Composer

The theme of the 2025/26 Orchestra Unwrapped concerts is centered around the history of the Philharmonia Orchestra, which was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge and celebrates its 80th birthday in 2025. Legge worked for a company called EMI, who was responsible for making recordings of classical music. 

The pieces you’ll hear take us on a journey through time linking to the exciting history of the Philharmonia, from 1945 to today – a history you are all part of by being part of Orchestra Unwrapped in its 80th year!

London: Orchestra Unwrapped

Southbank Centre

7th Subscription Concert 2026

Vienna Music Society

Join us for a celebration of the musical legacy of the Holst family – both Gustav and his exceptionally talented and influential daughter, Imogen.

Imogen worked with Benjamin Britten to establish the longstanding Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk alongside her distinguished composing career. Tonight’s highlights are the folk and baroque–inspired Variations on Loth to Depart and the spectacular but rarely heard Festival Anthem, performed with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir.

From Gustav we have his St Paul’s Suite. Like Imogen’s Variations on Loth to Depart it’s based on English folk music, but it’s much more boisterous and dense – like the musical equivalent of eating a chocolate cake.

The Holsts: Father & Daughter

Derby Cathedral

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra plays in Vara Konserthus together with conductor and violinist Nikolaj Znaider.

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra plays in Vara Konserthus

Vara Concert Hall

Concert of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna

Musikverein Wien

With soft melodies and technical challenges, this Violin Concerto by Max Bruch is beloved, and it is performed tonight by Nikolaj Znaider. We also hear Elgar’s infinitely beautiful Enigma Variations with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in all its splendour.

Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1

Göteborgs Symfoniker

EPSG:4326

Concert in the Wiener Konzerthaus

Wiener Konzerthaus

Music history is filled with moments that leave an indelible impression. Elgar’s Cello Concerto opens with the melancholic embrace of the cello, followed by the orchestra’s emotional response, conveying beauty, simplicity, and deep sadness. Written after World War I, it reflects Elgar’s disbelief in humanity and the sorrow following immense suffering. Similarly, Shostakovich, under the heavy hand of Stalin’s regime, spent years balancing his personal expression with political restrictions. Yet, this programme is not all sorrow. Shostakovich’s playful finale and Elgar’s glimmers of hope are complemented by Rimsky- Korsakov’s vibrant Capriccio espagnol. After the storm, the sun shines again. The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Finnish maestro Santtu-Matias Rouvali, with Senja Rummukainen, a gifted cellist from Finland, performing Elgar’s masterpiece.

Santtu-Matias Rouvali conducts the Rotterdam Philharmonic

Queen Elisabeth Hall

We invite you to a special concert at Paliesius Manor, where the awakening of nature will merge with wonderful music! An afternoon full of romantic and dreamy, elegant and passionate spirit awaits you, an afternoon that will invite you to dream, relax and immerse yourself in the rhythms of spring. Magical works will sound - a synthesis between classical and contemporary music, which will create a special atmosphere. Listeners will be delighted with both well-known works of classical music and chords of contemporary and popular music.

Romantic spring at Paliesius Manor

Paliesius Manor

Mozart’s genius is on full display in his elegant and high-spirited Piano Concerto No. 9, and in the hands of Jan Lisiecki—recognized as one of today’s most astounding young talents—it promises pure magic. In his famous Enigma Variations, Elgar lovingly renders those nearest and dearest to him, creating a musical photo album filled with heartfelt warmth and profound emotional depth. The concerts open with romantic music from the 1939 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

Mozart + Elgar’s Enigma Variations

Jones Hall

Commissioned in 1945 by the Ministry of Education for a children’s film titled “Instruments of the Orchestra”, Britten’s cheery tour de force is the perfect excuse to show off the considerable talents of the BBC SSO’s individual players. You’ll also be stunned by the “consummate artistry” (The Guardian) of Alban Gerhardt as he performs Britten’s deeply expressive Cello Symphony, originally written for the great Russian virtuoso Mstislav Rostropovich.

