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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Elgar: A Self Portrait - The Music Makers, Dream Children, Froissart
Classical - Released by Halle Concerts Society on 5 Sep 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In His Temple
The Choir and Organ of St Paul's
Classical - Released by Lammas on 27 Oct 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
19 September 2022 - Funeral Music - HM Queen Elizabeth II
Johann Sebastian Bach, Edward Elgar, Henry Purcell
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 20 Sep 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
British Classical Music: VE Day 75
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Edward Elgar
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 7 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Piano Quintet - Sea Pictures
Classical - Released by Avie Records on 27 May 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Edward Elgar: Piano Quintet Op. 84 - Quartet for Strings Op. 83
Chamber Music - Released by Reader's Digest Music on 1 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tomoko Kato: Plays Elgar
Akira Eguchi, Edward Elgar, Tomoko Kato
Classical - Released by Denon on 1 Jan 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Edward Elgar: Late Recordings - Pomp And Circumstance Marches, Op. 39 - Serenade For Strings, Op. 20 (Recordings of 1933 & 1934)
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Elgar, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by GazzaLadra on 8 Aug 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pomp and Circumstance, March No. 1
Jazz - Released by Vintage Vinyl on 6 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music by Elgar, Payne, Holbrooke, Bowen
Chamber Music - Released by Meridian Records on 1 Nov 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Imperial March, Op. 32 (Arr. for organ by George Martin)
Classical - Released by CRD Records on 1 Jul 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Symphony No. 1 & Cockaigne Overture
Classical - Released by Claves Records on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Portrait of Elgar
English Symphony Orchestra, English String Orchestra
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Edward Elgar: Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36, 'Enigma' - Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis & Five Tudor Portraits
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg
Classical - Released by Soundmark Records on 20 Feb 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar dirige Elgar
London Symphony Orchestra, Beatrice Harrison, Edward Elgar, New Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Naxos on 13 Apr 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar & Bruch : Violin Concertos
Yehudi Menuhin, London Symphony Orchestra, Landon Ronald, Edward Elgar
Violin Concertos - Released by Naxos on 3 Aug 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HMV Concert Classics: Elgar: Enigma Variations - Vaughn-Williams: Fantasia
Classical - Released by Music Masters NF on 8 Nov 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cello Concerto, Op. 85
Classical - Released by Audiofonic Records on 19 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar Conducts Elgar: Enigma Variations, Cockaigne Overture & Pomp & Circumstance
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Edward Elgar
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1 Nov 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Relaxed Holidays
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Edward Elgar
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 5 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo