OUT OF THE CHAPEL RUIN

Radio Record, 1 July 1938, Page 19

OUT OF THE CHAPEL RUIN

SYMPHONY INSPIRED BY MENDELSSOHN'S HOLYROOD: VISIT

ee N the evening twilight we went to-day tothe palace where Queen Mary lived and loved; a little room is shown ‘there with a. winding staircase leading up to the door; up this way they came and found Rizzio in that little room, pulled him out, and three rooms. off there: is: a dark corner where they murdered him. The chapel close to it is now roofless, grass and ivy grow there, "put at that broken altar Mdry was: -erowned Queen of Scotland. Everything -around. -is broken and mould:ring, arid the bright sky shines in. I-believe I found to-day in’ that old chapel ‘the beginning of. my Scottish Symphony." om Such .was_ the. written Mendelssohn of his first visit to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. The work inspired by these historic scenes was not-compl:ted until 1842, when, ‘after its. performance by-the. Philharmonic Orchestra .in~ London, under the .composer’; s:- baton, it was dedicated, by permission, to Queen Victoria, At the time of the 1829 visit, Mendelssohn appeared. in London both as pianist‘ and composer, and-was received With the warmest of welcomes by the British worlq of music. The whole musical season was indeed something of a personal triumph for the young foreigner. ‘The Scottish symphony, most’ of which. was actually later composed in . Italy, fortunately contains no trace of

~. the twilight mood ‘guggested in’ Men‘delssohn’g letter quoted above. ‘The Scottish influence, however, is: ‘traceable. Nearly a eentury. after the memor-: able first presentation of -Mendels-

séhn’s Scottish Symphony in A minor, we. are to hear the Royal Philharmonie Orchestra. play the work from 1YA: on Friday,’ duly 8.. scree n he ee