HEYWARD CONDUCTS ENIGMA VARIATIONS a triumphant finish in G Major, an exceptionally bright contrast to the minor tonality of the concerto.
Instrumentation: Solo violin, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings.
Edward Elgar
Born: June 2, 1857, in Lower Broadheath, England Died: February 23, 1934, in Worcester, England
Principal Bassoon, Harrison Miller with eager participants at a March 2026 Music Box concert
violin transcriptions of Coleridge-Taylor’ s arrangements of African American spirituals; she boldly premiered his Deep River at Carnegie Hall in 1911 and recorded it for the Victor Talking Machine Company a few months later.
In 1912, Coleridge-Taylor penned his final major work— a violin concerto dedicated to Powell, which she premiered at the Norfolk Connecticut Music Festival in June. The composer planned to attend the London premiere in October, but he tragically died from pneumonia in September, never having the opportunity to hear Powell perform the concerto. Critics praised the work, one noting that the concerto“ contains interesting melodic material and piquant rhythms, and it is gracefully written for the solo instrument. Miss Powell played it with all the consummate artistry of which she is a mistress.”
The Violin Concerto opens with a movement that is somewhat rhapsodic, with sweeping themes that move from one to the next in a manner that feels almost improvisatory. Coleridge-Taylor was certainly writing to Powell’ s virtuosic strengths in the movement, as it is very demanding for the soloist. The movement requires technical dexterity, a beautiful tone, nuanced rubato, and the precise execution of double, triple, and quadruple stops( when the violinist plays more than one note simultaneously). The strings are muted in the opening of the second movement, leaving room for the soloist to shine with soaring, poignant melodies. A contrasting section with a faster tempo and fuller texture reaches constantly upward, before the tranquil music from the opening returns. The third movement begins with a charming, light theme in the orchestra, which is in constant dialogue with the soloist. This theme returns throughout the movement, ultimately building to
VARIATIONS ON AN ORIGINAL THEME, OP. 36“ ENIGMA VARIATIONS” [ 1898 – 1899 ]
In 1911, Edward Elgar reflected that his Enigma Variations were begun“ in a spirit of humor and continued in deep seriousness.” Indeed, the work originated one evening while Elgar was improvising at the piano after an exhausting day of teaching. He crafted a theme and began to improvise a series of 14 variations, each representing one of his friends. Part of the appeal of the piece was guessing which friend he was portraying in each variation. An additional element of mystery continues to shroud the piece today, adding to its alluring intrigue. Elgar called the theme“ Enigma,” which means puzzle, and later wrote:“ The Enigma I will not explain— its‘ dark saying’ must be left unguessed … further, through and over the whole set another and larger theme‘ goes,’ but is not played.” Although they started as a whimsical improvisation, the Enigma Variations marked a significant turning point in Elgar’ s compositional career. Premiered in London in 1899, the piece was deemed one of the most distinguished British orchestral works of the time.
After the theme, Elgar begins with a romantic variation about his wife, Caroline Alice Elgar. He continues with a playful second variation for his friend Hew David Steuart-Powell, a pianist. The author Richard Baxter Townshend
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