大象传媒

Donald Macleod reflects on Coleridge-Taylor鈥檚 premature death and the renewed impact of his legacy.

At the turn of the 20th century, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor could have been described as the most famous Black person in Britain. His cantata trilogy, the Song of Hiawatha, was an overnight success, and by the age of 25 he had packed out the Royal Albert Hall with a thousand performers, let alone the audience. His fame took him all around Britain and America as choral societies from Worcester to Washington DC all wanted to sing his music, and Coleridge-Taylor became a role-model, especially for African Americans. But tragically, just over a decade later, he would be dead. He remained a household name into the 1930s, only for his flame to flicker out much sooner than he deserved. All this week, Donald re-visits his fascinating story, with recordings predominantly released in the last five years, showing how excited today's performers are to rediscover his delightful music.

Today, Coleridge-Taylor collapses suddenly on a train platform, at the age of only 37. Donald tells the nerve-wracking story of the ensuing days, and what would be the composer鈥檚 final moments. We hear about the overwhelming impact he had had on those that knew and looked up to him, only for his legacy to fall out of our collective memory for decades, until a new generation of musicians has brought his music back into the light.

Big Lady Moon
Elizabeth Llewellyn, soprano
Simon Lepper, piano

Summer is gone
The Lee Shore
The Ionian Singers
Timothy Salter, conductor

Violin Concerto, Op 80 (ii. Andante semplice; iii. Allegro molto)
Lorraine McAslan, violin
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Nicholas Braithwaite, conductor

Hiawatha鈥檚 Departure (excerpt)
Bryn Terfel, baritone
Welsh National Opera Chorus and Orchestra
Kenneth Alwyn, conductor

Deep River (arr. Kanneh-Mason Trio)
The Kanneh-Mason Trio

Produced by Amelia Parker for 大象传媒 Audio Cardiff