In 1907 Holbrooke was approached by the poet Herbert Trench who wished the composer to set his extended poem on immortality "Apollo and the Seaman". This Holbrooke duly did, although only the final section of the poem ("The Embarkation") is actually sung (by a male chorus), the rest of the score being a purely orchestral illustration of the verses. The completed work, styled "An Illuminated Symphony", was first performed at Queen's Hall on 20 January 1908, conducted by Thomas Beecham: on this occasion the orchestra and chorus were hidden from the audience behind an elaborate screen whilst the text of the poem was projected onto the screen using lantern slides at corresponding points in the music. The rehearsals for "Apollo and the Seaman" were attended by Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden who shortly after the first performance approached Holbrooke with one of his own poems, entitled "Dylan - Son of the Wave": this resulted in the composition of the opera "Dylan", first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, conducted by Artur Nikisch, on 4 July 1914. The staging included another technological wonder: