from the Town Hall, Birmingham
The City of Birmingham
Orchestra
Leader, Alfred Cave
Conductor, Leslie Heward
Byron was eagerly read by the young romantics in Germany, as elsewhere, in the first half of last century, and Schumann was among the poet's most enthusiastic admirers. Manfred appealed to him strongly, and he set some music to it, meant for the most part to accompany the recitation of the poem. Small parts of it were laid out for singing, and there are some purely orchestral pieces. Schumann's idea was to have it performed on the stage, and it has on one or two occasions been given in that way, notably by Liszt at Weimar.
Gretry's Cephalus and Procris was a fairly early work. It was written in 1775 and, like many other operas of the composer, is based on the mythological and touching story of the devoted couple whose affection was all the stronger after each in turn had found the other out in a moment of infidelity. Listeners will remember how Diana had given Procris a dart which could not fail to find its quarry, and that Cephalus unwittingly slew his wife with it.