Opus 57
The Two Sisters Concert Overture
Written in 1918 by Cyril Bradley Rootham (CBR), "The Two Sisters" overture is a dramatic work drawn from the composer's eponymous opera (Op.55) which was not completed until 1920.
About this work
Written in 1918, Op.57 "The Two Sisters Concert Overture" presents some of the themes used in the composer's three-act opera "The Two Sisters" (Op.55). The overture runs for 10-12 minutes, according to CBR's note on the manuscript full score.
It is interesting to note that the later opera (Op.55) was finally completed in 1920 and does not have an overture as such. The stage direction on the manuscript full score of the opera clearly states:
In place of an overture, six verses of the Ballad
"The Twa Sisters o' Binnorie" will be sung by a
male singer standing in the orchestra, immediately
after the lights have been extinguished in the theatre.
The Ballad will be sung without accompaniment.
So the Op.57 Concert Overture evidently stands as a separate work in its own right.
First performance
The work was first performed by The New Queen's Hall Orchestra at Prom 35 in the Queen's Hall on 19 September 1918, conducted by CBR himself. Most of the other works in the concert were conducted by Henry Wood.
Queen's Hall, Langham Place
Copyright Westminster City Archives
The first broadcast performance was transmitted on the BBC Regional Programme on 15 August 1934, in a concert by the BBC Orchestra.
About this recording
In the absence of a live recording, we can only play a synthesized MP3 file generated from the typeset score. This can be used to gain a rough impression of the work and for musical analysis.
This MP3 file was generated using the NotePerformer software, and we are very grateful to Stewart Thompson for his help in creating this excellent recording.
Publication status
By permission of the Master and Fellows of St. John's College, Cambridge
We are very grateful to St. John's College for making available the original manuscript of the full score, which is held in their Special Collections Library.
This has allowed us to prepare the work for its first published edition - by chance 100 years after its composition.
Manuscript: Op.57 The Two Sisters Concert Overture
Library of St John's College, Cambridge
We are deeply indebted to Alistair Jones, who has typeset the work from the original manuscript and has planned a performance of the work.
We are also very grateful to Stewart Thompson, who has prepared the work ready for publication in 2019 and has generated the demonstration recording used on this web page.
The poem
The original ballad "The Twa Sisters o' Binnorie" fascinated CBR and inspired him to produce three separate works:
• Op.55 The Two Sisters - opera (1916-1920)
• Op.57 The Two Sisters - concert overture (1918)
• Op.68 The Twa Sisters o' Binnorie - part song (1922)
The ballad is no easy read, dealing in stark terms with the topics of sibling rivalry, sexual jealousy, murder and retribution. These themes appear in similar ballads throughout northern Europe, as outlined in this Wikipedia article.
The harper with the drowned sister
Illustration: intricate cantrips blog