Elgar -- Caractacus [15min]

Edward Elgar's mother suggested that he write a piece based on the Iron Age hill fort at British Camp at The Malverns. Although he demurred at first, Elgar did write it, living, during the time of the composition, in a cottage where he could see the hills in the distance. Legend has it that Caractacus was a British chieftain who fought off the Romans, but was eventually captured and went to Rome, where he so impressed the Emperor that he was allowed to live. Simon Halsey walks the Malverns, talks to Elgar scholar Michael Foster and discovers how the landscape of the Malvern hills, and surrounding woodland, can be heard in the music.