An Unsung Coronation

[John Boyer]

Last year we discussed unsung music appropriate to express our feelings about the death Queen Elizabeth II.  In less than two weeks we will experience the happier occasion of the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.  The event is sure to include the usual coronation favorites by the the likes of Handel & Co., but for our purposes let's imagine that each of us had the opportunity to select music for a coronation that would consist of works by unsung composers within our remit.  What would you choose?

I confess that I could not come up with much.  I am not all that familiar with the choral works of many of our unsung composers, at least choral works of a majestic, celebratory character that would be appropriate for a coronation, and because operas, which are a great source for stage pageantry, are seldom recorded if composed by an unsung composer.  Still, with a bit of effort, I'm sure you could dig something up.

From the world of opera I would suggest the Bridal Procession from Rubinstein's opera Feramors, although perhaps it has a bit too much of an Eastern flavor.  Also from the operatic Rubinstein I would nominate the Festival March from Nero.  Looking at the score I see that this originally had a chorus, which explains why, in the form recorded by Michael Halasz and the Slovak Phil Bratislava, there seems to be something missing.  Of course, the original text had something to do with proclaiming Nero a god, which won't do at all, but I'm sure we could substitute something more appropriate for the occasion.  Let's have the poet laureate earn his keep, eh?

Raff comes to the rescue with his delightful Festmarsch, Op. 159.  It has a restrained sense of ceremony, more festive than pompous, which is to its credit.  Slightly less effective but still a worthy candidate is the final movement of the Orchestral Suite #1, Op. 101, which is a straight forward, upbeat, but restrained march.  As for choral music, how about our guy's Te Deum, WoO 16 (1853)?  It's short, straight to the point, but entirely appropriate, especially given that it was written for the coronation of Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach-Ratzenfratzen. (OK, I made up the last part of his realm, but the rest is real.)

Any suggestions?

[terry martyn]

Remarkably enough,the Fourth movement  of Otto Olsson's Symphony immediately comes to mind. Scintillating
string passages, followed by a Mendelssohnian triumphant finale. Remarkably, because the preceding Adagio immediately came to mind for Queen Elizabeth............    Shows how much I value this composition (or ,at least, the third and fourth movements).

(Don't knock the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach too much,John!  Goethe found a happy and productive home there,as the good friend of the reigning Grand Duke)

[John Boyer]

Don't knock the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach too much, John!  Goethe found a happy and productive home there, as the good friend of the reigning Grand Duke.

Worry not!  I have a fondness for the patchwork quilt of pre-Bismarck Germany.  As for the Olsson, has it been recorded?  I was not aware of him until now.

[Martin Eastick]

Here: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Otto-Olsson-1879-1964-Symphonie-op-11/hnum/7986499

[Ilja]

There is also an older (but IMO rather better) radio recording, with Stig Westerberg leading the Swedish RSO.

Regarding suitable pieces for coronations, the last two minutes or so of Tchaikovsky's Third symphony sound very appropriate. As for actual coronation marches, I must confess to having a soft spot for Saint-Saëns' March for the Coronation of Edward VII, and perhaps even more for Paul Gilson's Fanfare for the Inauguration of King Albert I.

[terry martyn]

Frederic Cliffe's Coronation March is also really worth a listen.  A year ago, I purchased the CD from Dr Christopher Fifield (the conductor), and he led me to believe that he still had a handful of pressings available for purchase. I think,if I am not mistaken, that the March was part of an enterprise partly crowdfunded by our members.....