Pomp and Circumstance Marches march to the first, and thought this the finest of all the marches. After a loud call to attention from the brass, a simple "staccato" theme, tense and repetitive, is played quietly by the strings, being gradually joined by other instruments before building up to an abrupt climax. This section is repeated. The second theme, confidently played by horns and clarinets, with contrasting triple and duple rhythms, is one which was sketched by Elgar a few years before: this is developed and ends with flourishes from the strings and brass joined by the glockenspiel. The opening "staccato" theme returns, concluded
Richard III (1955 film) by Sir William Walton, who worked on all of the films Olivier directed except "The Prince and the Showgirl". He composed a score described in Chandos's record catalogue as "rousing" and "filled with pomp and circumstance, to add to the feel of pageantry". The music was conducted by Muir Mathieson, who collaborated on all of films Olivier directed, except for "Three Sisters". The film's music was also used for a set of readings of speeches from the play on audio CD featuring John Gielgud. The Chandos catalogue notes that Walton used the main theme throughout the film, especially towards the