Afternoon Performance: Alban Gerhardt Plays Britten's Cello Symphony

City Halls

Edwar Elgar sat down at the piano after a tiring day of lessons and played a random melody that caught his wife’s attention. Without further ado, he began to improvise variations on this enchanting melody, inspired by the different characters of his friends and activities around him: a »gruff disposition«, a »stuttering girlfriend«, his first attempts at playing the piano, a dog tumbling down an embankment, or – not to be forgotten – the world-famous »Nimrod« variation, with which Elgar honours his best friend. The solution to the riddle, the enigma of the variations, which according to Elgar is hidden within the composition, remains unsolved to this day.

NDR Youth Symphony Orchestra / Stefan Geiger

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Stunning sisters and Seattle Symphony members, Jacqueline and Katherine Audas, join Cascade Symphony as soloists in Brahms’ magnificent Double Concerto for violin and cello. Both earned degrees from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and have been winners at prestigious international competitions. They have appeared with major orchestras and music festivals on four continents. The concert begins with Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March and concludes with the lush Langsam movement from Gustav Mahler’s Third Symphony.

Brahms Double Concerto

Edmonds Center For the Arts

Concert 3

Schaap Center for the Arts

Originally commissioned for the coronation of King George II, Handel’s anthem is a timeless masterpiece exuding majesty, triumph, and divine grandeur—a musical celebration of power, tradition, and unshakable glory!

The Enigmatic Voice

California Theatre

Elgar

Gasteig HP8

Conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla is joined by violinist Vilde Frang for Elgar’s Violin Concerto, a work featuring passionate expression from the soloist and a rich orchestral palette. György Kurtág’s Brefs messages is performed on the composer’s centennial, and spring arrives with Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 — with brass fanfares and pastoral interludes that lead to an ecstatic ending.

Gražinytė-Tyla Conducts Elgar & Schumann

David Geffen Hall

Ralph Vaughan Williams stepped onto the podium in Leeds on October 12, 1910, his 38th birthday, to conduct the premiere of “A Sea Symphony” with the Leeds Festival Chorus and Orchestra. Composing this piece was a journey of self-discovery for the then-young composer, culminating in this unique and epic choral symphony. This significant work by Vaughan Williams has never before been performed in Estonia.

A Sea Symphony

Pernau Concert Hall

Estonia Concert Hall

Vanemuise kontserdimaja

Nicole and Iwan are delighted to return to Leeds to present a concert of vocal and solo piano music. The concert will include arias and songs by Mozart and Schubert as well as music by Ivor Novello, songs from the shows, traditional folk music, and solo piano music by Chopin.

Nicole Boardman & Iwan Owen

Leeds Conservatoire

A guiding principle for Yo-Yo Ma is to make the listener feel like the most important person in the room. The fact that he’s done that for more than 60 years is a testament to his commitment. Ma’s performance of Elgar’s soulful Cello Concerto is part of an all-English program that is tailor-made for Thomas Søndergård and the Minnesota Orchestra.

Yo-Yo Ma with the Minnesota Orchestra

Orchestra Hall

Delight in an intimate evening of chamber music that celebrates the elegance and emotional depth of the season. This year’s Spring Serenade features Copland’s luminous Appalachian Spring Suite, a timeless ode to hope and renewal, alongside Mendelssohn’s vibrant Sinfonia X for strings. Acclaimed guest artists Daniel Andai (violin) and Ciro Fodere (piano) take center stage in Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto, a rare gem of youthful brilliance. Rounding out the program is the sweeping romanticism of Elgar’s Serenade for Strings. A captivating chamber concert sure to stir the soul.

Spring Serenade 

Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ

Class Classics begins with the musical enthusiasm of young people who qualify with their school orchestras and learn from the professionals of the Munich Radio Orchestra during rehearsals what matters for a big performance. The goal is a joint concert with the Munich Radio Orchestra at the Isar Philharmonic Hall in the Gasteig HP8.

