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
Klassiek - Released by Avie Records on 28 mei 2007
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Chanson de Nuit (Arr. for Military Band by Dan Godfrey Junior)
The Band of the Household Cavalry
Klassiek - Released by CRD Records on 22 sep. 2023
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Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius Op.38
The Scottish National Orchestra & Chorus
Klassiek - Released by CRD Records on 1 jan. 1995
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Elgar by Elgar: Symphony No. 2 In E Flat Major, Op. 63
Edward Elgar, London Symphony Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by RHI on 9 nov. 2015
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Elgar In Sussex
The Schubert Ensemble, Gould Piano Trio, Felicity Lott
Klassiek - Released by Champs Hill Records on 25 okt. 2011
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Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Richard Lewis, John Cameron, Marjorie Thomas
Klassiek - Released by Past Classics on 22 nov. 2012
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Elgar: Enigma Variations & Symphony No. 2
Edward Elgar, The Royal Albert Hall Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Infinity on 26 jun. 2021
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Imperial March, Op. 32 (Arr. for organ by George Martin)
Klassiek - Released by CRD Records on 1 jul. 2022
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Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 82: II. Romance: Andante
Benjamin Baker, Daniel Lebhardt
Kamermuziek - Released by Delphian Records on 12 mei 2023
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Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 82: I. Allegro
Benjamin Baker, Daniel Lebhardt
Kamermuziek - Released by Delphian Records on 19 mei 2023
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Violin Concerto & Enigma Variations
London Symphony Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin, Edward Elgar, Royal Albert Hall Orchestra
Pop - Released by Biloba Jazz on 13 mrt. 2023
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Concerts (Classical Music Masters)
Klassiek - Released by Il Loggione Records on 23 feb. 2018
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30 Must-Have British Classics
Klassiek - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 10 feb. 2015
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Salut D'amour, Op. 12
Edward Elgar, Rustem Khamidullin, Elvina Ganieva
Klassiek - Released by Klassikwerk on 29 mrt. 2024
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Violin Concerto & Enigma Variations
London Symphony Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin, Edward Elgar, Royal Albert Hall Orchestra
Pop - Released by Acid Spirits Records on 13 mrt. 2023
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Pomp and Circumstance, March No. 4
Jazz - Released by Vintage Vinyl on 6 mei 2014
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Elgar: Enigma Variations, Cockaigne & Froissart Overtures
Klassiek - Released by Nimbus Records on 1 jun. 2003
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Jubilee
Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, Edward Elgar
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 1 jun. 2022
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Elgar dirige Elgar
London Symphony Orchestra, Edward Elgar
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 24 feb. 2009
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Classical's Coming Home
Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams
Klassiek - Released by PMI Collins Classics on 9 jul. 2021
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Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
Klassiek - Released by Pipeline Music on 7 jun. 2006
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