Sir Arnold Bax's In Memoriam was first performed on March 10, 1918. The composer's early subtitle for the piece, "An Irish Elegy," is extremely apt. The work is imbued with a subtle Celtic flavor without the use of direct quotation. Bax, ever the skillful tone painter, was capable of evoking an image through an understated use of harmony and tonal color. The cor anglais, or English horn, with its haunting, pastoral quality, and the harp, with its "otherworldliness," give the work a visceral poignancy that is typical of Bax's chamber music. Nearly nine and a half minutes in length, the one-movement In Memoriam pays homage to Ireland, a country Bax held dear. The folklike theme in the English horn, accompanied by languid chords in the harp, sets a wistful mood that avoids sentimentality. As in his popular symphonic tone poems, Bax creates an almost cinematic evocation of a particular time and place. While he is considered a Neo-Romantic, this early work already signals Bax's use of the atmospheric chromaticism and extended tonalities of Impressionism, inviting comparisons to Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

© Mona DeQuis, All Music Guide