The Symphonic Poem "King Alfred" was composed in
Wantage between June 2009 and February 2010 and
illustrates different aspects of the character and life
of Alfred of Wessex, a 9th Century Saxon sovereign
which is known for having resisted viking invasions and
thrown the bases for an English nation.
The piece doesn't tell a story: it presents a set of
pictures. It is not indeed a sequential account of the
events occuring during Alfred's life, but musical
impressions of what made Alfred k...(+)
The Symphonic Poem "King Alfred" was composed in
Wantage between June 2009 and February 2010 and
illustrates different aspects of the character and life
of Alfred of Wessex, a 9th Century Saxon sovereign
which is known for having resisted viking invasions and
thrown the bases for an English nation.
The piece doesn't tell a story: it presents a set of
pictures. It is not indeed a sequential account of the
events occuring during Alfred's life, but musical
impressions of what made Alfred known and remembered
for.
The poem starts with a theme associated to Alfred
himself, that develops and interacts with folk melodies
representing cultural influences in Anglo-Saxon
England. These themes are shadowed by echos of war
triggered by the looming Dane invasion, and reappear
through Alfred's answer to the threat: the creation of
the British Navy. Country, culture and king then join
again in a celebration of what earned Alfred his title
of "Alfred the Great".
SHEET MUSIC