Edward Elgar's Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major, op. 55, played by the WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lionel Bringuier. Recorded live at the Kölner Philharmonie on 27.05.2023.
Edward Elgar - Symphony No. 1As major op. 55
00:00:00 I. Andante. Nobilmente e semplice - Allegro
00:20:32 II. Allegro molto (Attacca)
00:27:33 III. adagio
00:39:54 IV. Lento - Allegro
WDR Symphony Orchestra
Francesco Piemontesi, piano
Lionel Bringuier, conductor
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Work introduction
An amuse-gueule is quickly nibbled - and immediately it is clear: top or flop. Edward Elgar is popular in the German-speaking world primarily as a composer of musical palate ticklers, whether the first "Pomp and Circumstance" march or the delicate touch of nothingness entitled "Salut d'amour." Elgar, then, the master of the small form. But an ambitious chef who cannot serve a ten-course menu in addition to "petits riens" need not hope for a star. In composing, the possible ticket to Olympus is the orchestral royal genre called symphony. Elgar jittered towards it for decades. Although he proved in 1899 with his "Enigma Variations" that he was an orchestral composer by grace, they are still a series of many small musical tidbits. The great epic form, on the other hand, the symphony, that was a different kettle of fish. Hans Richter, world premiere conductor of the "Enigma Variations", once again gave the now 50-year-old Elgar the steam to overcome his fear.
And so the Elgar couple travels to Rome in November 1907, where Alice can announce on December 3: Edward has begun work. At first, he still blocks himself with his high ambitions. A nasty flu and the death of a good friend do the rest. And so Elgar returns to England in May 1908 without the planned symphony. But now the floodgates finally open. Already on September 25, the mammoth task is completed. The premiere on December 3 made it clear that Elgar had far exceeded the goal he had set for himself. The symphony thrills sonically, but the experts also overflow with admiration for the accomplished architecture of the form. Elgar has spanned great arcs not only within the four movements, but over the entire nearly hour-long work. Everything is held together by a motto theme that gradually forms at the beginning and returns several times in the course of the symphony until it leads to an apotheosis of dazzling radiance at the end.
(Text: Otto Hagedorn)
7 июл 2024
