Elgar: Woodland Interlude from Caractacus

A tribute to Elgar's 150th birthday (2007), David Owen Norris and The Works perform Elgar's songs and piano solos on Elgar's own 1844 Broadwood piano, including the world-premiere of his unpublished final song XTC, set to his own words. In all, this 2-CD set presents 32 of Elgar's finest songs for voice and piano, including a number never recorded before, and premiere recordings of Elgar's piano arrangements of the theme of the Cello Concerto, and the Prelude and Angel’s Farewell from Gerontius which, like Sea Pictures (sung here in its original soprano key) and the Woodland Interlude from Caractacus, were all composed at this piano. He even wrote these titles on its soundboard, along with his signature. These piano versions clearly remained in the forefront of Elgar’s mind and reveal his bold first thoughts before they may have been revised at the suggestion of others. The piano’s construction – keys slightly narrower than on a modern piano, the black keys set lower – illuminates Elgar’s intentions. The writing suddenly makes perfect sense, which it doesn’t always on a modern Steinway.

The cover art is H.A. Payne’s The Enchanted Sea, which was part of the inspiration for Sea Pictures.

Edward Elgar was the first composer to make extensive recordings of his own compositions. HMV (His Master's Voice) recorded much of his music acoustically from 1914 onwards and then began a series of electrical recordings in 1926 that continued until 1933, including his "Enigma Variations," "Falstaff," the first and second symphonies, his cello and violin concertos, all of the "Pomp and Circumstance" marches, and other orchestral works. Part of a 1927 rehearsal of the second symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra was also recorded and later issued.