Lunchtime concert:
Tennyson’s Enoch Arden
Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 1:05 pm
Emily Anderson Concert Hall, University of Galway
In association with Arts in Action, University of Galway
Enoch Arden by Richard Strauss
A melodrama for cello, piano and narrator on the poem by Tennyson
Annette Cleary cello
Réamonn Keary piano
Barry McGovern narrator
Enoch Arden, a poem by Tennyson, was the inspiration for a melodrama for piano and narrator by Richard Strauss. It was composed in 1897 for actor Ernst von Possart who was influential in securing a position for Strauss as conductor of the Bavarian State Opera. Strauss and Possart toured extensively with this work and it proved hugely popular with audiences. After many decades of neglect, it was brought to prominence in 1962 in the acclaimed recording by Glenn Gould and Claude Rains.
Cellist Annette Cleary and Pianist Réamon Keary have collaborated to create a new arrangement of the work for cello, piano and actor. As the piano part is orchestral in texture, the music is ideally suited to feature the cello which, with its broad range and similarity to the human voice, is the ideal instrument for this newly imagined composition. The work is in two halves, each approximately 25 minutes in length.
THE LUNCHTIME SERIES IS SUPPORTED BY SAP
TICKETS
Although these concerts are free, it is advisable to register to avoid disappointment.
These concerts are relaxed performances, intended specifically to be sensitive to and accepting of audience members who may benefit from a more relaxed environment.
