Radio Philharmonic Orchestra - Elgars Enigma Variations and Tsjaikovski’s Swan Lake

Elgar's Enigma Variations

Elgar's Enigma Variations are both beautiful and deeply mysterious. Each variation is a musical portrait of one of Elgar's friends, and the whole is brought together, according to the composer, by an 'unplayed theme'. This riddle has kept music puzzlers busy for decades. The large-scale orchestral work was Elgar's breakthrough and put British music back on the map.

Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake

Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is also a touch mysterious: the story is full of magic. According to choreographer Rudy van Dantzig, this 'ballet of ballets' resounds with 'the Russian soul, the lyricism, the melancholy and the desire to emerge from the cold winter and see spring blossom again'. This morning you will hear a number of parts of the ballet, including the famous waltz. The concert opens with Arvo Pärt's Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten , which he composed as a quiet tribute after the death of the British master composer.