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Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Solemn Prelude Receives its London Premiere

Jan. 24, 2023

On January 25, Edward Gardner conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Solemn Prelude, a recently rediscovered orchestral work by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, alongside Edward Elgar's Symphony No. 1 and Sir Michael Tippett's Piano Concerto at the Southbank Center. Ryan Bancroft recently conducted the Minnesota Orchestra in a performance of Solemn Prelude, on January 5-6 in Orchestra Hall, and conducted the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Solemn Prelude on January 12-13at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra gave the US premiere of Solemn Preludelast September. Solemn Prelude was originally commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival and received its first performance in Worcester, England on September 13, 1899, conducted by the composer. While Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s own piano reduction of Solemn Prelude was released in 1899, the full score was never published and the orchestral material was lost. Investigations by Three Choirs Festival CEO Alexis Paterson revealed that the original manuscript was housed in the British Library. A new edition of the score was published by Faber Music and the modern premiere given at Worcester Cathedral on July 27, 2001 by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by David Hill.

A fascinating in-depth account of the work’s rediscovery and publication is available to read here on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra website.

To learn more about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, visit: fabermusic.com.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Solemn Prelude (1899)
for orchestra
2.2.2.2-4.2.2.btbn.1-timp-perc: cyms-str
ca. 11'

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