hellen North American Arthur Reynolds Lee Kaufman North–West Geoffrey Scargill Patricia Hurst Scotland Paul Bassett James Carter Southern William Cole Wendy Wiseman South–Western Christopher Redwood Michael Butterfield West Midlands John Harcup Richard Smith Yorkshire Tony Pook Rev. Marc Seccombe & North East
Advisers
Bankers: Lloyds TSB Independent Examiner: Adrian Benselin, Chartered Accountant
Honorary Posts and Awards
President – Julian Lloyd Webber FRCM
Vice–Presidents
Diana McVeagh Dr Donald Hunt OBE Michael Pope Dr Christopher Robinson CVO CBE Dame Janet Baker CH DBE Andrew Neill Leonard Slatkin Sir Mark Elder CBE Sir Andrew Davis CBE Martyn Brabbins Tasmin Little OBE
T2 Recipients of the Elgar Society’s Silver Medal
1992 Dr Jerrold Northrop Moore 2011 Anthony Payne 1992 Leonard Slatkin 2012 Barry Collett 1999 Jerzy Maksymiuk 2012 Jacek Kaspszyk 2000 Tadaaki Otaka 2012 Sir Colin Davis 2007 Andrew Litton 2013 Sir Andrew Davis 2013 Sir Mark Elder 2008 Sakari Oramo (not yet presented) 2009 Danube Symphony Orchestra 2015 Daniel Barenboim 2009 Vladimir Ashkenazy 2015 Diana McVeagh 2016 Martin Bird 2011 Michael Kennedy (not yet presented)
Structure, Governance and Management
The Society was governed under a constitution adopted with effect from 1 January 2008 and subsequently amended in June 2010 and June 2011. Its Council consisted of the elected officers, and seven other members of the Society.
The Executive Committee consisted of the elected officers. A representative of the Branch Chairmen’s Committee is a non–voting member. The task of the Executive Committee is to carry out the policy decisions of the Council and to deal with any matters which lie in its terms of reference.
Also in operation were Elgar in Performance, which included Elgar in Education and special projects, and the Branch Chairmen’s Committee, which met on 2 occasions in 2015.
A member of the Elgar Birthplace Management Committee is welcome to attend as an observer at Council meetings and the Chairman of the Society is welcome to attend as an observer at Elgar Foundation Board meetings.
T3 Working Parties active during 2015
Chairman/ Name Members Convenor Elgar in Performance Barry Collett, Martyn Marsh, Steven Halls (including Education) the Executive Committee Branch Chairmen’s Geoff Scargill All other Branch Chairmen Committee
Council and Executive
The Council met three times and the Executive Committee on four occasions during 2015. Since the 2015 AGM, the main topics of discussion were: • progress on the many components of the Society’s adopted strategy; • deciding on new recordings and other initiatives; • appointing a new editor to the Elgar Society Journal; • appointing a new Secretary to the Society; • dealing with all the applications to Elgar in Performance and the education and special projects funds; • monitoring the situation developing between the Birthplace and the National Trust and the latter’s decision to take over the management of the former; • potential Vice–Presidents and recipients of the Certificate of Merit and the ES Medal; • continuing collaboration with German contacts and promoters, managed by the Executive and spearheaded by Geoff Scargill and pursued by him with the help of the Elgar Trust; • The continuation of the free membership scheme.
As ever, I pay tribute to my colleagues on Council, whose debates are always stimulating, and on Executive, who deal promptly and efficiently with anything that comes their way. Steven Halls, Chairman Branches
There are nine UK Branches organised geographically, and a further Branch covering America and Canada. The creation of a Branch is at the discretion of the Society’s Council and requires substantive evidence from a sufficiently large group of members that there is a reasonable assurance of viability. Branches report on their activities via the Elgar Society News and are required to submit their annual accounts to the Treasurer so that she might integrate them with those of the Society.
T4 Risks
No major risks have been identified by the Trustees. The Society is substantially dependent on subscriptions and Gift Aid for its income and it is thus vital to retain and increase membership while ensuring that subscription rates are realistic in the light of the charity’s activities and costs. The Trustees consider that if this is done there are no serious risks to future viability. This Annual Report states the position as at the 31 December 2015 and the Trustees are not aware of any material change in risk which needs to be reported.
Objectives and Activities
Under its Constitution, the Society’s objective is the education in, and promotion of, the appreciation of the public in the music of Edward Elgar and the education of the public in the life of Edward Elgar through:
a) the provision of educational programmes and activities to widen knowledge of Elgar’s music for all; b) support for the Elgar Birthplace museum and educational establishments that attract the general public to Elgar’s music and life; c) the funding and encouragement of performances and recordings of his works; d) the encouragement of research into Elgar’s music, and the publication of a scholarly journal containing the results of such research; e) the publication or support for a scholarly edition of Elgar’s music.
The Society seeks to promote performance of Elgar’s music, especially the more rarely performed items. While its focus is on performances in Britain it encourages performances of Elgar’s music abroad as far as its resources permit. It is particularly concerned to introduce the composer and his music to younger audiences and, by making grants to appropriate educational activities, to enhance the quality of life of members of the public. It also supports the Elgar Birthplace Museum with an annual grant based on a levy of £5 per full subscription with the objective of widening accessibility to the location and its contents and encouraging research. Through the activities of the Society, the cultural well–being of the UK is enhanced and interest in this culture is encouraged overseas.
T5 The Society publishes its Journal three times a year, which contains the results of Elgar research and is sold to educational institutions and the general public as well as being sent to members as part of their subscription benefit. There is also a thrice–yearly News publication sent to members only. The Society maintains a website which is proving increasingly valuable for Members and Non–Members alike.
