Sheffield Telegraph: 'World premiere at last for Coleridge-Taylor’s Thelma'

[“Sheffield musician, teacher and academic Catherine Carr who discovered a long-lost opera by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor” (Sheffield Telegraph)]

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) is featured at AfriClassical.com. The Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation, www.SCTF.org.uk, and a group based in Croydon are deeply involved in the observance of this year's Centennial of the composer's death:

SheffieldTelegraph

Sunday 8 January 2012

“AN important, large-scale British opera penned over 100 years ago which posterity is calling Thelma, gets its long overdue world premiere in early February, albeit not locally but as a result of local tenacity. Thought lost or destroyed, a simmering, not to say tantalising interest remained in it as it is by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (of Hiawatha fame), the centenary of whose death occurs this year.

“And it came to pass that Sheffield musician, teacher and academic Catherine Carr discovered the three-act work in 2003 after embarking on a part time PhD on the life and work of Coleridge-Taylor at Durham University, having completed an MPhil degree at Sheffield University in 1996.”

“'I was quite a way in to the degree, examining his music output, when I realised that the opera was important. I thought, crikey! It’s a huge work, which he regarded as his greatest achievement, so I made it my mission to track it down. I knew it hadn’t been destroyed because I had seen a letter, written to Coleridge-Taylor’s wife Jessica in 1913 (the year after his death) mentioning the opera, performing rights and so on.

“'Then I found it, analysed it – Coleridge-Taylor’s scrawly handwriting meant it took time! I went through it all and completely analysed the whole opera and it became the fulcrum of my thesis. I had loads and loads of examples typeset so that it could be seen clearly. It’s really interesting stuff!'”

“'I was amazed at the quality of the music. The opera shows us a completely different side to Coleridge-Taylor. It’s top-drawer stuff, the arias, the way he juxtaposes relationships, thematic ideas, use of the chorus. The thing I’ve not been able to understand is why it wasn’t staged. Van Moorden, the artistic director of Carl Rosa Opera, refused to stage it and Coleridge-Taylor was bitterly, bitterly disappointed.'”

“'It’s a fantastic piece of work; ultimately, in the guise of late 19th-century Italian opera (i.e. late Verdi) and Puccini,' concludes Catherine. She will be giving pre-performance talks on the opera at its premiere outings on February 9, 10 and 11 in a Surrey Opera production with professional soloists and orchestraat the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon where Coleridge-Taylor lived and spent his life. Later this year, the multi-racial touring company Pegasus Opera will be staging it as a contribution to Black History Month.”