Symphony No.1

The original idea for Elgar's Symphony No. 1, in A flat major, Op. 55 was based on the life of General Gordon and dates from 1898, but the composer did not complete it and continued to consider it in the years that followed. His close friend Alfred Rodewald offered to produce the work. Elgar declined this offer, accepting a commission from the Leeds Festival Committee to write a symphony for the 1904 festival, but then quickly changed his mind and declined again, aware that the deadline was short and he needed more time. Shortly after his fiftieth birthday, in 1907, he began work in earnest on his first symphony. The work is completely different from the original conception. The symphony is not programmatic but deeply personal, and it is saturated with contrasting emotions. In this direction the composer saw the prospect of symphonism after Beethoven. This is supported by a statement he made in a lecture he gave in 1906 on Brahms's symphonies, which were held in high esteem in England at the time: 'I think the symphony without a programme (or story line) is the highest development of the art... Some writers are inclined to say that the symphony is dead. Perhaps the form has been somewhat distorted by the abuse of some of its admirers ... but when the searching genius comes along, it may be fully revived. Symphony No. 1 begins with an introduction marked Nobilment e semplice (Noble and simple) in which, influenced by Wagner's leitmotif technique, Elgar introduces the unfolding fateful theme that runs through all four movements. This is followed by the contrasting pathetic first theme and the lyrical second theme. The emotionally intense first movement, at its end, seems to die away with the reminiscence of the fate motif now in pianissimo. The contrasting thematicism is also characteristic in the second movement, which is followed without interruption by the third movement, a noble and moving Adagio, described as the most perfect and lyrical music in Elgar's oeuvre. The drama-laden fourth movement ends with a triumphant march finale in which the theme from the introduction sounds solemnly transformed as an apotheosis of the indomitable human spirit. Symphony No. 1 was premiered on December 3^rd, 1908 in Manchester with the The Halle Orchestra conducted by Hans Richter. The symphony was an immediate success, Elgar being applauded on stage many times. Four days later it was performed in London with the same success, and there were around 100 performances in the first year. After this public acclaim and the triumph of his Violin Concerto (1910), his Symphony No 2 (1911) was received with reservations. After the 1960s, thanks to recordings of many of Elgar's works, interest in the composer's work was revived and his symphonies were performed by leading conductors and orchestras.