Funds are centrally administered, the Council approving the annual budget and budget heads. Branches submit bids for support of their activities based on their administrative costs plus an element in support of their local meetings. Grants are made both to Branches and outside bodies in respect of specific charitable activities and are awarded only when a proposed project is shown to have satisfied strict conditions relating to the stated aims and objectives of the Society. The Society’s grant–making policy is conditioned by its objectives and its relatively constrained financial resources. In general, grants are made for the major purposes listed below.
• Assisting sole or group performers, especially in non–commercial situations, who are prepared to play rarer Elgar works or to perform in locations in which the composer’s music is unlikely otherwise to be heard and at which the public constitute the majority of attenders. • Supporting educational activities at all levels from primary to higher and continuous learning that inculcate in the participants special and intellectual skills by using Elgar, his life and/or music as a test bed for such activities or which enhance knowledge of English culture and history. • Aiding institutions which have a role in the musical and historical aspects of Elgar to widen the accessibility of their services to socially diverse audiences and/or to provide specific Elgar–related public benefits.
B ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (1 Jan. 2015 – 31 Dec. 2015)
General Overview
Under Initial Achievements & Plans, the last Trustees’ Annual Report stated that, in 2015, the Society in partnership with other organisations would undertake the tasks listed below. Progress is described on each one in italics below.
In considering undertaking any activities, the four objectives below are the criteria against which we judge any proposals so that we might:
T6 1. increase our membership 2. raise money in support of our activities 3. add demonstrably to the funding and encouragement of performances and recordings of Elgar’s works 4. increase access to the Elgar œuvre.
• Elgar in Performance, coupled with the Other Projects Fund agreed by Council, has already allocated some of its £15,000 towards supporting a wide variety of events at home and abroad. As well as in a variety of UK venues, concerts have been supported in Albania, Russia, Switzerland, and increasingly in Germany. • In particular, we shall concentrate on activities in Germany, where some exciting developments are under way. The conference in Bamberg took place in April, and was attended by a contingent from the Society. • We shall seek to raise sponsorship and legacies to enable us to expand our work and ensure it extends into the future. £5,000 was donated by the Elgar Family Trust to match our own investment in the German projects. • The EiP funds also will support recordings, and we are currently negotiating on filling any remaining gaps in the recorded repertoire. A grant was awarded to Rupert Marshall–Luck to record the Études Caractéristiques. Somm Records launched their recording of the Binyon works and negotiations have continued on aspects of the repertoire still to be recorded. • Use the Ballantine, Elce, W.M. Graham, Walker and Kay bequests to further the aims of the Society. These have already proved very useful in funding recordings and changes to our website. • Council will consider nominations for the Elgar Society Medal and Certificate of Merit. • The AGM and Birthday Weekend and Elgar Day at the Three Choirs Festival will once more be pleasurable highlights of our administrative and social year. • We shall continue to work more closely with Elgar Works and the Elgar Complete Edition to make more of Elgar’s music available in a timely fashion at reasonable cost to performers and conductors all over the world. Via Elgar Works, a complete set of orchestral parts and a score of The Dream of Gerontius was deposited with the Verband Deutscher Konzertchöre (Federation of German Choirs) to lend out to choirs wishing to perform that work in the future.
T7 Recordings
No major Society–supported recording was produced in 2015 but it was gratifying to note the new Chandos release of Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf (1896) and The Banner of St. George (1897) performed by the Bergen Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra conducted by one of our Vice–Presidents, Sir Andrew Davis. Both these works were on the Executive’s wish–list for re–recording, making the splendid performances doubly valuable to us.
The Journal
During 2015 Vol. 19 Nos. 1–3 of the Elgar Society Journal were published in April, August, and December, of 60, 56 and 72 pages respectively. Particular highlights were essays by Ben Palmer on The Sound of Elgar’s Orchestra, The Editor on Elgar’s War Service, and Kevin Mitchell on The Starlight Express. Martin Bird, Editor The News
Since the publication of the August 2014 edition of the Elgar Society News, the three compilers, Richard Smith, Ernie Kay and Peter James have continued with the format established in that issue. In conjunction with the Elgar Society Journal they publish three editions a year, distributed on 1 April, 1 August and 1 December. The first of these always contains the Trustees’ Annual Report as an appendix. With the issues that follow, it is sad to report that one of our Joint Compilers, Ernie Kay, will no longer be able to take an active part due to a serious illness. Richard Smith, Joint Compiler
Elgar In Performance / Education / Other Projects
In 2015, from 27 applications, the following performances were supported by EiP from its budget of £16,563. Steven Halls, Chairman EiP Barry Collett, EiP Administrative Adviser EiP
T8 Recipient Activity Date Venue Aid £ Cobbe Collection Elgar Piano 4/5 years annual 400 Phlharmonic Madeleine Mitchell Hall, Violin Concerto 05/05/2014 800 and Samara SO Samara, Russia 17 to Bamberg Conference Bamberg 3800 19/04/2015 Tübingen The Dream of Kurrende Tübingen 08/03/15 (postponed 1000 Gerontius to 2016) Alexexander National Walker, Albanian Polonia, Violin Conc. 20/11/15 Concert 1000 Radio and TV Spirit of England Hall, Albania Orchestra Spirit of England Bristol Uni. Choir Une Voix dans le 14/03/15 Bristol 750 and Orchestra Désert Exeter Music Makers 12/03/15 Exeter 500 Philharmonic Choir Kirchenmusik am Herford, King Olaf 07/11/15 500 Herforder Münster Westphalia Würzburg 11 and The Apostles Cambridge Monteverdi Choir 12/07/15 Basel and Zurich The Dream of 27 and Basel and 1000 Choirs Gerontius 28/11/15 Zürich Letchworth Music String Quartet 14/10/15 Letchworth 100 Club Rupert Marshall– Études Recording 250 Luck Caractéristiques Gerontius : Verband Deutscher Score and Orchestral Printing 216 Konzert–Chöre parts Society’s German Translation Armin–Rittmeier 200 Leaflet and print TOTAL 10516
Membership report
As at 31st December 2015, the number of members was 1125 (1216 in 2014). 82 new members joined during the year, of whom 60 were free.
