Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar, one of the pre-eminent musical figures of his time, bridged the 19th and 20th centuries as the finest English composer since the days of Handel and Purcell. His compositions have been recorded countless times, and many have become mainstays in the classical repertoire throughout the world.
Elgar was born in Broadheath, England, on June 2, 1857. His father owned a music shop and was a church organist who taught his son piano, organ, and violin; apart from this instruction, Elgar was practically self-taught as a musician. At the age of 16, the composer became a freelance musician, and for the remainder of his life, he never took a permanent job. He conducted locally, performed, taught, and composed, scraping by until his marriage to Caroline Alice Roberts, a published novelist of some wealth, in 1889. Elgar had by this time achieved only limited recognition. He and his wife moved to London, where he scarcely fared better in advancing his career. The couple eventually retreated to Worcester, Elgar suffering from bitter self-doubt and depression. Alice stood by him the entire time, her unfailing confidence restoring his spirits. He was further buoyed by the success of his Imperial March, Op. 32, which earned him a publisher and a vital friendship with August Jaeger, his editor and confidant. In 1899, Elgar composed one of his best-known works, the "Enigma" Variations, Op. 36, which catapulted him to fame. The work is a cryptic tribute to Alice and to the many friends who stood behind the composer in the shaky early days of his career. Conductor Hans Richter proclaimed it a masterpiece, and his performances of the work in Britain and Germany established the composer's lasting success.
Elgar's most fruitful period was the first decade of the 20th century, during which he wrote some of his noblest, most expressive music, including the Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55 (1907-1908), and the Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61 (1909-1910). His best-known works from this period, however, are the first four of his Pomp and Circumstance Marches (1901-1907); the first of these, subtitled "Land of Hope and Glory," became an unofficial second national anthem for the British Empire.
Elgar suffered a blow when Jaeger (the "Nimrod" of the "Enigma" Variations) died in 1909. The composer's productivity dropped, and the horrors of World War I deepened his melancholy outlook. His music became more intimate, even anguished. Still, he wrote some of his best chamber music during this period, as well as the masterly Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 (1919), whose deep feeling of sadness and impending loss surely relates to the final illness of his faithful Alice, who died in 1920.
For some time after her death, Elgar wrote little of significance, but he made a historical foray into the recording studios when new electrical recording processes were developed. The fortunate result was a number of masterly interpretations of his orchestral music that have survived for posterity. In the early 1930s, Elgar set to work on a third symphony, left unfinished at his death in Worcester on February 23, 1934. The work was brought to a generally well-received realization by Anthony Payne in the late 1990s and was subsequently recorded.
© Rovi Staff /TiVo
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Chansons & musique pour piano
Klassik - Erschienen bei Avie Records am 28.05.2007
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Chanson de Nuit (Arr. for Military Band by Dan Godfrey Junior)
The Band of the Household Cavalry
Klassik - Erschienen bei CRD Records am 22.09.2023
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Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius Op.38
The Scottish National Orchestra & Chorus
Klassik - Erschienen bei CRD Records am 01.01.1995
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Elgar by Elgar: Symphony No. 2 In E Flat Major, Op. 63
Edward Elgar, London Symphony Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei RHI am 09.11.2015
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Elgar In Sussex
The Schubert Ensemble, Gould Piano Trio, Felicity Lott
Klassik - Erschienen bei Champs Hill Records am 25.10.2011
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Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Richard Lewis, John Cameron, Marjorie Thomas
Klassik - Erschienen bei Past Classics am 22.11.2012
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Elgar: Enigma Variations & Symphony No. 2
Edward Elgar, The Royal Albert Hall Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Infinity am 26.06.2021
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Imperial March, Op. 32 (Arr. for organ by George Martin)
Klassik - Erschienen bei CRD Records am 01.07.2022
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Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 82: II. Romance: Andante
Benjamin Baker, Daniel Lebhardt
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Delphian Records am 12.05.2023
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Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 82: I. Allegro
Benjamin Baker, Daniel Lebhardt
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Delphian Records am 19.05.2023
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Violin Concerto & Enigma Variations
London Symphony Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin, Edward Elgar, Royal Albert Hall Orchestra
Pop - Erschienen bei Biloba Jazz am 13.03.2023
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Concerts (Classical Music Masters)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Il Loggione Records am 23.02.2018
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Salut D'amour, Op. 12
Edward Elgar, Rustem Khamidullin, Elvina Ganieva
Klassik - Erschienen bei Klassikwerk am 29.03.2024
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Violin Concerto & Enigma Variations
London Symphony Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin, Edward Elgar, Royal Albert Hall Orchestra
Pop - Erschienen bei Acid Spirits Records am 13.03.2023
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30 Must-Have British Classics
Klassik - Erschienen bei Cobra Entertainment LLC am 10.02.2015
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Pomp and Circumstance, March No. 4
Jazz - Erschienen bei Vintage Vinyl am 06.05.2014
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Elgar: Enigma Variations, Cockaigne & Froissart Overtures
Klassik - Erschienen bei Nimbus Records am 01.06.2003
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Jubilee
Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, Edward Elgar
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 01.06.2022
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Elgar dirige Elgar
London Symphony Orchestra, Edward Elgar
Klassik - Erschienen bei Naxos am 24.02.2009
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Classical's Coming Home
Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams
Klassik - Erschienen bei PMI Collins Classics am 09.07.2021
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Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
Klassik - Erschienen bei Pipeline Music am 07.06.2006
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