Cockaigne Overture Sc/pts

First performed in 1901, this concert overture gives a lively and colourful musical portrait of Edwardian London. "Cockaigne" was a term used by moralists at that time as a metaphor for gluttony and drunkenness, and Britons adopted the name humorously for London. Elgar did supply a detailed programme for the work which begins with a quiet but bustling theme which leads into an unbroken sequence of snapshots: cockneys, the church bells, the romantic couples, a slightly ragged brass band and a contrastingly grand military band.
This edition is not an arrangement but aims to correct many of the errors and inconsistencies present in the original Boosey and Hawkes edition (which, it is said, Elgar never proof-read).
*The cornets may be omitted as any essential passages are generally cued in the trumpet parts. The trumpet parts were originally scored in F but are here presented in Bb. The organ and double bassoon add weight but are not essential.