King Charles' coronation music

[Brian]

Seeing new reports on the new music commissioned for King Charles III. After the last two coronation marches were highlighted by William Walton, this time the lineup is led by...Andrew Lloyd Webber?

https://www.tatler.com/article/king-charles-iii-coronation-music-details-composers-performers

Notes:
- Coronation March by film composer Patrick Doyle
- Coronation Anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber
- newly commissioned music by Iain Farrington (organ solo), Sarah Class, Nigel Hess, Paul Mealor, Tarik O'Regan, Roxanna Panufnik, Shirley J. Thompson, Judith Weir, Roderick Williams and Debbie Wiseman (five choral and six orchestral commissions among them)
- commissions include a Greek Orthodox work to honor his late father, who was born on Corfu
- "Soloists performing at Westminster Abbey will include bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, soprano Pretty Yende and baritone Roderick Williams."
- Antonio Pappano to conduct a special orchestra of members of ensembles of which Charles is a patron (principally the Royal Philharmonic)
- "Before the service itself, Sir John Eliot Gardiner will conduct The Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque soloists in an opening programme of choral music."

I don't really know a lot about British coronations, since one hasn't happened in even my parents' lifetime, but this is...a lot of music!!!

[Papy Oli]

This could mean I could just watch JE Gardiner and then move on to do something else for the day 

[Wanderer]

'At the request of His Majesty, in tribute to his late father His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Greek Orthodox music will also feature in the Service performed by the Byzantine Chant Ensemble.' Interesting.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I stumbled across this article today which goes into some more detail about the new music commissions.

https://www.royal.uk/coronation-music-commissions

Once it gets closer to the day, I'll have to check into what will be shown where (like t.v. channels and computer) and figure out how early I want to get up that day [I feel a sleepy yawn coming on already  ].

PD

[André Le Nôtre]

I rather fancy the theme from Monty Python's Flying Circus, followed by a big foot coming down to...

[Florestan]

'At the request of His Majesty, in tribute to his late father His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Greek Orthodox music will also feature in the Service performed by the Byzantine Chant Ensemble.' Interesting.

I was lucky enough to overhear this precise moment in its entirety on car radio. Awesome. I do appreciate Charles' willingness to pay a moving tribute to his late father who was born and baptized and raised in the Orthodox faith.

[Maestro267]

Excellent music today. The choirs, soloists and orchestras did magnificently!

[Florestan]

Excellent music today. The choirs, soloists and orchestras did magnificently!

This, on spades. And let's not forget the two Sirs (Gardiner and Pappano). Magnificent indeed.

[ritter]

I didn't follow the whole coronation, but did sit through the Walton Te Deum, which was very well performed. It was great to hear and see that piece in the place and on the occasion it was composed for.

[Maestro267]

Parry's I Was Glad (complete with Vivats) sent shivers down my spine. What an epic piece of music!

[Luke]

I Was Glad* when they performed that. But the Lloyd Webber made me feel queasy. Horrible piece....whose sheet music, I hear, is opportunistically being sent to all parishes in the UK in the attempt to make it part of the repertoire. The man can't rid himself of his musical theatre roots, he knows no other language, and those cheesily simplistic cadences every couple of beats felt appallingly shallow. IMO, obviously...

*but unsurprised because IIRC Parry is HRH's favourite composer.

[Maestro267]

Yes, he contributed majorly to a BBC Four documentary on Parry about 10 years ago.

[Luke]

I remember it, yes.

[Luke]

I like Parry well enough but he's a peculiar composer to have as one favourite, isn't he?

[vers la flamme]

I like Parry well enough but he's a peculiar composer to have as one favourite, isn't he?

Compared to what?

[Luke]

Just because I would expect a favourite composer's music to represent a pinnacle of some quality that one chimes with particularly strongly. Parry isn't really a pinnacle in any way that I can see - in everything he's good at (and there are lots of things) I personally can think of others who are better. I'm not saying he shouldn't be anyone's favourite, just that it surprises me a bit. I could get a bit more psychoanalytic about why he might be Charlie's favourite (he's very good at proto-Elgarian patriotism, but without Elgar's complexity and self-doubt....), but I won't.* (You never know what the Met are keeping tabs on these days      )


*and Parry's a more politically-complicated figure than that suggests anyway.

[Brian]

He also wrote an intro to a Chandos booklet for a Parry release.