Sir Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar’s music carries English romantic warmth into the concert hall: long-breathed melodies, rich harmony and tunes that lodge in the ear, from the intimate charm of Salut d’Amour to organ writing of near-symphonic scale.
He wrote for orchestra, chorus, chamber forces and the salon with the same instinct for colour and line. The First Organ Sonata unfolds in four contrasting movements of full romantic weight: daring harmonic turns, captivating melodies and a sense of orchestral splendour transferred to the console. The Second draws on the Severn Suite, brass-band muscle refined into organ sonority. Elsewhere the same voice softens into song and encore: Salut d’Amour remains a favourite for its open-hearted cantabile, equally at home on violin, organ or mandolin ensemble. Sacred choral pages such as The Spirit of the Lord show the ceremonial side of that gift, broad phrases shaped for voices and space. Whether the canvas is a full sonata or a two-minute salon jewel, the music asks to be sung as much as played.
Compositions by Sir Edward Elgar appear on
Cafe Fiddle
After the success of his Tall Poppies Brahms sonatas with Milton Kaye, Australian violinist Ben Breen reunited with the veteran pianist for a second disc. Recorded near the end of Kaye’s life, it became the last chapter in the accompanist’s long recording career.