Coleridge-Taylor: Orchestral Works

This album celebrates the 150th anniversary of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912) with a diverse selection of his orchestral works, reflecting both his Afro-British heritage and his musical environment, which included Gustav Holst and Vaughan Williams. Notably, five of the seven works presented here are world premiere recordings. The Ulster Orchestra performs under the direction of Charles Peebles, whose premiere recordings of the piano concertos by Dora Bright and Ruth Gipps have been widely praised. It was evident early on that Coleridge-Taylor possessed extraordinary talent, and he created a remarkable body of work before passing away far too soon at the age of 37. He composed his first work for voice and orchestra, "Zara’s Earrings," at the age of just 19, as well as "The Ballade." When Coleridge-Taylor heard Johannes Brahms' "Clarinet Quintet" while studying at the Royal College of Music, he was inspired to compose his own. "The Romance for string orchestra" is an arrangement of the introspective Larghetto affettuoso movement from that quintet. "Solemn Prelude," written for the 1899 Worcester Three Choirs Festival, is a work of elegiac pathos that has been performed by some of the world's most renowned orchestras since its revival in 2021. Coleridge-Taylor's "Idyll," a commission for the 1901 Gloucester Three Choirs Festival, was a reworking of the "Lament" from his Symphony in A minor. "Ethiopia Saluting the Colours" from 1902 is an exuberant work for orchestra and organ. Beerbohm Tree commissioned Coleridge-Taylor in 1906 to compose the incidental music for Stephen Phillips' play "Nero," and the opportunity to hear his music every evening was a special joy for Coleridge-Taylor. This anniversary collection includes the first "Entr’acte," which was also heard at the 1907 Proms under Henry Wood.