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: Symphonies 1, 2 and Froissart Overture
Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 1/03/2009
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Violin Concerto & "Enigma" Variations
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1/02/1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Nicky Spence, Andrew Foster-Williams, Anna Stephany
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 26/04/2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: The Enigma Variations
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent
Classical - Released by Cayo Records on 4/06/2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: The Legacy, Vol. 1 (1933-49)
Edward Elgar, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphonies - Released by London Philharmonic Orchestra on 8/09/2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 63
Classical - Released by Mezzoforte on 3/08/2018
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Romantic Cello
Alexandre Borodine, Edward Elgar, Julian Lloyd Webber
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 15/02/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Violin Concerto etc
Classical - Released by Onyx Classics on 10/10/2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Elgar Edition: The Complete Electrical Recordings of Sir Edward Elgar.
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 28/03/2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
God Save The Queen: Music for Remembrance
Johann Sebastian Bach, Edward Elgar
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 9/09/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar - Great Recordings
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 23/02/2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enigma Variations, In the South, Serenade For Strings
Sir Andrew Davis, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 1/06/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar's Enigma Variations: Orchestral Favourites, Vol. IV
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on 1/05/2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In His Temple
The Choir and Organ of St Paul's
Classical - Released by Lammas on 27/10/2007
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 20/09/2022
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 7/11/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Edward Elgar: Piano Quintet Op. 84 - Quartet for Strings Op. 83
Chamber Music - Released by Reader's Digest Music on 1/10/2013
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 8/08/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tomoko Kato: Plays Elgar
Akira Eguchi, Edward Elgar, Tomoko Kato
Classical - Released by Denon on 1/01/2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music by Elgar, Payne, Holbrooke, Bowen
Chamber Music - Released by Meridian Records on 1/11/2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Imperial March, Op. 32 (Arr. for organ by George Martin)
Classical - Released by CRD Records on 1/07/2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo