Sir Mark Elder in a British program

Sir Mark Elder leads the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Great Broadcasting Choir in an almost entirely British program. In it, in addition to works by Grieg, Vaughan Williams and Elgar, music by his favorite composer Delius.

Sir Mark Elder with British music
For many years Sir Mark Elder was the inspirational leader of the English National Opera and for more than 23 years he has been the face of the famous Hallé Orchestra in Manchester. He leads the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Great Broadcasting Choir in an almost entirely English program that shows a love of travel, although the destination is by no means the British Isles. For example, Elgar composed his voluminous concert overture In the South during a winter vacation with his family in Alassio on the Ligurian coast of northern Italy. In Vaughan Williams' choral work Towards the Unknown Region, Walt Whitman's text calls the soul to a spiritual pilgrimage.

The Song of High Hills by Delius.
One of Sir Mark Elder's favorite composers is Frederick Delius. With the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Groot Omroepkoor, he performed his only opera A Village Romeo and Juliet in Amsterdam several years ago. In The Song of High Hills, Delius shows his love for the Norwegian mountain landscape, which he got to know well in his friendship with Grieg. Of particular note is the use of the choir, which rather than having vocal significance, acts as an added symphonic sound. Opening the program is music by Grieg himself with stage music to Ibsen's Peer Gynt, a play set not only in Norway, but also in the African Sahara.