On Monday, as the eyes of the world are on the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, we at WETA Classical will do our part to celebrate her life by sharing many of the orchestral works featured at her coronation.
From that ceremony in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953 (more than a year after she ascended the throne), we’ll play music by Handel, Purcell, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Walton, and others. Two of the works received their premieres at the coronation: Sir William Walton’s Orb and Sceptre and the Processional by Sir Arthur Bliss.
We’ll be presenting these pieces once per hour between 6am and midnight.
All works are from Queen Elizabeth’s coronation except where noted.
SIR MALCOLM ARNOLD Homage to the Queen (written as the official coronation ballet)
SIR ARTHUR BLISS Processional *
GEORGE BUTTERWORTH Idyll ‘The Banks of Green Willow’
SIR EDWARD ELGAR Nimrod from Enigma Variations
SIR EDWARD ELGAR Pomp and Circumstance Marches 1, 2, and 4
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Overture to Music for the Royal Fireworks
GUSTAV HOLST Jupiter from The Planets
JOHN IRELAND Epic March
HENRY PURCELL Chaconne from King Arthur
HENRY PURCELL Trumpet Tune
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on Greensleeves
SIR WILLIAM WALTON A Queen’s Fanfare (written for a NATO ceremony in 1959) presented as Classical Sunrise at 6:54am
SIR WILLIAM WALTON Crown Imperial
SIR WILLIAM WALTON Orb and Sceptre *
Listen to the entire service on this Spotify playlist, including many performances recorded live at the event. Browse this full list of music performed at the coronation.
For helpful resources related to the queen’s passing, check out the stories assembled by our WETA colleagues at the Brit-focused Telly Visions blog:
Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral: Where to Watch and Other Important Details
7 Must-See Documentaries that Celebrate the Life of Queen Elizabeth II
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