Gustav Holst: Sita, Op. 23 (1899-1906) Closing Scene From Act III

This is a rare live recording made by Opera Viva on LP, 1983.
At the time when Holst began composing his opera Sita in 1899, Richard Wagner’s influence was prevalent in fin-de-siècle London and was especially strongly felt by the young composer. Holst would later describe the opera as ‘good old Wagnerian bawling’. In 1906 it was submitted for the Ricordi opera competition, but failed to win the prize of £500.
This greatly affected Holst, who had spent seven years working on the opera involving, amongst others, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Sidney Goldsmith, who had helped him in different capacities to finish it.
Nevertheless Sita constitutes an important step in Holst’s quest for a musical voice. In the time it took him to finish the opera he had begun to develop a more personal style. This evolution is evident in the third act interlude, shown in these images. We see the appearance of complex time signatures such as the 15/8 flute melody over a 5/4 accompaniment in the first few bars. The daring harmonic movement that ends this section offers us a glimpse into Holst’s future musical language.
Soprano: Penelope Chalmer
Mezzo-Soprano: Jane Smith
Contralto: Carole Leatherby
Baritones: Dafydd Wyn Phillips, Mark Hofman
Opera Viva Orchestra conducted by Leslie Head