{"id":50128,"date":"2024-11-29T14:48:27","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T13:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/c9bb162d-b3bf-4784-936a-fb6b7a0f62ab"},"modified":"2024-11-29T15:09:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T14:09:21","slug":"best-of-elgar-seven-essential-works-by-the-great-british-composer","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/best-of-elgar-seven-essential-works-by-the-great-british-composer\/","title":{"rendered":"Best of Elgar: seven essential works by the great British composer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 29 November 2024 at 13:48 PM<\/p>

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The English composer Sir Edward Elgar<\/a><\/strong> (1857\u20131934) was one of the most prominent figures in late Romantic<\/a><\/strong> music. Elgar’s works are celebrated for their emotional depth, lush orchestration, and quintessentially English character, though they also show a cosmopolitan influence. Here are seven great works by this late Romantic master.<\/p>

The best English composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul>
Best of Elgar: seven great works<\/h2>
1. Serenade for Strings (1888-92)<\/h3>
Elgar\u2019s earliest masterpiece shows him already a master of writing for stringed instruments<\/a><\/strong>, with an infectiously lilting first movement, and a contemplative slow movement. Composed over four years early in his career, the Serenade for Strings remains a cornerstone of the string orchestra repertoire, much loved for its lyricism, intimacy, and emotional depth.<\/p>

