Poster Statue of Sir Edward Elgar
Statue of Edward Elgar in a corner of Hereford Cathedral Green.
photo by Don Dixon, via Wikimedia Commons
Performance Today®

Elgar's Enigma Variations

There's a musical puzzle at the heart of the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar. Cryptographers have been working on cracking the code for a century. On this episode of Performance Today, we'll share some of the many possible solutions... and enjoy a great performance of the Elgar's Enigma Variations, from the Aspen Music Festival.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Luis de Milan: Fantasia No. 12
Jordi Savall, viola da gamba | Sergi Casademunt, alto viola da gamba | Eunice Brandao, tenor viola da gamba | Lorenz Duftschmid, bass viola da gamba
Album: Milan: Fantasies, Pavanes and Gallardes
Astree 8535

Antonin Dvorak: String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major, Op. 105, B. 193
Dover Quartet
Rockport Music, Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA

Traditional (Mexico): Guaracha & Improvisation
Hesperion XXI: Jordi Savall, viola da gamba | Xavier Diaz-Latorre, vihuela, chitarra | Andrew Lawrence-King, Spanish baroque harp | Pedro Estevan, percussion
Collegio Papio, Ascona, Spain

Philip Herbert: Elegy: In Memoriam - Stephen Lawrence
Minnesota Orchestra | Osmo Vanska, conductor
Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

Hour 2

Lyun Joon Kim / Roxanna Panufnik: Korean Elegy
Han-Na Chang, cello | Philharmonia Orchestra | Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Album: The Swan: Classic Works for Cello and Orchestra
EMI 57052

Maurice Ravel: Piece en forme de Habanera
Peter Sanders, cello | Adrienne Kim, piano
Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival, Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, VT

Jessie Montgomery: Rhapsody No. 1
Jessie Montgomery, violin
Album: Strum: Music for Strings
Azica Records 71302

Edward Elgar: Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 “Enigma”
Aspen Festival Orchestra | Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Aspen Music Festival and School, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen, CO

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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

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