Elgar's Hillside

[Luke]

Any regular ski resorts? I mean, places where every winter people gather to ski or sleigh on dedicated ski slopes.

I ask because a cousin of mine lives in Stratford-upon-Avon and answered in the negative to the above question. I want a second opinion from native UK people.

This is about the size of it

https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/skiing-snowsports

[Florestan]

This is about the size of it

https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/skiing-snowsports

Thanks. As usual, truth lies in the middle. 

If you really wanted to ski in Scotland, you could do it. If you expected skiing in Scotland to be like skiing in Romania, you'd be hugely disappointed.    

[Luke]

You would indeed. But the compensation is that the landscape up there is mind-blowing.

[Florestan]

You would indeed. But the compensation is that the landscape up there is mind-blowing.

Ah, yes, Scottish landscapes are awesome, although I never saw them except in photos.

[Karl Henning]

Up in Scotland, yes

The phrase Scots on Skis came to mind, in pure conjecture. One hopes they do so dressed more warmly than in a kilt.

[Luke]

They're not huge - none of Britain's mountains are that big. But size isn't everything, as they say. A mountain like Suilven, which is actually pretty small, seems to loom

[Karl Henning]

Ah, yes, Scottish landscapes are awesome, although I never saw them except in photos.

Come for the skiing, stay for the landscape!

[Luke]

Just come for the landscape, really.

[Mirror Image]

The highest point in the UK is Ben Nevis in Scotland:



Looks like a place someone can get a lot of thinking done.

[Elgarian Redux]

Somebody really ought to start a Scottish thread.

Heck, it might as well be me:

The Wonders of Scotland

[Karl Henning]

Heck, it might as well be me.

That's the spirit!

[Luke]

By the way, I'm not sure it got mentioned here but the Elgar scholar Jerrold Northrop Moore died a few days ago.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/jun/09/jerrold-northrop-moore-obituary

I'm guessing some people on this thread may have come into contact with him. (I did, but only very indirectly, in connection with permissions to use certain quotations in my book)

[Elgarian Redux]

By the way, I'm not sure it got mentioned here but the Elgar scholar Jerrold Northrop Moore died a few days ago.

That's very sad. I didn't know him, but his books on Elgar are indispensible.

[DavidW]

The highest point in the UK is Ben Nevis in Scotland:



Looks like a place someone can get a lot of thinking done.

That guy is thinking "did I leave the stove on?"

[Mirror Image]

That guy is thinking "did I leave the stove on?"

Or he could be thinking: "Okay, now how do I get down from here?"

[Maestro267]

"Must remember to get milk when I pop in the shop on the way home..."

(Yes this is a caption contest now. 😛)

[Luke]

That's very sad. I didn't know him, but his books on Elgar are indispensible.

His death reminded me that this was in my Amazon basket - I've wanted it for a while, so in his honour I pulled the trigger and it arrived today. It's gorgeous, full of lots of my favourite things, those visionary British artists from Samuel Palmer to Paul Nash and beyond. Lots of things I'd never seen before.

[Elgarian Redux]

His death reminded me that this was in my Amazon basket - I've wanted it for a while, so in his honour I pulled the trigger and it arrived today. It's gorgeous, full of lots of my favourite things, those visionary British artists from Samuel Palmer to Paul Nash and beyond. Lots of things I'd never seen before.

Predictably, there is a copy on my bookshelf, here where I'm sitting as I write this, although I've not done more than merely  dip into it, so far. But yes, Palmer, Nash & Co...  are old pals in a circle where Elgar perfectly fits, and if it's the spirit of place we're after, they are our men, are they not?

[Luke]

They certainly are!

[JBS]

I'm currently listening to the new Dream of Gerontius recording from McCreesh and the Gabrieli Players. It seems good, although I'm not sure the "period instruments" make that much of a difference. The organ, which was dubbed in, is that of Hereford Cathedral, and therefore one Elgar directly knew, although only after the composition of DoG. I'm guessing it was used for the 1903 performance of DoG, which took place in Hereford, a year before Elgar moved into the area.

The booklet has some nice photographs of the interior of a wood or forest, but provides no information on the location or the photographer, so I just emailed Signum Records asking for that.