"Elizabeth Taylor was laid to rest Thursday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif., in a small, private funeral attended by friends and family that began 15 minutes after schedule – under instructions she left. The one-hour, multi-denominational service officiated by Rabbi Jerry Cutler included a reading by actor Colin Farrell, a friend of Taylor's, of Gerard Manley Hopkins's poem 'The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo.' Taylor's son Michael Wilding, her daughter Liza and her grandson Tarquin Wilding also read selections, and her grandson Rhys Tivey performed a trumpet solo of 'Amazing Grace.'" [
Source]
The poem was famously recited by the love of her life, Richard Burton. But it was also set to music by Elizabeth Maconchy in 1978.
Listen to a brief clip of soprano Renée Fleming singing the piece while a student at the Eastman School of Music. There is an
extended clip on YouTube as well. If you missed the memorial tribute to Elizabeth Taylor and her opera connections, click
here.
