This Sceptered Isle: Wood, Holst, Vaughan Williams and Elgar

Featuring

David Bernard
Park Avenue Chamber Symphony
Park Avenue Chamber Symphony Wind Ensemble
Haydn Wood
Gustav Holst
Ralph Vaughan Williams

Edward Elgar

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Composition History

Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations, which changed his career, premiered in London on June 19, 1899, led by renowned German conductor Hans Richter.

Compositional Technique

Holst's Suite in E-flat for Military Band, a seminal work for wind band, uses original tunes that might be mistaken for folk songs.

Compositional Technique

Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations are a series of miniature character portraits, with each of the first thirteen variations representing people in his circle, and the finale being a self-portrait.

Compositional Technique

Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis uses an unusual scoring of a string quartet solo group with a double string orchestra, expanding on an idea from Elgar.

Critical Reception

The 'Enigma' title was added to Elgar's Variations just before its premiere, likely by his publisher August Jaeger, leading to endless speculation about a hidden theme.