T9 Branch membership
Branch 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 East Anglia 56 51 52 47 25 East Midlands 26 17 10 – – London 349 362 353 350 392 North America/Canada 36 34 46 63 37 North–West 125 128 120 125 134 Scottish 61 72 68 71 70 Southern 86 107 106 116 118 South–West 67 69 79 84 89 West Midlands 210 247 229 281 264 Yorkshire/North–East 46 46 24 11 – UK Unaffiliated 180 258 210 236 266
(Remember that a member may be affiliated to one or two Branches). David Young, Honorary Membership Secretary
The Archives
The following new accessions to the Society’s Archive have been made in 2015:
• Papers mainly from the estate of Vincent Waite, including press notices on the death of Elgar on 23 February 1934; Order of Service for Elgar’s Memorial Service at Worcester Cathedral on 2 March 1934; description of Elgar Window in Worcester Cathedral; Service for Unveiling of Memorial to Elgar in Westminster Abbey, 1 June 1972; letters to Vincent Waite (including from John Masefield); scrapbook of press cuttings and reviews 1948–1970s; miscellaneous papers dating from 1905 and various concert programmes 1973–2010 (including Wigmore Hall Recital on 40th Anniversary of Elgar’s death 1974 and Tribute to Elgar by LPO, 2007); photographs of 90th birthday celebrations of Wulstan Atkins in 1994 (deposited by Martin Passande, former chairman of London Branch).
• Archive CD of Evelyn’s Choice of Music: Evelyn Barbirolli in conversation with Michael Kennedy in February 2004; Programme for Michael Kennedy Memorial Concert at RNCM, Manchester, 5 October 2015. (Deposited by Geoff Scargill and David Jones, chairman and vice–chairman of the North West Branch, Manchester.)
These records will be added to the Society’s archive at the Worcestershire Record Office in The Hive, Worcester later in the year. Richard Hall, Honorary Archivist
T10 Branch Activities The Society recognises that Branches contribute to the Society’s health as they promote membership and local activity throughout the country. They are particularly important for members who enjoy meeting fellow Elgarians and listening to talks and performances of Elgar’s music in their home area.
East Anglian Branch The East Anglian Branch held seven well–attended meetings in 2015 at our usual venue, the lecture room at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds:
7 February: Elgar and the Great War (Peter Newble) 7 March Recollections of a recording producer (Christopher Bishop) 11 April Elgar’s choral songs (Donald Hunt) 9 May Elgar’s chamber music: From the Shed to the World (Steven Halls) 30 May Elgar’s First Symphony (Tom Kelly) 10 October Elgar and Wagner (Michael Butterfield) 31 October The unknown in the known: a fresh look at Elgar’s Salut d’amour (Rupert Marshall–Luck)
In addition, on 11 July a group of members made a social visit to Ely, where they were given a tour of the Cathedral and heard a superb performance of The Dream of Gerontius by the Cambridge Philharmonic, conducted by Tim Redmond.
Members who live in East Anglia but have not attended our meetings before are encouraged to join us, as indeed are any visitors, whether members or not. Thanks are due to the branch committee, especially the Secretary, Robin Self, and the Treasurer, Helen Whittaker. Peter Newble, Branch Chairman
East Midlands Branch The Branch had another successful year, hosting nine meetings and attracting between twenty–five and thirty people on most occasions, as members or visitors. The speakers who have visited the Branch and the subjects that they have covered are as follow:
January Stuart Freed – Barbirolli’s Elgar February Anthony Payne – Elgar’s Third Symphony and other matters
T11 March Andrew Dalton – Fred Gaisberg: HMV recording engineer and Elgar’s friend April Dr John Harcup – Edward Elgar: a medical enigma? May Paul & Sharron Bassett – Elgar and his great friend W.H. (Billy) Reed, LSO leader June Dr Christopher Kent – Schumann’s influence on Elgar October Dr Donald Hunt – Carl Nielsen, the Danish Elgar November Peter Walden – Special People – Those who have inspired me December Members’ Choice
It is pleasing to note that we have increased our core support. A number of people who attended initially as visitors have subsequently taken out Society membership. We are making determined efforts to contact those whose names feature on the Membership Secretary’s lists but who have yet to attend a meeting. We very much appreciate the loyalty of all supporters. Although based in Leicester we continue to attract people from Nottingham, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Coventry and Warwickshire in addition to Leicestershire.
From October onwards we have been settled at our venue of choice, although on some occasions (for example when collaborating with other organisations) we may use an alternative such as in February 2016, when we will meet in a local church for a concert of live music with an accompanying talk. I warmly thank all who have helped to take the Branch forward, in particular, our hardworking committee of four. Howard Newton, Branch Chairman
London Branch London Branch held 8 meetings in 2015 as follows: February 6 An evening with Sir Mark Elder March 2 Elgar abroad: a survey of some great recordings: Rob Cowan April 13 Sir Adrian Boult: Adrian Brown May 11 A three–fold cord: Edward Elgar, Ivor Atkins and the earliest origins of the Three Choirs Music Meetings: Steve Williams June 1 AGM: Elgar’s Falstaff: Iain Farrington (St George’s Hanover Square) October 13 Elgar, Britten and me: David Matthews November 9 Elgar’s solo and choral songs with orchestra: Terry Barfoot December 8 Elgar, Blackwood and The Starlight Express: Kevin Mitchell, Stephen Harrow, Lyn & Peter Nixon
T12 Reports of these meetings appear in the relevant issues of Elgar Society News. Our thanks go to all who contributed to the year’s events. The average attendance for the year was 51.
In April a party of members attended a concert at the Royal Festival Hall to hear the Berlin Staatskapelle play Elgar’s Second Symphony. After the performance Andrew Neill presented the Elgar Medal to the evening’s conductor, Daniel Barenboim, who gave a moving speech of acceptance. These occasions provide an opportunity for members to meet outside the normal programme and also allow for participation by those who cannot usually attend Branch meetings.
The Branch now has a Twitter account, thanks to our committee member Grace Ioppolo who set it up and maintains it at https://twitter.com/ ElgarLondon. We hope that this will make Elgar more visible to a wider range of people. Ruth Hellen, Branch Secretary
North America Branch Widely scattered North America Branch members meet once a year for a conference organized around the performance of an Elgar work. Unfortunately, our intention to meet in Indianapolis in the spring of 2015 ended in failure when Raymond Leppard, music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra was obliged by illness to announce the last–minute cancellation of a concert, the programme of which would have included the Wand of Youth Suites, Dream Children and Cockaigne. Activity on behalf of the Society centred around the production of a CD set scheduled for publication by Somm later in the current year. The Branch’s 2016 conference is scheduled to take place on March 3–5 in Chicago. Arthur S. Reynolds, Branch Chairman
North–West Branch We currently have 126 members drawn from an area which covers Staffordshire to Cumbria, and the West Coast to the Pennines. Our average attendance at meetings is around 35. We held nine branch meetings during 2015. Most of these were held on Saturday afternoons at our ‘home base’ at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. Reports on the majority of these meetings have been given in the three editions of the Elgar News in 2015. In summary, the meetings are listed below.
17 January: AGM, refreshments, and then recorded music introduced by four Branch members.
T13 14 February: David Jones: In the South and Geoff Scargill: Elgar and Dreams. This meeting was reorganised at very short notice when our advertised speaker backed out. 7 March: Barry Collett: Elgar and The Great War. As always, Barry was hugely entertaining. 18 April: Simon Baggs (violin and viola) and Nick Patrick (piano) provided a truly excellent afternoon’s entertainment on Elgar’s works from a performer’s perspective which included a talk by Simon Baggs with recorded and live music provided by our guests. 9 May: Our annual day out (well organised as usual by John Mawbey, our Branch Treasurer) was to Skipton, Giggleswick (talk and guided tour of the Morrison Chapel) and Settle. 13 June: A visit to Liverpool for Choral Evensong, a guided tour of Liverpool’s magnificent Anglican Cathedral, high tea in the restaurant there and then on to the Philharmonic Hall for a splendid performance of The Dream of Gerontius given by the RLPO under the baton of their principal conductor, Vasily Petrenko, with choir and distinguished soloists. An excellent trip all round. We aim to have an annual meeting in Liverpool. 3 October: Stuart Freed: Introduction and Allegro for Strings in which the audience was asked to participate in a quiz–like presentation which tested fully our musical appreciation. 7 November: Andrew Neill: The View from Whittenham Clumps – a fascinating perspective on the First World War and accompanied by various paintings of the artist, Paul Nash. 5 December: Geoff Scargill (interviewed by David Jones). Desert Island Discs in which we were given an insight into Geoff’s family, childhood, work, hobbies and musical tastes.
In addition to our Branch meetings, we engaged in a very successful project to release a double–CD set entitled Evelyn’s Choice of Music. This was from a recording made at a NW branch meeting in 2004, when Evelyn (Lady Barbirolli) was interviewed by Michael Kennedy in a Desert Island Discs type of format. Production costs were kept down to a minimum by a do–it–yourself approach and, as a result, we have been able to donate over £2,280 to the Kennedy Strauss Prize fund at the RNCM. We were delighted when Sir Mark Elder agreed to present the cheque to Joyce Kennedy in January. David L. Jones, Branch Secretary
Scottish Branch Our January AGM meeting started with a welcome repeat visit from Dr Steven Halls, Chairman of the Elgar Society, who gave us a talk on Elgar and the Brinkwells Music. In this talk, continuing from his AGM
T14 presentation to us in 2014 on Elgar’s Great War Music, Steven examined the music written whilst Elgar was based at Brinkwells in the Sussex woods between 1917 & 1920, including the Cello Concerto, the Violin Sonata, the String Quartet and the Piano Quintet. His talk was illustrated with music and slides. The meeting concluded with the AGM at which the current Committee were all re–elected.
Our March meeting welcomed Dr Christopher Redwood, Chairman of the South West Branch of the Elgar Society. He gave his excellent presentation on Elgar, Delius and Holst; three of Britain’s greatest composers who all died within six months of one another in 1934. Christopher described the efforts they made to promote British music and played excerpts from the compositions of all three. The meeting opened with live music from Leon Coates (piano) who gave us the piano transcription of Dream Children beautifully before he, Heather Fleck (violin) and Heather Coates (cello) played Three Movements for Piano Trio – Elgar/Rooke.
Our May speaker was John Norris, a member of the Elgar Society for almost 30 years, who presented Tales from the Elgar Complete Edition – discovering Elgar’s lost works. Having established Elgar Enterprises, the Society’s publishing imprint, in 1999, he relinquished this responsibility in 2006 to set up Elgar Works, an independent charity aimed specifically at stimulating performances of Elgar’s less well known works. This led almost immediately to an invitation to take over the responsibility for publishing the Elgar Complete Edition, a near full–time pre–occupation which has taken him into the darker recesses of the British Library and other music archives. A selection of his more interesting findings formed the basis of his fascinating talk.
