Tuesday 11th February
Nigel Simeone
Elgar and Boult
Regular listeners to Radio 3's Record Review know Nigel Simeone. His book ‘Ralph Vaughan Williams and Adrian Boult’ was described by Sir Andrew Davis as ‘a revelation’ and by Sir Mark Elder as telling ‘an enormously valuable story’, which Nigel related to the Society in February of last season. This year Nigel returns to explore another of Boult's important musical relationships, his friendship with Sir Edward Elgar.
Nigel says: "Adrian Boult was a schoolboy when he first met Elgar in 1904; and in 1978, the last music he conducted in public was by Elgar. Spanning three-quarters of a century, this extraordinary association will be explored in my talk: its ups and downs, and Boult’s vital role in preserving Elgar's legacy."
Appreciation by David Saunders
It was definitely a pleasure to welcome back the musicologist, writer and broadcaster Nigel Simeone to speak to us again in February 2025. He talked engagingly about the musical relationship that existed between the older composer Edward Elgar and the younger Adrian Boult, both before and after Boult became a conductor.
Nigel is a great communicator and he really showed his deep knowledge about music offering many insights about the interactions between these esteemed musicians. And his use of contemporary quotes and well-chosen musical examples helped to further our awareness and understanding of these two pivotal figures of British music. It also tied in with the latest new book by Nigel Simeone just about to be published in 2025 by Boydell and Brewer titled "Edward Elgar and Adrian Boult".
Once again, thanks to Nigel for a splendid talk.
Playlist
| Track | Piece | Orchestra | Conductor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tragic Overture (Brahms) | BBCSO | Boult | 1932 |
| 2 | Gerontius Prelude | BBCSO | Boult | 1934 |
| 3 | Introduction and Allegro | BBCSO | Boult | 1937 |
| 4 | In the South | BBCSO | Boult | 1948 |
| 5 | Sylvia (Delibes) | LPO | Boult | 1955 |
| 6 | Kingdom, Prelude | Elgar | 1933 | |
| 7 | Kingdom, Prelude | Boult | 1957 | |
| 8 | Kingdom, Prelude | Boult | 1968 | |
| 9 | Caractacus, Triumphal March | LPO | Boult | 1967? |
| 10 | Symphony No. 1, Finale | BBCSO | Boult | 1968 Prom |
Tracks 6, 7 and 8 were identical short extracts from the prelude to The Kingdom to show differences in speed between the Elgar and the two Boult versions.
Images
For more about the book, see below.
Nigel's Book
Nigel's latest book is published by Boydell & Brewer.
The hardcover RRP is £55. Amazon has it currently (Feb 2025) for £52.06. But you can get a 40% discount by going to Boydell & Brewer and entering the code BB140, which brings the price down to £33.00. (Warning: this code may not be available indefinitely.)
Click here to read the publisher's description of the book.
The three copies which Nigel brought to the meeting were all purchased by LMS members at a substantial discount.
Ken Russell's Elgar
Ken Russell's classic 1962 television biography of Edward Elgar, which uses actors to reconstruct events in Elgar's life, was re-broadcast on 23/02/2025. It's available to watch on BBC iPlayer until 25th March.
