Ozymandias

This is one of Shelley's most well-known poems and is a wonderfully dramatic cautionary tale, warning the powerful and arrogant of the futility of hubris in the face of time and of the impermanence of all material things. The name Ozymandias a transliteration into Greek of a part of the name of the Egyptian king, Ramesses II - User-maat-re Setep-en-re.

The setting begins with a forceful, sarabande-like, passage for the piano which represents Ozymandias at the height of his fearsome command. This recedes to the entry of the voice - 'I met a traveller from an antique land...' supported by a stylised 'ancient' mode in quadruple time. The music unfolds with growing intensity, until the sarabande returns at the climax where Ozymandias pronounces 'Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!' Again the sarabande fades away but is heard in the final passage as a shadowy memory under a sinuous, flowing figure in the piano. This suggests the passage of time and illustrates the true nature of despair, encapsulated in the last line of the poem - 'The lone and level sands stretch far away.'

Performance: Ozymandias

Sunday 18th September 2016, 7pm

Alice Bishop, soprano | Simon Marlow, piano | Peter Morrison Hall, Benslow Music Trust, Hitchin | Free admission – no ticket required

Works:  Ozymandias

Performance: Ozymandias

Sunday 11th September 2016, 3pm

Alice Bishop, soprano | Simon Marlow, piano | St Matthew's Church, Redhill | Free admission - no ticket required

Works:  Ozymandias

Performance: Ozymandias

Monday 18th July 2016, 8pm

Tamara Ravenhill, soprano | Norman McSween, piano | New Malden Methodist Church, 49 High Street, New Malden, KT3 4BY | Kingston and District Chamber Music Society

Works:  Ozymandias

Performance: Ozymandias

Saturday 28th May 2016, 8pm

Tamara Ravenhill, soprano | Martin Sharpe, piano | Ripley Arts Centre, 24 Sundridge Avenue, Bromley, Kent, BR1 2PX | Bromley Music Makers

Works:  Ozymandias

Performance: Ozymandias

Wednesday 13th April 2016, 1pm

Free lunchtime recital followed by refreshments. All donations go to Rennie Grove Hospice Care.

Alice Bishop, soprano | Simon Marlow, piano | St Peter's Church, St Albans

Works:  Ozymandias

World Premiere: Ozymandias

Monday 27th August 2012, 2pm

Presteigne Festival, Event 19: A Garland of Song.

Simon Lepper, piano | Gillian Keith, soprano | St Andrew's Church, Presteigne | More info

Works:  Ozymandias