Pianists Sean Morrison and Emily Ruuskanen, pupils of Gill Mantle at the City of Edinburgh Music School, performed some live music for us. Together they played Rachmaninov’s Waltz for four hands at the start of the recital and to close it, Poulenc’s Sonata for four hands. Individually, Sean played Schumann’s Intermezzo from Carnaval and Rachmaninov’s Elegy, and Emily played first Liszt’s Consolation No.2 and then 6 pieces for keyboard from Bach’s French Suite. The young musicians prefaced their performances with their reasons for liking the pieces they performed so beautifully.
Our June meeting welcomed Adrian Brown with his audio visual presentation Elgar and World War 1 – ‘The Spirit of England’. He discussed how Elgar’s compositional contribution affected both himself and the War effort. Adrian considered The Spirit of England to be a major
T15 masterpiece, persuading us as he discussed its genesis and analysed its words and music. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Adrian Brown was one of Sir Adrian Boult’s most gifted pupils. He is the only British conductor to have reached the finals of the Karajan Conductors’ Competition. The prestigious orchestras he has conducted include the Berlin Philharmonic, the CBSO, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the London Sinfonietta. The meeting commenced with a recording of The Spirit of England with Richard Hickox and Felicity Lott.
On Saturday 19 September, Michael Butterfield gave us his audio–visual presentation entitled Jaeger. August Johannes Jaeger was Elgar’s agent at Novello and was also ‘Nimrod’ in the ‘Enigma’ Variations. Michael discussed Jaeger’s long friendship with Elgar and the significant influence that he had on a number of Elgar’s most important compositions, including the ‘Enigma’ Variations and The Dream of Gerontius. Finally, Michael highlighted Elgar’s The Music Makers and showed Nimrod and other works of Elgar quoted within it. The programme for the afternoon had begun with Branch members Ernest and Olive Laing (violin & piano) who performed for us a programme of Elgar’s salon pieces including Idyll op.4, Salut d’Amour, Mot d’Amour, Chanson de Nuit and Chanson de Matin and the second movement of the Violin Sonata.
The final meeting of 2015 in November saw a visit from Andrew Keener. Andrew is an independent recording producer whose talk offered an illustrated portrait of one of the most popular but complex personalities among Twentieth–Century conductors, in his audio visual presentation entitled Sir Malcolm Sargent: Elitist with the common touch? Andrew played examples of the music of Sargent from the whole classical range including Elgar (Dream of Gerontius), Delius and Vaughan Williams as well as Gilbert and Sullivan. Paul Bassett, Branch Chairman
Southern Branch Our Branch committee member, Christine Walters, launched the year with an affectionate account of the friendship between the Walters and Elgar families including light shed on the ‘enigma’ mystery. Trombonist Sue Addison demonstrated varieties of the instrument and told the entertaining story of Elgar’s efforts to play it and the afterlife of his actual instrument.
Hilarity abounded when long–time Hallé violinist Peter Worrell reminisced on playing in that cherished orchestra, especially with that most passionate Elgar conductor, John Barbirolli. David Bury demonstrated
T16 passion, too, in introducing rarer operas by Richard Strauss and the musical affinities and contrasts with his friend Elgar.
Conductor Leslie Olive spoke of his experience conducting The Dream of Gerontius whilst Paul Bassett gave a touching account of Elgar’s warm and enduring friendship with Billy Reed.
In Elgar and Landscapes, Stephen Johnson gave specific examples of landscapes leaving their imprint on some of Elgar’s greatest works. Followed by a generous and stimulating discussion, this was a thrilling meeting. Subsequently, Martin & Jane Bird delighted a large audience with Lively Wives and Lovers, drawing on Martin’s extensive researches into Elgar correspondence.
Our Branch meetings are held at our old home, The Spring at Havant, attracting audiences of between 25 and 30, and our new home St. Lawrence Parish Rooms in Winchester, attracting audiences of about 40. William Cole, Branch Chairman South–Western Branch Our Annual General Meeting and party were on Saturday 31 January 2015. 20 members attended the meeting. This was followed by a series of clips from YouTube featuring unusual performances of Elgar’s music, and ended with mulled wine and fruit cake.
Our March meeting was addressed by John Drysdale who spoke about Elgar’s Earnings. John is a musicologist and former investment banker. This talk has been reviewed very favourably by other Branches and we also were most impressed. He covered almost every aspect of Elgar’s remunerated activities including unsatisfactory earnings from his compositions, but reasonable rewards in later life from conducting and making records.
In April we had a talk from Professor Bernard Porter, who is a professional historian, and he talked on Elgar and his understanding of Empire. He provided a thorough account of all the evidence relating to Elgar’s feelings towards the British Empire as they developed through his life. In particular he demonstrated how the popular idea of jingoism was very wide of the mark. There were copious musical examples, ending with For the Fallen from Spirit of England, which represented the mature Elgar’s feelings on war and patriotism.
There was a gratifyingly large attendance at the South–west Branch meeting on 30 May 2015 to hear its former Chairman Michael
T17 Butterfield’s presentation Elgar’s Use of the Seventh. Opening with obvious examples from the Serenade for Strings, ‘Enigma’ Variations and Second Symphony he then moved on to discuss ‘hidden sevenths’, i.e. melody lines that extended by that interval with a single intervening note. All of this was splendidly illustrated by excerpts from the relevant scores, painted ‘in glorious technicolour’ for easy following.
