Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - African Suite, Op. 35 (1898)

[britishcomposer]

Dear members, to celebrate Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's birthday I have uploaded a recording of a BBC broadcast of last October.
It is a performance of the African Suite by the Chineke! Orchestra.
My googling wasn't successful so I cannot tell you, if SCT orchestrated the work himself. Perhaps some of you know better?
IMSLP has the score of the piano version only.
Enjoy! 

[Gareth Vaughan]

I am fairly certain that SCT himself arranged the Danse Negre (Movt. 4) for orchestra. It was very popular at one time. Whether he also arranged Movts. 1-3, I do not know.

[semloh]

Oh, this is lush music, beautifully played. Hats off to the orchestrator! What a great way to start my day. Thank you, britishcomposer. Yes, the Danse Negre is included in a 3-cd set issued on Cedille.

[sdtom]

THE work I think is very lush but generic in nature although there is merit to the fourth movement,

[britishcomposer]

Lionel Harrison was so kind to write to Chineke! asking about the orchestration.
It happens that only the last movement has been orchestrated by Coleridge-Taylor himself.
I hope it is okay to post Lionel's message:
"I have had a charming reply from Chi-chi Nwanoku herself, telling me that the other movements were orchestrated by Chris Cameron (composer, arranger and producer) especially for the Chineke! Orchestra. Mr Cameron is, like SC-T, an alumnus of the Royal College of Music."

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks. Mr Cameron did an excellent job, I must say.