Songs from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's “Song of Hiawatha” Performed on Isle of Man July 5

[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Clarinet Quintet (35:39); Harold Wright, clarinet; Virginia Eskin, piano;
Michael Ludwig, violin; Hawthorne String Quartet; Koch 3 7056 2H1 (1992)]

Isle of Man Today, Isle of Man, UK
THE first of two concerts to celebrate Manx Festival Chorus' 40th anniversary will take place at the Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin, on Saturday. Scenes from the Song of Hiawatha, a three-part cantata by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor based on the epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, will take place at 7.30pm at Erin Arts Centre. Tickets are £8 and are available from the Arts Centre, ring 835858. It will feature Christine Bregazzi (soprano), Declan Kelly (tenor), Philip Smith (baritone), Marilyn Kissack (piano) and the conductor is John Bethell. The second concert will see the Manx Festival Chorus performing Messiah on November 29. This was the first work the Chorus sang with Mr Bethell in the Villa Marina four decades ago. [Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's “Song of Hiawatha Overture”

[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Clarinet Quintet (35:39); Koch 3 7056 2H1 (1992)]

“The Song of Hiawatha is considered Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's masterwork, yet few people know the name of this composer. Two of his white classmates at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughn-Williams, are very well-known. In my opinion, though, the work of these men does nearly match Coleridge-Taylor for his emotional depth. All three of these composers exploited folk melodies of different sorts and were able to orchestrate in colorful ways, but Coleridge-Taylor is the only one that speaks to me on an emotional level. His music, though occasionally light in texture, is never light-hearted. His music is full of passion and emotion. For this reason, I do believe that his music deserves a place in the Canon. In addition, I believe that the Canon deserves a more diverse representation of humanity. Coleridge-Taylor was one of the first significant composers of color and his contribution should not be over-shadowed.” Full Post