We were privileged to have a visit from the Society’s Chairman Dr Steven Halls on 27 June. He spoke on Edward Elgar’s Music & the Great War. He described Elgar’s creative and emotional reaction to the World War I, culminating in his acceptance of the post–war commission to write a work for the Loughborough Carillon. This was a splendid PowerPoint presentation with numerous musical illustrations. He covered Elgar’s pre–war output in outline, and looked more closely at the post–war works.
The autumn season opened with a talk from Dr Martin Firth. Martin is a regular speaker at our meetings as he lives locally and his PowerPoint presentations are very popular, attracting a number of visitors who had not attended our meetings before. His topic was Elgar’s Symphony No.0, an investigation of Elgar’s Organ Sonata and its orchestration by Gordon Jacob. Martin provided the background to Elgar’s only major keyboard work, and included a complete recording of the orchestral version of this remarkable piece.
Michael Trott visited us on 31 October to give a talk on Elgar at Marl Bank, his final home, sadly no longer in existence. He sent us a scholarly paper in advance of the meeting so we were already well informed before he started. The talk was a PowerPoint presentation with a large number of photographs, many of which were unfamiliar. He also had a fascinating sound archive from broadcasts and other sources by people who had known Elgar personally.
On 28 November our Chairman Dr Christopher Redwood spoke on The music Elgar heard. Christopher is an authority on English music and was able to delight us with examples of English music with which Elgar would have been familiar, but which were unfamiliar to us.
The year ended with our Christmas lunch attended by 14 members. The event ended with an Elgarian quiz, and, as has happened on some previous occasions, the winner was Charles Kinsey, who is a veteran of more public quizzes including the music quiz on Radio 4. Michael Butterfield, Branch Secretary
T18 West Midlands Branch As many of you will know there are to be many changes at the Elgar Birthplace Museum with which the WM Branch closely cooperate. The main change is that the Museum will be run by the National Trust from October 2016, and the installation of a tea room and other changes at the Museum will necessarily affect our Branch meetings which are normally held there. A temporary replacement venue for our meetings has been organised.
We continue to hold an annual joint event with the Worcester Recorded Music Society and contribute to, and sponsor, a lecture for the Autumn in Malvern festival; the Branch also organised the Society’s Three Choirs Elgar Day at Hereford in 2015.
We produce a joint events leaflet with the Elgar Birthplace which has a circulation of 10,000. Several of our members are also volunteers at the Museum. We also continue to produce a bi–yearly Newsletter which is distributed to our members by post and/or electronically (available from the Branch Secretary). The programme to provide further plaques on places of Elgarian interest continues. Two plaques have been provided at Southbank Nursing Home (one paid for by Spire Health) and another will be unveiled at the Worcester Royal Grammar School where Elgar taught when it was the Alice Otley School. One of our members is also investigating installing a plaque on the site of Powick hospital where Elgar was bandmaster.
An important initiative being energetically pursued by the Branch is to bring classical music in general and Elgar in particular back to schools. We deprecate the lack of interest in classical music amongst many.
Our 2015 programme was as follows and is further detailed in issues 55, 56 and 57 of the Society’s News.
• Annual lunch, Saturday 7 February 2015, Christ Church Hall, Malvern. • Elgar’s Second Symphony and 19th Century Traditions by Dr Matthew Riley, Saturday 14 March 2015, Elgar Birthplace Museum. • AGM and Letters to Nimrod – a reading with musical extracts, Saturday 11 April 2015. Elgar Birthplace Museum. • Elgar’s Church Music – a performer’s perspective by Dr Peter Nardone, Saturday, 9 May 2015, Elgar Birthplace Museum. • Elgar in the 21st Century by Julian Lloyd Webber, President of the Elgar Society. A Three Choirs Festival event organised by the WM Branch at Hereford, Wednesday 29 July 2015. This was followed by the Elgar Society Lunch.
T19 • Elgar Society Exhibition at the Three Choirs organised by David Packman and stewarded by other members of the Branch at All Saints’ Church, Hereford, between 28 July and 1 August 2015. • Elgar and Germany by Geoffrey Scargill, Saturday 19 September 2015, Elgar Birthplace Museum. • Friend of Friends by Dr Jerrold Northrop Moore, Sunday 11 October 2015, Elgar Birthplace Museum, in conjunction with the Autumn in Malvern Festival. • Introduction and Allegro by Stuart Freed. Joint event with the Worcester Recorded Music Society, Saturday, 7 November 2013. Baptist Church Hall, Worcester. • Piers Plowman – Elgar’s Bible? by Peter Sutton, Saturday, 14 November 2105, Elgar Birthplace Museum. • Don’t Mention the War by Martin & Jane Bird, Saturday, 5 December 2015, Elgar Birthplace Museum. Richard Smith, Branch Secretary
Yorkshire and North East Branch We had a good programme for the year, starting on 17 January with a brief AGM followed by a series of films made by the Rev Marc Seccombe, some of which were commissioned and used by the Birthplace Museum. Our regular live music programme, given by Josephine Peach (piano) and Amanda Crawley (soprano) in April, focused on events taking place in Britain and Europe in Elgar’s time. The Great War theme was continued by Steven Halls and Philip Petchey and an earlier period was covered by Andrew Lyle and Barry Collett who gave separate but linked talks on the Powick Asylum music. David Lloyd–Jones spoke about his experience in conducting Elgar’s music whilst David Jones examined the great legacy of Elgar’s work in the early days of recorded sound.
Attendance at our Saturday afternoon meetings could be improved but there has been a slight overall increase in our number of members. We are planning a trip to Worcester and the AGM in June, leaving York by coach on Friday 10th with pick–ups in Wetherby and Doncaster, returning on Sunday 12th. We still have a few spaces if members from other Branches would like to join us ([email protected] for further details).
