These are the only two cello concertos known to have been written as memorials to World War I.
Composition History
Gareth Farr incorporated the name S.T.E.L.L.A. (E flat-B-E-A-A-A) into the final cadence of his concerto, symbolizing hope, as a gift to cellist Sébastien Hurtaud for his daughter.
Compositional Technique
Both concertos use a cyclic structure, where the opening material returns at the very end, giving the audience a sense of journey and emotional fulfillment.
Composition History
Gareth Farr composed his Cello Concerto 'Chemin des Dames' in memory of his three great-granduncles who were killed in the Great War.
Historical Context
Edward Elgar, the composer, was deeply affected by the slaughter of World War I, hearing shelling from France from his home in Fittleworth, West Sussex.
Composition History
Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto was completed in 1919, when the Spanish flu was still claiming many lives, and it became his final large-scale work.
