''Une voix dans le désert'' ''("A Voice in the Desert")'' is a recitation, with a soprano soloist and orchestra, written by the English composer Edward Elgar in 1915 as his Op. 77. The French words are by the Belgian poet

Émile Cammaerts Émile Leon Cammaerts CBE (16 March 1878 in Saint-Gilles, Belgium – 2 November 1953, Radlett, Hertfordshire) was a Belgian playwright, poet (including war poet) and author who wrote primarily in English and French. Cammaerts translated three b ...

. It was first produced, in London at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was ...

, on 29 January 1916, with the recitation by the Belgian dramatic performer Carlo Liten, the soprano Olga Lynn, and an orchestra conducted by the composer. The words were translated into English by Cammaerts' wife, Tita Brand. The work was published as a piano reduction (the vocal parts with piano accompaniment) by Elkin & Co. in 1916.

Synopsis

The reality of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was horrific. In August 1914

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

had been invaded by the German army: the big cities had been destroyed, the carnage on both sides was incalculable, and King Albert and his army were driven to the banks of the river

Yser The Yser ( , ; nl, IJzer ) is a river that rises in French Flanders (the north of France), enters the Belgian province of West Flanders and flows through the '' Ganzepoot'' and into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort. The source of the Ys ...

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

. ''

The Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed in ...

'' in review of ''Une voix dans le désert'' described the scene on stage:

Lyrics

Recordings

*Rarely Heard Elgar & Forgotten War Music,

Munich Symphony Orchestra The Munich Symphony Orchestra (Münchner Symphoniker) is a German orchestra based in Munich but active statewide in Bavaria. It gives subscription concerts at the Herkulessaal and the Prinzregententheater and, to a lesser degree, at the Philha ...

, Douglas Bostock conducting, on ClassicO label.
Elgar: War Music
Richard Pascoe (narrator),

Teresa Cahill Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or re ...

(soprano), Barry Collett (conductor), Rutland Sinfonia * The CD with the book ''Oh, My Horses! Elgar and the Great War''Foreman, Lewis (ed.),''Oh, My Horses! Elgar and the Great War'', Elgar Editions, Rickmansworth, 2001 has many historical recordings including ''Une voix dans le désert'' with '' Quand nos bourgeons se rouvriront'', a 1985 recording with Alvar Lidell (narrator), Valerie Hill (soprano) and the Kensington Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leslie Head * ''Elgar – Bax – For the Fallen'', 2016 (CD HLL7544) recording live 7 April 2016 orchestra and choir

The Hallé The Hallé is an English symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England. It supports a choir, youth choir, youth training choir, children's choir and a youth orchestra, and releases its recordings on its own record label, though it has occasiona ...

, cond.

Mark Elder Sir Mark Philip Elder (born 2 June 1947) is a British conductor. He is currently music director of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, England. Life and career Elder was born in Hexham, Northumberland, the son of a dentist. He played the ba ...

, recording including "The Spirit of England", Op. 80 (The Hallé, Elder Mark, soprano Rachel Nicholls), "Grania and Diarmid", Op. 42 (mezzo-soprano Shaw Madeleine) and

Arnold Bax Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, (8 November 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His prolific output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral musi ...

In Memoriam (only for orchestra) always 2016

Notes

References

* Kennedy, Michael, ''Portrait of Elgar'' (Oxford University Press, 1968) * Moore, Jerrold N. "Edward Elgar: A Creative Life" (Oxford University Press, 1984)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Voix Dans Le Desert, Une Compositions by Edward Elgar 1915 compositions Compositions with a narrator