As a committee we are concerned about fund–raising without alienating our present attendees, increasing membership through wider advertising at local music venues and universities and we would like to improve the consistency of our visual and audio sound without too much expense. Tony Pook, Branch Chairman
T20 C THE ELGAR SOCIETY
Statement of Financial Activities for the period ended 31 December 2015
Rounded General Fund 2015 2014 £ £ Income
Subscriptions 29,961 30,709 Gift Aid 4,426 7,412 Royalties 0 0 Legacies 0 0 Other 608 3,360 Donations 250 12,000
Total income 35,245 53,481
Expenditure Society Objectives Journals and Newsletters 8,752 8,552 Events / Branches 15,575 11,469 Member communications 1,023 2,362 PR and Advertising 629 2,482 Sundry 134 2,706 Elgar in Performance 7,871 28,500 Support to the Elgar Birthplace 4,370 5,173 Administration Travel costs Council and Executive 2,591 2,408 Membership administration 355 528 Cost of investment 875
Total Expenditure 42,175 64,180
Surplus / (Deficit) for the period (6,930) (10,699)
General Fund brought forward 25,490 24,119 Transfers from Funds 12,070
General Fund at 31 December 2015 18,560 25,490
T21 Other funds Brought Received Spent Forward 2015 2014 £ £ Restricted Fund Kay 6,460 6,460 6,460 Designated Funds Walker 16,216 16,216 16,216 Ballantine 14,080 14,080 14,080 Elce 36,816 36,816 36,816 Graham 20,056 20,056 20,056 Graves and piano 608 400 208 608 Dolan 5,000 5,000 5,000
Total 92,376 92,776 Total movements 403
Total Funds at 31 December 2015 117,396 124,726
Balance Sheet at 31 December 2015
Funds Represented by:
Bank deposits 30,293 55,357 Current account 36,169 65,794 Investec investment 49,125 Branches bank balances 4,264 4,849 Less owed by Society (2,455) (1,274) Total Funds 117,396 124,726
The Accounts were approved by the Society’s Council on 27 February 2016.
T22 Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2015
1. Basis of accounting These accounts have been prepared on the basis of historical cost in accordance with: • Accounting and Reporting by Charities – Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP 2005); • Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Enterprises (FRSSE); and • the Charities Act 2011.
2. Accounting policies 2.1 Subscriptions Subscriptions are accounted for in the year in which they are received, except for subscriptions received in advance which are carried forward to the next year.
2.2 Other incoming resources These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when: • the Society becomes entitled to the resources; • the trustees are virtually certain they will receive the resources; and • the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability. Where incoming resources have related expenditure (for example, subscriptions) the incoming resources and related expenditure are reported gross in the SoFA.
2.3 Donations and legacies
Donations and legacies are only included in the SoFA when the Society has unconditional entitlement to the resources. This year the Society has allocated the legacies received to two designated funds, the Graham Fund and the Dolan Fund.
2.4 Tax recoverable on subscriptions, donations and gifts Incoming resources from tax recoverable are included in the SoFA at the same time as the income to which they relate.
2.5 Branches Although the regional branches of the Society are constituted under separate rules, the income and expenditure of the branches are included in these accounts.
T23 2.6 Taxation The Society is a registered charity no 298062 and accordingly is exempt from taxation on its income and gains where they are applied for charitable purposes.
3. Trustees’ expenses Travel and other out of pocket costs amounting to £2591 were reimbursed to 12 members of the Council, the Executive and Chairmen of branches in the year when appropriate claims were made (2014 – £2408 reimbursed to 11 individuals).
No member of the Council nor any person connected with them has received any remuneration in the year.
4. Donations, sponsorship and projects
Grants and other financial support given to institutions were a material part of the total resources expended by the Society. Grants made were as follows:
2015 2014 £ £ Elgar in Performance – grants to 13 organisations (2014 – 16 organisations) 10516 28500 including expenses
5. Restricted funds
Kay legacy
The Society is one of the beneficiaries of the estate of a former member. The will specifies that the legacy shall not be used for routine running expenses but shall be devoted to capital or other longer term projects.
6. Elgar Enterprises A wholly owned trading subsidiary, Elgar Enterprises (a company limited by Guarantee; Registration No: 3821653), was established in 1999. The Articles of Association prescribe that membership is limited to serving members of the Council of the Society and its directors include, inter alia, the officers of the Society. The company is now dormant and has paid the majority of its funds to the Society, retaining sufficient to meet any remaining liabilities.
T24 ONCE EXAMINED AND APPROVED, THIS PAGE WILL CONTAIN THE INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE ELGAR SOCIETY.
D 2015 INITIAL ACHIEVEMENTS AND PLANS
Given the purpose of the Society is the education in and promotion of the appreciation of the public in the music of Edward Elgar and the education of the public in the life of Edward Elgar, Council have agreed a strategy that enabled our activities to be grouped under the aims mentioned under it, viz; a. the provision of educational programmes and activities to widen knowledge of Elgar’s music for all and develop the public benefit achieved by the Society; b. support for the Elgar Birthplace, museums and educational establishments that attract the general public to Elgar’s music and life; c. the funding and encouragement of performances and recordings of his works; d. the encouragement of research into Elgar’s music, and the publication of a scholarly journal containing the results of such research; e. the publication or support for a scholarly edition of Elgar’s music.
At national level, and with all due acknowledgement of Branch activities, our efforts will focus on the following areas.
