Recently Heard: The Legend of King Arthur

Elinor Remick Warren: The Legend of King Arthur
Thomas Hampson, baritone - Lawrence Vincent, tenor
Polish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of Cracow
Szymon Kawalla, conductor
Bronislawa Wietrzny, choral director

Of course, there are three very obvious reasons why I chose to pick up this release. Unless some information is missing (and, truth to tell, much is), Elinor is not a close relation. I'm not clear on her genealogy, and although we could share a many-great grandfather somewhere, that person was most likely living and breathing prior to the 1500's, but still, sharing a last name with a composer is pretty cool.

The second reason would be a simple enough one: although this is now changing, there were very few female composers prior to who are still recorded and performed now - off the top of my head, and I'm sure I'm missing one, I come up with Amy Beach (1867-1944) and Elinor Remick Warren (1900-1991). An unfortunately small, select group.

The third reason is the Arthurian subject matter. Specifically, excerpts from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King, for that is the text of this choral symphony. I suppose just the fact that it is a choral symphony - almost more of a cantata, as vocals run throughout, unlike so many other choral symphonies, which make the vocalists sit quietly until the last movement.

There is some vague sense of period art about this - similar, in some senses, to those black & white films of Arthurian legends. This piece was first performed in 1940, which very likely indicates that some of those movies took their cues from this slightly earlier piece, and not the other way around.

The work is divided into two parts, each almost 35 minutes long. Part Two is further divided into an Intermezzo, The Three Queens and Sir Bedivere's Lament, King Arthur's Farewell, More Things Are Wrought By Prayer, and the Finale. There are distinct sections to the first part, but it is not divided by title or individual tracks.

The opening of the work is quite impressive, plying the romantic symphonic trade, and setting the mood for the setting of Tennyson's words.

I'm looking forward to hearing more of Elinor's compositions, as Cambria and a few other labels have finally managed to get her work recorded. Sadly, this disc, made in 1989, was the world premier recording - showing that, even though orchestras willingly performed her works for many years, record companies did not pay her any mind. Partially, it's the mixed blessing that is classical music (in the generic sense, not in the sense of the Classical period): it spends so much time looking into the past, there is little room for newer composers to fit in.