London
Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Sir Malcolm Sargent Recorded:
1953 & 1954
Released as Decca LPs LXT 2786 and LW 5058
Download ID: 184904, 388859
Duration
43'10"
Play
sample movement:
The
Variations on an Original Theme, "Enigma" (Op. 36), written
by Elgar in 1898 at the age of 41, finally brought their composer
the recognition and acclaim which had up to then eluded him. Prior to
this piece he'd been well-regarded provincially but had failed to make
a real breakthrough nationally. But with the Enigma Variations we see
the start of a string of major compositions and success for their composer,
followed as they were by works such as 1900's The Dream of Gerontius
(Op.38) (PACO009)
and the Pomp and Circumstance Marches (Op.39), of which the first
was written in 1902.
The
Enigma at the heart of these variations is still unresolved - any number
of solutions has been put forward for the origins of Elgar's theme. Ultimately
the composer's little musical joke, it is secondary to the dedication
"To my friends pictured within", in which Elgar describes the
inspiration for each of the fourteen variations. You can read a full description
of these inspirations here.
Of the variations, it is the ninth, 'Nimrod', which is best known, and
one of the most often performed excerpts in the concert repertoire.
As
such the pairing here is apt - Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March
No. 1 contains, without a doubt, his best known tune - through the later
addition of the words "Land of Hope and Glory" by Arthur
Christopher Benson (1862-1925). The March was a huge concert hall hit,
and though its two immediate successors failed to achieve the same popularity,
with March No. 4, first performed at a Promenade Concert in London on
4th September, 1907, Elgar was to repeat the success of No. 1.
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