(Section F)
Led by Marie Wilson
Conducted by Clarence Raybould
Mary Jarred (contralto)
Elgar's song cycle ' Sea Pictures ' consists of five songs for contralto voice and orchestra, and dates in order of composition between the ' Enigma ' Variations and The Dream of Gerontius. They were first produced in 1899 at the Norwich Festival and were sung by Madame (now Dame) Clara Butt , to whom they were dedicated. Their delicate beauty has made them popular with almost every type of audience, and they rank rather with the more ambitious choral works than with Elgar's songs.
These five songs show Elgar's delicate poetic feeling and his mastery of orchestral effect. ' Sea Slumber Song' is a setting of a verse by Roden Noel ; In Haven (Capri) ' is a setting of a pleasing little poem by Elgar's wire ; ' Sabbath Morning at Sea' is from a poem by Elizabeth Browning ; 'Where Corals lie' is a setting of a poem by Richard Garnett ; and the words of the last song The Swimmer' are by Adam Lindsay Gordon.