University of Virginia Library

Taut

The concert opened with a taut
and well constructed performance
of Sir William Walton's well known
coronation march, Crown Imperial.
The relentless motion of this
post-Elgarian work is somewhat
akin to that of Ravel's hackneyed
orchestral composition, Bolero.
Next came Hammersmith: Prelude
and Scherzo, an original work for
band by Gustav Holst, a British
composer of the generation after
Elgar. This difficult composition,
stark and chilling in mood, was
given a first-rate performance.