FROM David Way’s talk on his career in auto electronics last week we moved to music as our topic for this week’s meeting on Thursday, January 21. Jon Goldswain, a recipient of the Elgar Society Certificate of Merit made his second visit as guest speaker. He illustrated his talk, ‘Elgar’s Women’ with excerpts, both orchestral and vocal, of Elgar’s music influenced by the intensity of his relationships with four women; his mother, his wife, Alice, Helen Weaver, a close friend, and his daughter Carice. Alice strove tirelessly to make the family home a conducive environment for her husband’s creative work.

The musical extracts were carefully selected, as were the performers on record. In addition to two variations from the Enigma suite, a song from his Sea Pictures, shorter songs for soloist and piano there was a brief excerpt from the much loved ‘Cello Concerto. Of particular historical interest were items recorded under the baton of Elgar himself.

Elgar, to whom friendships were profoundly important, was a devoted friend to the particular men and women who inspired and supported his work, and his music reflects his depth of feeling for some of them.

Among the questions that arose after Mr Goldswain's talk some explored the extent to which Elgar’s music was a reflection of the time in which he lived, and the conflict between Elgar the composer of easily accessible music on the one hand; and on the other, Elgar composer of profoundly moving oratorios, orchestral works and chamber music.

The topic for our next meeting is ‘Climate Change’.

TONY DAVIES