Elgar, Edward

Preface

Elgar, Edward

Concerto in B minor for violin and orchestra Op. 61 (Piano Reduction/Solo)

The score is headed by a quotation in Portuguese from Lesage’s Gil Blas: »aqui est encerada el alma de (…)..« [i. e., »herein is enshrined the soul of …..«] It is another Elgarian enigma, for he never divulged the secret dedication. Of interest is the use of five dots at the end, for it is the normal printing convention to use three – something Elgar almost certainly knew, since he was always interested in the printer’s art. This has led to speculation that the ›soul‹ has a five-letter name – either one of the Alices, perhaps, or Helen (Weaver), or Elgar? Others have speculated that the ›soul‹ is that of the violin itself.

For this is the violin concerto above all others that explores the emotional side of the violin. It is a huge work (its is not uncommon for a soloist who is not familiar with the work to announce a performance, only to miss it through illness). The first movement alone lasts 15–19 minutes, the second 11–14 and the last 16–20 or more. Just the first two movements together are longer than the concertos by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Bruch or Glazunov, and not very much shorter than those by Tchaikovsky, Sibelius or Bartok. The only concertos in the regular repertoire that have a similar physical and emotional scale are those by Beethoven and Brahms – which must have pleased Kreisler…

For more information on the piece:

Read the preface to the full score / das Vorwort zur Partitur lesen > HERE