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Symphony No. 3 (Elgar/Payne)

April 11, 2024

Edward Elgar's Third Symphony Op. 88 (posth.) was incomplete at the time of his death in 1934. Elgar left 130 pages of sketches, which the British composer Anthony Payne worked on for many years, producing a complete symphony in 1997, officially known as "Edward Elgar: the sketches for Symphony No 3 elaborated by Anthony Payne" or in brief "Elgar/Payne Symphony No 3". The first public performance was at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on 15 February 1998, by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis.

History edit

After the death of his wife in 1920, Elgar retreated into semi-retirement, producing no large-scale works. His friend and champion Bernard Shaw held that the BBC should commission a new Elgar symphony, and with the aid of the conductor Landon Ronald he persuaded the BBC to do so. Elgar worked on the new piece during the last year of his life, jotting down short snatches of bars, as well as composing pages in full score.[1]

Realising that he would not complete the score, the dying Elgar did not destroy the sketches, and made contradictory remarks about the unfinished work. He told his friend the violinist W. H. Reed, "Don't let anyone tinker with it", but to his doctor he said, "If I can't complete the Third Symphony, somebody will complete it – or write a better one".[1] Elgar and Reed had often played through various sketches for the symphony on violin and piano, and Reed knew more than anyone about Elgar's intentions. Reed reproduced more than forty pages of the most important sketches in his book Elgar as I Knew Him, probably to illustrate what he believed to be the impossibility of weaving them into a coherent whole.[1] Their publication in 1936 meant that seventy years later they went into the public domain, and the Elgar family were powerless to prevent anyone from "tinkering with" the sketches.[1]

In 1974, a BBC Radio 3 producer, Dr Roger Fiske, devised a programme about the Symphony, and orchestrated some of the sketches, completing Elgar's unfinished score and composing some other passages. Elgar's daughter, Carice, gave her approval and Sir Adrian Boult agreed to conduct the music. The score was sent for copying to Maurice Johnstone, a former BBC head of music. Johnstone felt strongly that the broadcast would amount to "tinkering" with the score and he persuaded Boult to withdraw from the project on ethical grounds and the programme was subsequently dropped. A similar proposed feature for BBC television in 1979 also came to nothing.[2][3]

The British composer Anthony Payne had become interested in the sketches in 1972, and in 1993 the BBC invited him to work on them for a workshop performance. In the event the performance did not take place, because of objections from the Elgar family. Payne nevertheless continued to work on the sketches, completing the Scherzo, the Adagio and the first movement of the work. The Elgar family decided to commission Payne to make an authorised version.[1] Payne later wrote, "It was during this process that I became more consciously aware of the overall sweep of the symphony. It was different in its sheer breadth of emotion from any of his other symphonic works: there was the raw vigour and magic lyricism of the opening movement, the use of a lighter manner in the second which went far beyond his established symphonic practice, and the searing intensity of the Adagio, tragic in its import, while the finale revealed a world of chivalric action and drama."[1]

His greatest difficulty was in completing the finale, as Elgar had left few clues about its structure and none about how it would end. Payne wrote both the entire development section and the coda. He decided to end the work quietly, following the model of 'The Wagon Passes' in Elgar's Nursery Suite. According to Payne, "The finale's main subject actually suggests this kind of treatment, and it would lead the music away into some new visionary world, spanning the years between the composer's death and my attempted realisation of his sketches. I trusted my intuition and went ahead and wrote".[1]

The first public performance was at the Royal Festival Hall on 15 February 1998, by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis.[4] During 1998-99 it was performed in Glasgow (24 September), Birmingham (25 September), Bristol (10 October/27 January), Liverpool (24 October), Manchester (17 December) and Cambridge (29 January). International performances were programmed as far afield as Brussels, Ljubljana, St Petersburg, Hong Kong and Winnipeg. The United States premiere took place on 20 November 1998 with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis, followed by performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Davis and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington with Leonard Slatkin.[5]

Structure edit

A performance of the symphony takes about 55 minutes.

