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Burnham on Sea

University of the Third Age (U3A)

Presents a

CLASSICAL MUSIC WEEKEND

devoted to the life and work of

EDWARD ELGAR

Saviour of English Music

“The celebrated nobility of Elgar’s music has been seen as evocative of British imperial glory, but its deeper qualities are of aspiration and nostalgia – qualities of an intimately personal expression.”
Grove’s Dictionary of Music

To be held in The Princess Theatre, Burnham-on-Sea

Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February 2010

There will be morning lectures followed by concerts in the afternoons

The lecturer will be the distinguished musician

JULIAN WILLIAMSON “Illuminating” * “Amusing” * “Brilliant”

The concerts will be given by

Bristol String Quartet * Daniel Lloyd, Piano * Burnham & Highbridge Brass

The music will include works by Brahms, Debussy, Dvorak, Ravel, Mozart…and, of course, Elgar

OUR LECTURER

Julian Williamson, outstanding conductor and lecturer, enlivens his memorable talks with anecdotes and humour. The listener comes away refreshed and exhilarated, and with a deeper understanding of great music.

He is a popular lecturer in various venues around Britain, specialising in music and literature. During the past nine years he has run many successful events of this kind, in particular on behalf of Wells U3A. Every year, during the summer, he leads courses on opera in Italy.

He studied at Trinity College of Music, twice winning the Ricordi prize for conducting and a scholarship to further his specialisation in this field.

Over the past thirty years he has been associated with a large number of choirs and orchestras. His work has taken him not only to many venues in the UK but also to Germany, Holland and the United States. He has performed regularly on the South Bank, at St. John's, Smith Square, and at the Barbican Hall, where, apart from his many concerts with the Camden Choir, he has appeared with the London Bach Orchestra and the English Festival Chorus.

Apart from directing the standard repertoire, he has always been keen to promote contemporary music. During recent seasons, he has conducted the Camden Choir in works as varied as J.S. Bach's St Matthew Passion, Ernest Bloch's Avodath Hakodeth: Sacred Service, David Fanshawe’s African Sanctus and Poulenc's Exultate Deo.

EDWARD ELGAR 1857 Born at Broadheath, near Worcester
1873 Chiefly self-taught, he worked locally, playing violin, organ, bassoon; teaching and conducting
1892 First major work: The Black Knight
1898 Caractacus
1899 Married Caroline Alice Roberts – moved to London.
1899 Enigma Variations
1900 Dream of Gerontius
Carice, only child of Elgars, born
1901 Returned to Malvern
1901 First Pomp and Circumstance March
1902 Gerontius well received in Germany after failure at home
The Apostles
1904 Knighted following an Elgar Festival in London
1905 Introduction and Allegro
1906 The Kingdom
1908 Symphony No. 1
1910 Violin Concerto
1911 Symphony No. 2
Order of Merit
1912 The Music Makers
1913 Symphonic poem – Falstaff
1918 Violin sonata
1919 Cello Concerto and Piano Quintet
1920 Death of his wife
1924 Master of the King’s Musick
1930 Severn Suite for brass band
1934 Died at Worcester, 23 February

Telephone 01278 789824 for booking form.

Further details will be published on this page as they are finalised.

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