Le drapeau belge

”Le drapeau belge” "("The Belgian Flag")" is a recitation with orchestral accompaniment written by the English composer Edward Elgar as his Op. 79, in 1917. The words are by the Belgian poet Émile Cammaerts"'.

It was first performed at the birthday concert for King Albert in the Queen's Hall, London, on April 14th 1917, with the recitation by Belgian dramatic performer Carlo Liten, [Carlo Liten was born in 1879 in Antwerp, Belgium of a Belgian father and Italian mother. He was a distinguished theatre actor and reciter, at the time well-known in Europe and America. He performed in Elgar's "Carillon", "Le drapeau belge" and "Une voix dans le désert". After World War I he acted in three films "The Strongest" (1920), "L'Affaire du train" (1921) and "Les Mystères de Paris" (1922). It was said of him by John Palmer (assistant editor of the London "Saturday Review") that Liten "had the most wonderful voice in the memory of any living person ... for resonance, servicableness and charm the most remarkable I have ever heard from any actor. Add to this mastery of gesture and expression dictated by a refined intelligence and we get a rare personality." ] and the orchestra conducted by Hamilton Harty.

On August 15th 1918, "Le drapeau belge" and "Carillon" were performed with success at a popular concert in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, with the recitations by Carlo Liten. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D05E6D71739E13ABC4E52DFBE668383609EDE Pay Belgium Tribute in Brooklyn concert] ]

Lyrics

The poem reflects on the wartime meaning of the colours of the Belgian flag. "The original words were in French, and an English translation [Students of French will find faults in the English translation] was provided by Lord Curzon of Kedleston."

Recordings

* [http://www.elgarfoundation.org/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_CD0494&url=http://www.elgarfoundation.org/trolleyed/2/12/40/index.htm Elgar: War Music] Richard Pascoe (narrator), Barry Collett (conductor), Rutland Sinfonia

References

*Kennedy, Michael, "Portrait of Elgar" (Oxford University Press, 1968) ISBN 0193154145
*Moore, Jerrold N. “Edward Elgar: a creative life” (Oxford University Press, 1984) ISBN 0193154471

Notes