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: The Dream of Gerontius
Nicky Spence, Andrew Foster-Williams, Anna Stephany
Classical - Released by Signum Records on Apr 26, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Enigma Variations
Classical - Released by Halle Concerts Society on Mar 20, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches & Orchestral Favourites, Vol. VII
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on Apr 1, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Symphonies 1, 2 and Froissart Overture
Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Classical - Released by Signum Records on Mar 1, 2009
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85
Classical - Released by The Digital Gramophone on May 24, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Violin Concerto & "Enigma" Variations
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 1, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
For the Fallen (Works by Elgar and Bax)
Classical - Released by Halle Concerts Society on Feb 3, 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: The Legacy, Vol. 1 (1933-49)
Edward Elgar, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphonies - Released by London Philharmonic Orchestra on Sep 8, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 63
Classical - Released by Mezzoforte on Aug 3, 2018
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Romantic Cello
Alexandre Borodine, Edward Elgar, Julian Lloyd Webber
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Feb 15, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar's Nursery Suite: Orchestral Favourites, Vol. VI
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on Jan 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Violin Concerto etc
Classical - Released by Onyx Classics on Oct 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 Mar 28, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Edward Elgar: Go, Song Of Mine - Part-Songs And Choral Works
Classical - Released by Signum Records on Dec 3, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar - Great Recordings
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Feb 23, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar's Enigma Variations: Orchestral Favourites, Vol. IV
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on May 1, 2012
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 Sep 9, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legendary Violinist David Nadien, Vol. 1
Classical - Released by Cembal d'amour CD 111 on Mar 1, 2000
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 Jun 1, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: A Self Portrait - The Music Makers, Dream Children, Froissart
Classical - Released by Halle Concerts Society on Sep 5, 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 Oct 27, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo