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SOMM Recordings

Elgar: Music For Powick Asylum

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Details

Composer
ELGAR, EDWARD
Artist
Collett
Format
CD
Label
SOMM Recordings
Released
Apr 01, 2014
Catalog #
SOMMCD 252
UPC
748871325227

About



ELGAR Quadrilles: Die junge Kokette; L’Assomoir; La brunette; Paris; A Singing Quadrille. The Valentine: Five Lancers. Polkas: Maud; Nelly; La Blonde; Helcia; Blumine. Menuetto. Andante and Allegro for Oboe and String Trio. Duett for Trombone and Double Bass. Fugue for Oboe and Violin • Barry Collett, cond; Innovation C Ens; Zoë Beyers (vn); Louise Williams (va); Richard Jenkinson (vc); John Tattersdill (db); Victoria Brawn (ob); Duncan Wilson (trb) • SOMM 252 (76:59)


Back in the 19th century, music therapy was important in a number of what were then called “lunatic asylums.” Gottschalk used to play, with great enthusiasm, at an institution in Utica, New York. And in 1879, the young Elgar was given a position as “Bandmaster” at the Powick Asylum, a couple of miles outside Worcester. His job was to compose dance music for the inmates—and this recording apparently gathers up all the quadrilles, lancers, and polkas that still survive, in editions by Andrew Lyle (who, along with Barry Collett, is also responsible for filling out the sketch score of A Singing Quadrille ).


Given Elgar’s relative inexperience (he was no prodigy), given the utilitarian function of the music, given the seedy, hodge-podge orchestration (limited to friends and colleagues, his ensemble—according to Lyle’s scrupulous notes—consisted of a few violins sometimes supplemented by a viola, a cello, a bass, a piccolo, a flute, a clarinet, two cornets, a euphonium, a bombardon, and a piano) … given the circumstances, you wouldn’t expect to this to be first-rate music. And it isn’t. Nor, despite a measure or two here and there that look ahead, does it give us much sense of the composer to come. If, hearing it without identification, you were asked to guess the origins of the first dance in Die junge Kokette , you’d be apt to guess it a minor chip off Sullivan’s workbench before you’d assign it to Elgar; much of the rest is more anonymous still. Even so, the music—more vital, rhythmically, than much of Elgar’s early output—is dotted with attractive tunes and artful harmonic turns. There are also a fair share of whimsical musical references: The last dance in the set of lancers seems to hint at Gaudeamus Igitur , just as L’Assomoir (Elgar’s misspelling) sounds momentarily as if it were a cousin to Gounod’s Funeral March for a Marionette —and A Singing Quadrille is overtly, and very shrewdly, based on pre-existing material, including nursery rhymes. The disc is filled out with a few chamber works that were not written for Powick—the most interesting is the wacky 1887 “duett” (Elgar’s spelling again) for trombone and double bass, a cheeky minute or so during which the composer delights (as Stravinsky was to do much later in Pulcinella ) in the sheer absurdity of the combination.


Nothing here is especially deep: If the title of L’Assomoir refers to Zola, the music assuredly doesn’t. As a result, you might not want to listen carefully to this whole disc straight through. Still, in small doses, or as background music, it’s got plenty of charm—and this is obviously the place to turn if you’re interested in getting to know it. Yes, Collett recorded most of this music with the Rutland Sinfonia a quarter-century ago. But that disc, which I’ve not heard, is long out of print; and the remakes, based on the new Elgar edition and featuring a snappy group drawn from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, are as idiomatic as you could want. Add to this the fine engineering and the presence of three first recordings (the Menuetto , the Andante and Allegro , and A Singing Quadrille ), and you have a disc that should attract the more avid of Fanfare ’s Elgarians.