<\/div> <\/figure> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"\/> <p>Elgar composed the Serenade shortly after his marriage to Alice Roberts, who was a significant influence on his early career. As such, this work is often associated with Elgar’s gratitude and love for Alice. He in fact considered it a relatively minor work among his output, but looked on it very affectionately.<\/p> <p>The Serenade is almost a perfect Elgar primer, as it shows off many of the stylistic traits that would come to define him. These include lyrical <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-melody\">melodies<\/a><\/strong>, rich <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-harmony-in-music\">harmonies<\/a><\/strong>, and an introspective, reflective mood. You can hear the influence of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/johannes-brahms\">Brahms<\/a><\/strong>, whom Elgar much admired, in the writing for strings. Alongside, this, though, there’s a pastoral quality that is unmistakably English.<\/p> <p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/john-wilson-and-the-sinfonia-of-london\">Sinfonia of London<\/a><\/strong>\/John Barbirolli EMI 567 2402<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-enigma-variations\">2. <em>Enigma<\/em> <em>Variations<\/em> (1899)<\/h3> <p>Though the \u2018Enigma\u2019 title <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/elgar-enigma-meaning\">continues to intrigue scholars<\/a><\/strong>, this series of musical portraits of Elgar\u2019s wife and friends remains ever-vivid, especially the noble \u2018<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/a-guide-to-nimrod-from-elgars-enigma-variations\">Nimrod<\/a><\/strong>\u2019.<\/p> <p>The piece is structured as a theme followed by 14 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/what-are-variations\">variations<\/a><\/strong>. Highlights among the latter include Variation VII, a portrait of Arthur Troyte Griffith, a Malvern architect and one of Elgar’s firmest friends. This variation good-naturedly mimics Griffith’s enthusiastic incompetence on the piano.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Elgar: Enigma-Variationen \u2219 hr-Sinfonieorchester \u2219 Alain Altinoglu\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RTa8fY1z3aA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Then there’s Variation XI, which depicts in music <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/George_Robertson_Sinclair\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>George Robertson Sinclair<\/strong><\/a>, organist at\u00a0Hereford Cathedral. Interestingly, this one has little to do with its dedicatee, being more about his great bulldog, Dan, a well-known local character.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/greatest-musical-variations\">The 7 greatest sets of variations in classical music<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/why-do-so-many-composers-write-variations\">Why do so many composers write variations?<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>We hear, in the very first bar, Dan falling down the steep bank into the\u00a0River Wye; bars 2 and 3 are the sound of his paddling frantically upstream to find somewhere to swim ashore; and barb 5 features his bark of joy at being on day land. One of the most arresting depictions of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/animals-in-classical-music\">animals in music<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p> <p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><br\/> London Philharmonic Orchestra\/Adrian Boult EMI 764 0152<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/best-recordings-elgars-enigma-variations\"><strong>The best recordings of Elgar’s Enigma Variations<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dream-of-gerontius\">3. <em>The Dream of Gerontius<\/em> (1899-1900)<\/h3> <p>Elgar\u2019s dramatic <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-oratorio\/\">oratorio<\/a><\/strong>, depicting the journey of a soul from death through purgatory to heaven, sounds in the best sense operatic, rather than a stilted work for the church. A recent recording featuring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/who-is-nicky-spence\"><strong>Nicky Spence<\/strong><\/a> in the title role was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/reviews\/choral-song\/elgar-the-dream-of-gerontius\"><strong>Recording of the Month in our July 2024 issue<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p> <p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><br\/> Richard Lewis, Janet Baker; Hall\u00e9 Choir & Orchestra\/John Barbirolli EMI 391 9782<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"\/> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Edward Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius: Prelude to Part One (w\/score)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RvrtOpcq7O4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-symphony-no-2\">4. Symphony No. 2 (1909-11)<\/h3> <p>The more flamboyant of Elgar\u2019s two completed symphonies, the Second characteristically contrasts opening swagger with a sense of brooding apprehension and reflection, and includes a nightmarish whirlwind for a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-scherzo\/\"><em>Scherzo<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, plus a beautiful, elegiac <em>Larghetto<\/em> that rivals the slow movement of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/ralph-vaughan-williams\">Vaughan Williams<\/a><\/strong>‘s Symphony No. 5 as one of English music’s most beautiful moments.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/which-is-the-best-vaughan-williams-symphony\">Which is the best Vaughan Williams symphony?<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><br\/><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/halle-orchestra\">Hall\u00e9 Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>\/John Barbirolli EMI 968 9242<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/20-greatest-symphonies-all-time\"><strong>The 20 greatest symphonies of all time<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Elgar Symphony no.2 Larghetto\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r3CB5Pbzy3M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. <em>Falstaff<\/em> (1913)<\/h3> <p>One of two famous <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/the-best-recordings-of-elgars-falstaff\"><em>Falstaffs<\/em><\/a><\/strong> in the classical repertoire(the other is by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/giuseppe-verdi\">Giuseppe Verdi<\/a><\/strong>), Elgar\u2019s great <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-tone-poem\">tone poem<\/a><\/strong> is a depiction of Sir John Falstaff, the rotund and tragicomic protagonist from Shakespeare\u2019s plays <em>Henry IV<\/em> and <em>The Merry Wives of Windsor<\/em>. It may be less well known than the Cello Concerto, the <em>Enigma Variations<\/em> or the <em>Pomp and Circumstance Marches<\/em> (the latter familiar from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/prince-charles-coronation-music\">Coronations<\/a><\/strong> and more), but Elgar considered <em>Falstaff<\/em> one of his finest creations.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/classical-music-inspired-shakespeare\">These 11 Shakespeare plays have inspired some of the greatest music ever written<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Piano Quintet (1918-19)<\/h3> <p>Elgar didn’t write a huge amount of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/chamber-music\">chamber music<\/a><\/strong>, but much of what he did leave us is of the very highest quality. Two masterpieces date from near the end of his composing career, and are similar in mood and setting. Alongside 1918’s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/string-quartet\">String Quartet<\/a><\/strong>, the Piano Quintet of 1918-19 is a haunting masterpiece.<\/p> <p>There’s a ghostly atmosphere to both the <em>Moderato<\/em> first movement and the <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-andante\">Andante<\/a><\/em><\/strong> finale, believed to be inspired by a copse of dead trees near the composer’s home in Sussex. The beautiful, sighing <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-adagio-in-music\">Adagio<\/a><\/em><\/strong> movement, meanwhile, finds Elgar at his most lyrical and Brahmsian.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Elgar - Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84 (1918)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hOpiAxga3Ts?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cello-concerto\">7. Cello Concerto (1918-19)<\/h3> <p>Elgar\u2019s final masterpiece, written in the aftermath of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/what-was-impact-world-war-one-music\">First World War<\/a><\/strong> and shortly before the death of his wife Alice, is noble and restrained yet unmistakably expresses grief for an irretrievably lost era. It’s become an absolute cornerstone of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/cello\">cello<\/a><\/strong> repertoire, and received some of its most memorable interpretations from the great British cellist <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/jacqueline-du-pre\">Jacqueline du Pr\u00e9<\/a><\/strong>. One of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-cello-concertos-of-all-time\">greatest cello concertos<\/a><\/strong>, and one of the most eloquent and nakedly emotional works in the classical repertoire. It’s been blessed with some <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-elgar-cello-concerto\">great recordings<\/a><\/strong>, too.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong>How did Elgar help Poland during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/how-did-elgar-help-poland-during-world-war-one\">First World War<\/a>?<\/strong><\/li> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/elgar-violin-concerto-2\">You know his Cello Concerto. But Elgar’s Violin Concerto is every bit as wonderful<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><br\/> Jacqueline du Pr\u00e9; LSO\/John Barbirolli<br\/> EMI 562 8862<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jacqueline du Pre & Daniel Barenboim - Elgar Cello Concerto\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OPhkZW_jwc0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"\/> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Friday, 29 November 2024 at 13:48 PM The English composer Sir Edward Elgar (1857\u20131934) was one of the most prominent figures in late Romantic music. Elgar’s works are celebrated for their emotional depth, lush orchestration, and quintessentially English character, though they also show a cosmopolitan influence. Here are seven great works by this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":50129,"template":"","categories":[1,17],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-of-elgar-seven-essential-works-by-the-great-british-composer.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-of-elgar-seven-essential-works-by-the-great-british-composer-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-of-elgar-seven-essential-works-by-the-great-british-composer-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-of-elgar-seven-essential-works-by-the-great-british-composer-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-of-elgar-seven-essential-works-by-the-great-british-composer-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-of-elgar-seven-essential-works-by-the-great-british-composer.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-of-elgar-seven-essential-works-by-the-great-british-composer.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Friday, 29 November 2024 at 13:48 PM The English composer Sir Edward Elgar (1857\u20131934) was one of the most prominent figures in late Romantic music. Elgar’s works are celebrated for their emotional depth, lush orchestration, and quintessentially English character, though they also show a cosmopolitan influence. Here are seven great works by this…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/50128"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}