The symphony opens in a sweeping sequence of parallel open fifths and octaves (the first seventeen bars of which Elgar left in full score) building to a march rhythm. By contrast the second subject is "sublimely wistful".[6] There is an exposition repeat indicated by Elgar, and a calm new theme for strings introduces the development section, which later has a lively theme for the horns. A march section in B flat minor follows. After the recapitulation, the coda brings together the main themes and the movement ends with a majestic C major conclusion based on the opening theme. The movement, taking about sixteen minutes in performance, though on a large scale, is shorter than the equivalent movements of Elgar's first and second symphonies.[6][7]
The scherzo is in great contrast to those of the first two symphonies, both of which are fast and forceful. It is, however, the movement of which the sketches provided the clearest indications of Elgar's intentions, and the gentle wistfulness is in a recognisable Wand of Youth style. A light dance-tune with a prominent part for the tambourine recurs like a rondo. There are two contrasting episodes, the second of which features an A major theme in pastoral vein.[6][7]
Elgar wrote that the opening bars of the slow movement would "open some vast bronze doors into something strangely unfamiliar". The first main theme is elegiac, the D major second subject offering gentler contrast. The recapitulation emphasises the brooding first theme, and the movement ends with a single solo viola note, marked fine; "this is the end", Elgar said of this phrase.[6][7]
  • Allegro
The opening of the finale returns to the heroic tone of the start of the symphony with a rousing fanfare (scored by Elgar). It is the movement of which the least original Elgar material exists, and Payne was obliged to contribute a quantity of original music. The martial opening theme has a subsidiary theme in Elgar's nobilmente vein. The climax of the movement is a large-scale crescendo-decrescendo modelled by Payne on "The Wagon Passes" in the Nursery Suite. The hushed ending dies away in a long pianissimo note from the tam tam.[6][7]

Recordings edit

The first recording was made for the NMC label by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, in October 1997, four months before the first public performance. Subsequent recordings include:

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g notes to NMC recording D053
  2. ^ Kennedy, p. 265
  3. ^ March et al., p.481
  4. ^ notes to Naxos recording 8.554719
  5. ^ "Boosey & Hawkes Composers, Classical Music and Jazz Repertoire". www.boosey.com.
  6. ^ a b c d e The Gramophone, March 1998
  7. ^ a b c d notes to LSO Live recording LSO00072
  8. ^ "Elgar/Payne Symphony No. 3". tower.jp.

References edit

  • Achenbach, Andrew: review of BBC SO recording, The Gramophone, March 1998
  • Golding, Robin: notes to Naxos recording 8.554719
  • Johnson, Stephen: notes to LSO Live recording LSO00072
  • Kennedy, Michael: Adrian Boult, London, Papermac, 1989. ISBN 0333487524
  • March, Ivan; Greenfield, Edward; Layton, Robert: The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs, London, Penguin Books, 1999. ISBN 0140513795
  • Matthews, Colin and Anthony Payne: notes to NMC recording D053
  • Reed, William H.: Elgar as I Knew Him, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1989. ISBN 0192822578

External links edit

  • Online perusal score; free login required

April 11, 2024
symphony, elgar, payne, edward, elgar, third, symphony, posth, incomplete, time, death, 1934, elgar, left, pages, sketches, which, british, composer, anthony, payne, worked, many, years, producing, complete, symphony, 1997, officially, known, edward, elgar, sk. Edward Elgar s Third Symphony Op 88 posth was incomplete at the time of his death in 1934 Elgar left 130 pages of sketches which the British composer Anthony Payne worked on for many years producing a complete symphony in 1997 officially known as Edward Elgar the sketches for Symphony No 3 elaborated by Anthony Payne or in brief Elgar Payne Symphony No 3 The first public performance was at the Royal Festival Hall London on 15 February 1998 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis Contents 1 History 2 Structure 3 Recordings 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksHistory editAfter the death of his wife in 1920 Elgar retreated into semi retirement producing no large scale works His friend and champion Bernard Shaw held that the BBC should commission a new Elgar symphony and with the aid of the conductor Landon Ronald he persuaded the BBC to do so Elgar worked on the new piece during the last year of his life jotting down short snatches of bars as well as composing pages in full score 1 Realising that he would not complete the score the dying Elgar did not destroy the sketches and made contradictory remarks about the unfinished work He told his friend the violinist W H Reed Don t let anyone tinker with it but to his doctor he said If I can t complete the Third Symphony somebody will complete it or write a better one 1 Elgar and Reed had often played through various sketches for the symphony on violin and piano and Reed knew more than anyone about Elgar s intentions Reed reproduced more than forty pages of the most important sketches in his book Elgar as I Knew Him probably to illustrate what he believed to be the impossibility of weaving them into a coherent whole 1 Their publication in 1936 meant that seventy years later they went into the public domain and the Elgar family were powerless to prevent anyone from tinkering with the sketches 1 In 1974 a BBC Radio 3 producer Dr Roger Fiske devised a programme about the Symphony and orchestrated some of the sketches completing Elgar s unfinished score and composing some other passages Elgar s daughter Carice gave her approval and Sir Adrian Boult agreed to conduct the music The score was sent for copying to Maurice Johnstone a former BBC head of music Johnstone felt strongly that the broadcast would amount to tinkering with the score and he persuaded Boult to withdraw from the project on ethical grounds and the programme was subsequently dropped A similar proposed feature for BBC television in 1979 also came to nothing 2 3 The British composer Anthony Payne had become interested in the sketches in 1972 and in 1993 the BBC invited him to work on them for a workshop performance In the event the performance did not take place because of objections from the Elgar family Payne nevertheless continued to work on the sketches completing the Scherzo the Adagio and the first movement of the work The Elgar family decided to commission Payne to make an authorised version 1 Payne later wrote It was during this process that I became more consciously aware of the overall sweep of the symphony It was different in its sheer breadth of emotion from any of his other symphonic works there was the raw vigour and magic lyricism of the opening movement the use of a lighter manner in the second which went far beyond his established symphonic practice and the searing intensity of the Adagio tragic in its import while the finale revealed a world of chivalric action and drama 1 His greatest difficulty was in completing the finale as Elgar had left few clues about its structure and none about how it would end Payne wrote both the entire development section and the coda He decided to end the work quietly following the model of The Wagon Passes in Elgar s Nursery Suite According to Payne The finale s main subject actually suggests this kind of treatment and it would lead the music away into some new visionary world spanning the years between the composer s death and my attempted realisation of his sketches I trusted my intuition and went ahead and wrote 1 The first public performance was at the Royal Festival Hall on 15 February 1998 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis 4 During 1998 99 it was performed in Glasgow 24 September Birmingham 25 September Bristol 10 October 27 January Liverpool 24 October Manchester 17 December and Cambridge 29 January International performances were programmed as far afield as Brussels Ljubljana St Petersburg Hong Kong and Winnipeg The United States premiere took place on 20 November 1998 with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis followed by performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Davis and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington with Leonard Slatkin 5 Structure editA performance of the symphony takes about 55 minutes Allegro molto maestosoThe symphony opens in a sweeping sequence of parallel open fifths and octaves the first seventeen bars of which Elgar left in full score building to a march rhythm By contrast the second subject is sublimely wistful 6 There is an exposition repeat indicated by Elgar and a calm new theme for strings introduces the development section which later has a lively theme for the horns A march section in B flat minor follows After the recapitulation the coda brings together the main themes and the movement ends with a majestic C major conclusion based on the opening theme The movement taking about sixteen minutes in performance though on a large scale is shorter than the equivalent movements of Elgar s first and second symphonies 6 7 Scherzo allegrettoThe scherzo is in great contrast to those of the first two symphonies both of which are fast and forceful It is however the movement of which the sketches provided the clearest indications of Elgar s intentions and the gentle wistfulness is in a recognisable Wand of Youth style A light dance tune with a prominent part for the tambourine recurs like a rondo There are two contrasting episodes the second of which features an A major theme in pastoral vein 6 7 Adagio solenneElgar wrote that the opening bars of the slow movement would open some vast bronze doors into something strangely unfamiliar The first main theme is elegiac the D major second subject offering gentler contrast The recapitulation emphasises the brooding first theme and the movement ends with a single solo viola note marked fine this is the end Elgar said of this phrase 6 7 AllegroThe opening of the finale returns to the heroic tone of the start of the symphony with a rousing fanfare scored by Elgar It is the movement of which the least original Elgar material exists and Payne was obliged to contribute a quantity of original music The martial opening theme has a subsidiary theme in Elgar s nobilmente vein The climax of the movement is a large scale crescendo decrescendo modelled by Payne on The Wagon Passes in the Nursery Suite The hushed ending dies away in a long pianissimo note from the tam tam 6 7 Recordings editThe first recording was made for the NMC label by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Andrew Davis in October 1997 four months before the first public performance Subsequent recordings include Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Paul Daniel 2000 Naxos London Symphony Orchestra Sir Colin Davis 2001 LSO Live BBC National Orchestra of Wales Richard Hickox 2007 Chandos Sapporo Symphony Orchestra Tadaaki Otaka 2008 Signum Classics NHK Symphony Orchestra Tadaaki Otaka 2017 King International 8 Notes edit a b c d e f g notes to NMC recording D053 Kennedy p 265 March et al p 481 notes to Naxos recording 8 554719 Boosey amp Hawkes Composers Classical Music and Jazz Repertoire www boosey com a b c d e The Gramophone March 1998 a b c d notes to LSO Live recording LSO00072 Elgar Payne Symphony No 3 tower jp References editAchenbach Andrew review of BBC SO recording The Gramophone March 1998 Golding Robin notes to Naxos recording 8 554719 Johnson Stephen notes to LSO Live recording LSO00072 Kennedy Michael Adrian Boult London Papermac 1989 ISBN 0333487524 March Ivan Greenfield Edward Layton Robert The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs London Penguin Books 1999 ISBN 0140513795 Matthews Colin and Anthony Payne notes to NMC recording D053 Reed William H Elgar as I Knew Him Oxford Oxford University Press 1989 ISBN 0192822578External links editOnline perusal score free login requiredPortal nbsp Classical Music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Symphony No 3 Elgar Payne amp oldid 1148658920, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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