FANFARE: Peter J. Rabinowitz

Tracklist 40 tracks

  1. 1 Menuetto (Scherzo) 04:22
    Track
    1
    Title
    Menuetto (Scherzo)
    Duration
    04:22
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  2. 2 Andante 02:48
    Track
    2
    Title
    Andante
    Duration
    02:48
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Victoria Brawn, Zoë Beyers, Louise Williams, Richard Jenkinson
  3. 3 Allegro 03:15
    Track
    3
    Title
    Allegro
    Duration
    03:15
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Victoria Brawn, Zoë Beyers, Louise Williams, Richard Jenkinson
  4. 4 Quadrille No. 1 01:26
    Track
    4
    Title
    Quadrille No. 1
    Duration
    01:26
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  5. 5 Quadrille No. 2 00:49
    Track
    5
    Title
    Quadrille No. 2
    Duration
    00:49
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  6. 6 Quadrille No. 3 01:36
    Track
    6
    Title
    Quadrille No. 3
    Duration
    01:36
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  7. 7 Quadrille No. 4 00:58
    Track
    7
    Title
    Quadrille No. 4
    Duration
    00:58
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  8. 8 Quadrille No. 5 01:54
    Track
    8
    Title
    Quadrille No. 5
    Duration
    01:54
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  9. 9 Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 1. Maud 04:57
    Track
    9
    Title
    Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 1. Maud
    Duration
    04:57
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  10. 10 Quadrille No. 1 01:24
    Track
    10
    Title
    Quadrille No. 1
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  11. 11 Quadrille No. 2 00:50
    Track
    11
    Title
    Quadrille No. 2
    Duration
    00:50
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  12. 12 Quadrille No. 3 01:21
    Track
    12
    Title
    Quadrille No. 3
    Duration
    01:21
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  13. 13 Quadrille No. 4 01:24
    Track
    13
    Title
    Quadrille No. 4
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  14. 14 Quadrille No. 5 01:10
    Track
    14
    Title
    Quadrille No. 5
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  15. 15 Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 2. Nelly 03:11
    Track
    15
    Title
    Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 2. Nelly
    Duration
    03:11
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  16. 16 Quadrille No. 1 01:34
    Track
    16
    Title
    Quadrille No. 1
    Duration
    01:34
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  17. 17 Quadrille No. 2 01:25
    Track
    17
    Title
    Quadrille No. 2
    Duration
    01:25
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  18. 18 Quadrille No. 3 01:27
    Track
    18
    Title
    Quadrille No. 3
    Duration
    01:27
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  19. 19 Quadrille No. 4 00:58
    Track
    19
    Title
    Quadrille No. 4
    Duration
    00:58
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  20. 20 Quadrille No. 5 01:51
    Track
    20
    Title
    Quadrille No. 5
    Duration
    01:51
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  21. 21 Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 3. La Blonde 04:46
    Track
    21
    Title
    Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 3. La Blonde
    Duration
    04:46
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  22. 22 Lancer No. 1 01:31
    Track
    22
    Title
    Lancer No. 1
    Duration
    01:31
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  23. 23 Lancer No. 2 01:22
    Track
    23
    Title
    Lancer No. 2
    Duration
    01:22
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  24. 24 Lancer No. 3 00:44
    Track
    24
    Title
    Lancer No. 3
    Duration
    00:44
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  25. 25 Lancer No. 4 00:49
    Track
    25
    Title
    Lancer No. 4
    Duration
    00:49
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  26. 26 Lancer No. 5 04:07
    Track
    26
    Title
    Lancer No. 5
    Duration
    04:07
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  27. 27 Duett 01:19
    Track
    27
    Title
    Duett
    Duration
    01:19
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Duncan Wilson, John Tattersdill
  28. 28 Quadrille No. 1: Chatelet 01:13
    Track
    28
    Title
    Quadrille No. 1: Chatelet
    Duration
    01:13
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  29. 29 Quadrille No. 2: L'Hippodrome 01:19
    Track
    29
    Title
    Quadrille No. 2: L'Hippodrome
    Duration
    01:19
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  30. 30 Quadrille No. 3: Alcazar D'Ete 01:41
    Track
    30
    Title
    Quadrille No. 3: Alcazar D'Ete
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  31. 31 Quadrille No. 4: La! Suzanne! 00:57
    Track
    31
    Title
    Quadrille No. 4: La! Suzanne!
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  32. 32 Quadrille No. 5: Cafe des Ambassadeurs 01:11
    Track
    32
    Title
    Quadrille No. 5: Cafe des Ambassadeurs
    Duration
    01:11
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  33. 33 Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 4. Helcia 03:12
    Track
    33
    Title
    Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 4. Helcia
    Duration
    03:12
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  34. 34 Quadrille No. 1 01:41
    Track
    34
    Title
    Quadrille No. 1
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  35. 35 Quadrille No. 2 01:22
    Track
    35
    Title
    Quadrille No. 2
    Duration
    01:22
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  36. 36 Quadrille No. 3 01:30
    Track
    36
    Title
    Quadrille No. 3
    Duration
    01:30
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  37. 37 Quadrille No. 4 02:24
    Track
    37
    Title
    Quadrille No. 4
    Duration
    02:24
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  38. 38 Quadrille No. 5 01:45
    Track
    38
    Title
    Quadrille No. 5
    Duration
    01:45
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett
  39. 39 Fugue in D Minor 01:09
    Track
    39
    Title
    Fugue in D Minor
    Duration
    01:09
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Victoria Brawn, Zoë Beyers
  40. 40 Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 5. Blumine 04:17
    Track
    40
    Title
    Dances for Worcester City and County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Powick, 5 Polkas: No. 5. Blumine
    Duration
    04:17
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Innovation Chamber Ensemble
    Conductor
    Barry Collett