Lived 1857 – 1934
Mostly in Worcester, London
Best Known for Cello Concerto, Enigma Variations, The Dream of GerontiusPomp and Circumstance Marches
Similar to Brahms, Parry


Edward Elgar’s 100th birthday in 1957 was the starting point for a slow re-evaluation of his music in academic and critical circles and a completely fresh interpretation of the man himself. Not that the music was ever seriously out of fashion  – the two symphonies, two concertos, the Enigma Variations, the Introduction and Allegro for Strings and The Dream of Gerontius kept the music alive in the concert halls. But it was still rare to come across a foreign conductor programming an Elgar work or a foreign soloist in one of the concertos.

ElgarSir Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934)

There were obvious exceptions to this generalisation, such as violinists Jascha Heifetz and Yehudi Menuhin and cellists Pablo Casals and Paul Tortelier, but not too many and not too often. His music was mainly championed by British conductors, several of whom had either known Elgar or played under his baton – Henry Wood, Adrian Boult, Landon Ronald, John Barbirolli and Malcolm Sargent. But there was still a tendency to regard advocacy of Elgar...