Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras.
I - Allegro vivace e nobilmente - Impetuoso - Tempo I - Più lento - Tranquillo - Animato - Tempo I - Impetuoso - Tempo I: 0:00
II - Larghetto - Nobilmente e semplice - Lento: 16:14
III - Rondo. Presto: 31:20
IV - Moderato e maestoso - Grandioso - Nobilmente - Poco animato - Con fuoco - Poco a poco più tranquillo - Tempo I: 39:30
Elgar's Symphony No.2 was composed between 1909-11, but with material that had been slowly gestated from 1903 onwards. It was premiered on May 24 of 1911 at the Queen's Hall, performed by the Queen's Hall Orchestra conducted by the composer. The piece was rather coldly received by the audience, far from the extraordinary success of the first symphony. Despite the fact that the piece was much better received in subsequent performances, this initial reception sparked a creative crisis in Elgar's life.
While having no explicitly programmatic content, the symphony is heavily autobiographical; it reflects the triumphs and failures of preceding years, romances and deaths, the travels and discoveries and the overall splendorous age the United Kingdom enjoyed in what was called the "Belle Époque", which would soon meet its end in the horrors of the Great War. Although Elgar defended the purity of abstract music, he wrote a few words about his work: "It represents the passionate pilgrimage of a soul". The score of the work contains some lines of the poem "Invocation" by Shelley: "Rarely, rarely comest thou, Spirit of delight!"
While in the first symphony Elgar achieved thematic and structural unity through a single theme recurring in all four movements, with the second unity is achieved through extensive cross-references between movements. The symphony's thematic material, like much of Elgar's work, consists of short, closely interrelated motives which are developed via repetition, sequential techniques, and the aforementioned subtle cross-references. Harmonically, the piece often borders on tonal ambiguity, pushing towards the dissolution of tonality. For this reason the piece is more complex and subsequently less popular than the first, although many consider it the better of the two.
The first movement is structured in sonata form. It begins with an exuberant and wilful main theme that we will call the spirit of delight, reappearing in the following movements as a unifying element. It is contrasted by a lyrical, dreamy second theme introduced by violins and fully exposed by cellos. The music grows until reaching a powerful climax of tremendous energy. The ensuing development is mysterious and eerie, with the spirit of delight theme peeking around. A rich, voluptuous theme is introduced (appearing most clearly on cellos), which will also reappear later on. It is described by Elgar as "a sort of malign influence wandering through the summer night in the garden". The development continues until voluptuous reappears once again, but with a lot more of malice and menace. The propulsive energy of the main theme leads us to another thunderous climax, followed by the recapitulation of the themes. Tension and dissonance begins to accumulate, leading us to the climactic coda. A brief pause, in form of a lyrical and contemplative passage, precedes the appearance of the spirit of delight theme, bringing the movement to a firm and decided end.
The second movement is written in form of a sonatina (sonata without development). It opens with an expressive, dirge-like main theme on strings. It unfolds in form of a funereal march with solemn, slow drum taps and heavy brass chords. A wistful transition leads us to a solemn, expansive second theme in form of a brilliant hymn, introduced softly before rising full of passion. The main theme is then recapitulated with an extended oboe solo which weaves a counterpoint of remarkable subtlety and beauty. It was described by Elgar as a "feminine voice lamenting over the broad manly first theme". The second theme leads us to a noble and solemn climax. The spirit of delight theme makes an appearance, firstly in the clarinets and violas, then a brief reference in the violins before the movement finally closes. Many believed it was an elegy to the recently deceased monarch Edward VII (to whom the piece is also dedicated), however its more probably that is a form of personal expression of Elgar's grief, as he had lost close friends at the time.
[Musical analysis continued in the comments section]
Picture: "Westminster Sunset, London" (1900) by the English painter Albert Goodwin.
Musical analysis mostly written by myself. Sources: tinyurl.com/2azbw8er, tinyurl.com/23sc6mkt and tinyurl.com/2cl5nrxw
To check the score: tinyurl.com/23a5lhlb
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras.
