MURIEL HERBERT (Soprano). ARTHUR CRANMER (Baritone). THE WIRELESS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, conducted by THE Composer
ARMSTRONG GIBBS was born at Chelmsford in 1889. He is one of a group (Bliss is another) who found great musical inspiration in the musical life of Cambridge in tho years just before the war. He composed the music to Maeterlinck's Betrothal, given at the Gaiety Theatre, London, and has written a large number of songs, a String Quartet, and other things.
Gibbs is on the staff of the Royal College of Music, and his Opera The Blue Peter had its first performance in the theatre there, and has also been broadcast, as many listeners will recall.
Crossings is a play written by Walter de la Mare for performance in 1919 at a School at Brighton at which tho Composer then taught. He wrote the incidental music and songs for it, and later re-scored the Orchestral pieces for a larger body than could be employed at the first performance.
There are five pieces in the Suite.
I Overture. This is built upon themes from the incidental music.
II The Arrival. Four children, a brother and three sisters, arrive at night at ' Crossings,' an old country house inhabited only by fairies and a ghost.
III Butcher, Baker, and Candlestick-maker.
No one is at the house to receive the children, so they fend for themselves. The Butcher and Baker come on their rounds, and the Candlestick-maker, a romantic wanderer, also calls.
IV The Snow Tea. The children have built; a snow hut in the garden, and Here they entertain callers. Tho fairies persuade one child to go away with them, and the end of this scene depicts the other children's grief at the loss.
V Christmas Eve. The fairies come uninvited to a party. Their Queen grants one of the children a wish. She wishes for her lost sister, and a great cake appears by magic. It opens, and inside is the little girl. Tho fairies dance, and vanish as mummers enter singing a carol. 10.30 ORCHESTRA Dance Rhapsody for String Orchestra and Piano 10.40 MURIEL HERBERT Arrogant Poppies ' and ' Negleeced d Moon ' from Midsummer Madness'