• Elgar in Performance, coupled with the Other Projects Fund agreed by Council, has already allocated two–thirds of its £15,000 towards supporting a wide variety of events at home and abroad, particularly Germany. These include three German performances of The Dream of Gerontius, three British performances of The Music Makers, two of Sea Pictures and two of The Apostles. • We shall seek to raise sponsorship and legacies to enable us to expand our work and ensure it extends into the future. We have already received £39511.49 from the estate of the I.B. (Iain) Browning Will Trust.
T25 • Council are considering how we can meaningfully support educational work associated with Elgar. • We are having to revise our relationship with the Birthplace in the light of its imminent operational takeover by the National Trust. • The Elgar in Performance funds also will support recordings, and we are still currently negotiating on filling the remaining gaps in the recorded repertoire. • Use the Ballantine, Elce, W.M. Graham, Walker, Kay and I.B. Browning bequests to further the aims of the Society. The first two of these have already proved very useful in funding recordings and changes to our website. • Council will consider nominations for the Elgar Society Medal and Certificate of Merit. • The AGM and Birthday Weekend and Elgar Day at the Three Choirs Festival will once more be pleasurable highlights of our administrative and social year. • We shall continue to work more closely with Elgar Works and the Elgar Complete Edition to make more of Elgar’s music available in a timely fashion at reasonable cost to performers and conductors all over the world. Steven Halls, Elgar Society Chairman
T26 FOUNDED 1951 Registered as a Charity No 298062
President : Julian Lloyd Webber F.R.C.M. Chairman : Steven Halls
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION : Single membership: UK and Europe: £35.00; outside Europe : £36.00; Joint membership: UK and Europe: £40.00; outside Europe : £41.00; Student membership: UK and Europe: £16.00; outside Europe : £17.00. Renewable on 1 January each year. Joint membership is available for two persons residing at the same address and sharing a single copy of the Journal and News. Renewals, and applications for membership should be sent to the Hon.Membership Secretary at the address below. A surcharge of £4.00 is applied to payments not remitted in sterling, to cover exchange commission and conversion loss. Payments may be made by Visa, Maestro or Mastercard, quoting the type of card, its number, three–digit card security number and expiry date, the amount to be paid and the name on the card if different from the member’s name. Those paying by credit card may do so by telephone, or by e–mail using the on–line membership application, renewal, Gift Aid and Standing Order forms which can be found on the Society website at http://elgar.org/elgarsoc/membership. They are also available from the Hon. Membership Secretary. CHAIRMAN : Steven Halls, 28 Nottingham Road, Bingham, Notts NG13 8AT Tel: 07900 162170; e–mail: [email protected] VICE–CHAIRMAN : Stuart Freed, 6 Carriage Close, St John’s, Worcester WR2 6AE Tel: 01905 339371; e–mail: [email protected] HON.SECRETARY : Helen Petchey, 12 Monkhams Drive, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 0LQ Tel: 020 8504 0295; e–mail: [email protected] HON.TREASURER : Helen Whittaker, Long Lea, 9 Green Fall, Poringland, Norwich, NR14 7SP Tel: 01508 494591; e–mail: [email protected] HON.MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY : David Young, The Rectory, Lydeard St Lawrence, Taunton TA4 3SF Tel: 01984 667735; e–mail: [email protected] BRANCHES AND BRANCH SECRETARIES
EAST ANGLIAN (Bury St Edmunds) Robin Self, ‘Sospiri’, 27 Coucy Close, Framlingham, Suffolk IP13 9AX Tel: 01728 621 577; e–mail: [email protected] EAST MIDLANDS (Leicester) Ken Smith, 34, Chaucer Street, Narborough, Leicester, LE19 3EH Tel: 0116–286–5300; e–mail: [email protected] LONDON (Marylebone) Ruth Hellen, 30 King James Avenue, Cuffley, Herts EN6 4LR Tel: 01707 876079; e–mail: [email protected] NORTH AMERICAN Lee Kaufman, 8921 Moydalgan Rd., St. Louis, MO 63124 Tel: 314–991–4816; e–mail: [email protected] NORTH–WEST (Manchester) David L Jones, Willowbank House, Spath Lane East, Cheadle Hume, Cheshire SK8 7NL Tel: 0161 439 7176; e–mail: [email protected] SCOTTISH (Edinburgh) James Carter, Apartment No. 5, Stewart House, The Maltings, 161 Slateford Road, Edinburgh, EH14 1PB. Tel: 0131–443–9201, e–mail: [email protected] SOUTHERN (Southampton / Portsmouth) Wendy Wiseman, 3, Broomhill Cottages, East End, Lymington, Hampshire SO41 5S Tel: 01590 626516; e–mail: [email protected] SOUTH WESTERN (Bristol / Cardiff / Exeter) Michael Butterfield, 14 Southdown Road, Westbury on Trym, Bristol, BS9 3NL Tel: 0117–909–2503; e–mail: [email protected] WEST MIDLANDS (Worcester) Richard Smith, 24 Crown Lea Avenue, Malvern, Worcs, WR14 2DP Tel: 01684 438358; e–mail: [email protected] YORKSHIRE & NORTH EAST (York) Paul Grafton, Fair Winds, Parsons Green, Wetherby, Yorkshire, LS22 6RQ Tel: 01937 583723; e–mail: yorkshire–[email protected]
EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL : Martin Bird, 18 Holtsmere Close, Watford, Herts, WD25 9NG e–mail: [email protected] COMPILERS OF THE NEWS : Richard Smith, 24 Crown Lea Avenue, Malvern, Worcs, WR14 2DP Tel: 01684 438358 e–mail: [email protected] Peter James, Orchard Cottage, The Street, Walberton, W. Sussex, BN18 0PQ Tel: 07817 654807; e–mail: [email protected]
SOCIETY WEBSITE : http://www.elgar.org SOCIETY E–MAIL ADDRESS : [email protected]