I - Allegro vivace e nobilmente - Impetuoso - Tempo I - Più lento - Tranquillo - Animato - Tempo I - Impetuoso - Tempo I: 0:00
II - Larghetto - Nobilmente e semplice - Lento: 16:14
III - Rondo. Presto: 31:20
IV - Moderato e maestoso - Grandioso - Nobilmente - Poco animato - Con fuoco - Poco a poco più tranquillo - Tempo I: 39:30
Elgar's Symphony No.2 was composed between 1909-11, but with material that had been slowly gestated from 1903 onwards. It was premiered on May 24 of 1911 at the Queen's Hall, performed by the Queen's Hall Orchestra conducted by the composer. The piece was rather coldly received by the audience, far from the extraordinary success of the first symphony. Despite the fact that the piece was much better received in subsequent performances, this initial reception sparked a creative crisis in Elgar's life.
While having no explicitly programmatic content, the symphony is heavily autobiographical; it reflects the triumphs and failures of preceding years, romances and deaths, the travels and discoveries and the overall splendorous age the United Kingdom enjoyed in what was called the "Belle Époque", which would soon meet its end in the horrors of the Great War. Although Elgar defended the purity of abstract music, he wrote a few words about his work: "It represents the passionate pilgrimage of a soul". The score of the work contains some lines of the poem "Invocation" by Shelley: "Rarely, rarely comest thou, Spirit of delight!"
While in the first symphony Elgar achieved thematic and structural unity through a single theme recurring in all four movements, with the second unity is achieved through extensive cross-references between movements. The symphony's thematic material, like much of Elgar's work, consists of short, closely interrelated motives which are developed via repetition, sequential techniques, and the aforementioned subtle cross-references. Harmonically, the piece often borders on tonal ambiguity, pushing towards the dissolution of tonality. For this reason the piece is more complex and subsequently less popular than the first, although many consider it the better of the two.
The first movement is structured in sonata form. It begins with an exuberant and wilful main theme that we will call the spirit of delight, reappearing in the following movements as a unifying element. It is contrasted by a lyrical, dreamy second theme introduced by violins and fully exposed by cellos. The music grows until reaching a powerful climax of tremendous energy. The ensuing development is mysterious and eerie, with the spirit of delight theme peeking around. A rich, voluptuous theme is introduced (appearing most clearly on cellos), which will also reappear later on. It is described by Elgar as "a sort of malign influence wandering through the summer night in the garden". The development continues until voluptuous reappears once again, but with a lot more of malice and menace. The propulsive energy of the main theme leads us to another thunderous climax, followed by the recapitulation of the themes. Tension and dissonance begins to accumulate, leading us to the climactic coda. A brief pause, in form of a lyrical and contemplative passage, precedes the appearance of the spirit of delight theme, bringing the movement to a firm and decided end.
The second movement is written in form of a sonatina (sonata without development). It opens with an expressive, dirge-like main theme on strings. It unfolds in form of a funereal march with solemn, slow drum taps and heavy brass chords. A wistful transition leads us to a solemn, expansive second theme in form of a brilliant hymn, introduced softly before rising full of passion. The main theme is then recapitulated with an extended oboe solo which weaves a counterpoint of remarkable subtlety and beauty. It was described by Elgar as a "feminine voice lamenting over the broad manly first theme". The second theme leads us to a noble and solemn climax. The spirit of delight theme makes an appearance, firstly in the clarinets and violas, then a brief reference in the violins before the movement finally closes. Many believed it was an elegy to the recently deceased monarch Edward VII (to whom the piece is also dedicated), however its more probably that is a form of personal expression of Elgar's grief, as he had lost close friends at the time.
[Musical analysis continued in the comments section]
Picture: "Westminster Sunset, London" (1900) by the English painter Albert Goodwin.
Musical analysis mostly written by myself. Sources: tinyurl.com/2azbw8er, tinyurl.com/23sc6mkt and tinyurl.com/2cl5nrxw
To check the score: tinyurl.com/23a5lhlb
