William Walton’s Main Works
William Walton's complete body of work is not extensive, yet the composer managed to create several pieces that were highly popular in his time and are now firmly part of music history.
Façade – An Entertainment
William Walton wrote Façade as the instrumental accompaniment to the poems of the same name by his patron and friend Edith Sitwell. It was first performed privately at the Sitwell family’s London home in 1922, and the full score was published in 1951.
Belshazzar's Feast
The biblical cantata Belshazzar's Feast is centred on the story of the lavish banquet held by the Babylonian king Belshazzar. Commissioned by the BBC in 1929, it marked Walton’s rise as a leading figure in British music. The libretto, by Osbert Sitwell, draws extensively from the Bible. The work features dissonant harmonies, jazzy cross-rhythms, and echoes of the English oratorio tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Crown Imperial
Full of pomp and majesty, Crown Imperial is an orchestral march composed for the coronation of King George VI. First performed at Westminster Abbey on coronation day in 1937, it stands as a grand ceremonial work in the tradition of Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance marches.
Symphony No. 1
William Walton’s iconic First Symphony in B-flat minor premiered in 1935, when the composer was in his early thirties, making a powerful impact. The work reveals influences of Sibelius and Beethoven, yet remains unmistakably Waltonian: volcanic, powerful, and above all, timeless.