Classical class – Dance Around the World

Beethoven's poignant sonata in orchestral colours, beautiful settings of Bengali poems and a young Toronto virtuoso in a famous, fiery violin showpiece

Pathétique

Meridian Arts Centre

Dive into the charming world of Grace Williams' "Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes," a delightful tapestry of British folk melodies, be mesmerized by 2024 MASNO Concerto Winner Zhu Wang's electrifying performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor, and be captivated by the intrigue and sheer beauty of Elgar's Enigma Variations.

The Enigma Variations

Orpheum Theater

Johannes Brahms' Violin Concerto and Edward Elgar's "Enigma" Variations are each, in their own way, pinnacles of the Romantic era. Among the violin concertos of the era, Brahms's is the most musically substantial, profound, and rich. In terms of the mastery of its formal design and the nuanced orchestral texture, it is no less impressive than Brahms's symphonies, and the work can generally be considered a concertante counterpart to his symphonies. It is particularly closely related to the Symphony No. 2, Op. 73, with which it shares not only the key of D major but also the bright, idyllic mood. We welcome a younger soloist, the Italian-American violinist Francesca Dego, who recently released a recording of the Brahms concerto, which reviewers described as reflecting the Mediterranean sun.

5th Philharmonic Concert

Konzerthaus Dortmund

An evening of chamber and solo repertoire performed by Guildhall postgraduate string students in an informal and intimate setting.

Postgraduate Strings Concert

Guildhall School of Music & Drama

It's a privilege to hear Paavo Järvi premiere in France the score he himself created for one of his compatriots, before moving on to the most poignant of Bartók's cello works and one of his most popular pages.

Orchestre de Paris / Paavo Järvi

Philharmonie de Paris

“Wondrous” was how the Daily Telegraph described the Canadian violinist James Ehnes “- a thinker of the violin as well as a supreme virtuoso”. Ehnes shares a unique musical bond with pianist Andrew Armstrong, and this special Cardiff recital sweeps from the elegance of Mozart to the dark passions of Elgar, as well as Ravel’s ravishing, jazz-influenced Sonata in G. Pure magic

James Ehnes & Andrew Armstrong

Bute Park

Coffee Concert № 3 “Do you speak English?”

Volkshaus Jena

On Saturday, February 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Old Cabell Hall, the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia presents a concert entitled Romance.

Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia - Masterworks 3 - Romance

Downtown Mall

University of Virginia

Subscription S06 - Maximilian Hornung - Case Scaglione

Opera House, A Coruña

Spend Valentine’s Day with the symphony! Hear Elgar’s musical love letter, and immerse yourself in passionate music of Delius and Prokofiev inspired by the Shakespearean lovers Romeo and Juliet. Emerging artists take center stage as we feature the winners of our annual Competition for Young Musicians in this evening of musical romance that will sweep you off your feet.

Forbidden Love

Livermore Performing Arts Center

V12 Subscription - Maximilian Hornung - Case Scaglione

The Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra continues its season at Cadogan Hall with conductor James Blair in works by Chabrier, Sibelius and Elgar, opening the programme with España, the most renowned work of French composer Emmanuel Chabrier.

As a skilled violinist himself, Sibelius’ deep connection to the instrument is evident in his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra 2026

Cadogan Hall 

There’s only one Edward Elgar – or is there? For the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Conductor Edward Gardner, Elgar is more than just a national institution with a walrus moustache. He’s the haunted, autumnal poet of the Cello Concerto (composed among the Sussex Downs); he’s a wit, a statesman, a romantic and – above all – he’s the composer who poured out his soul in ‘Nimrod’, the unforgettable centrepiece of the Enigma Variations. You’ll hear all this and much more when we play both of these much-loved classics, with the great Jan Vogler – a legend among cellists – making a rare Eastbourne appearance.

Edward Gardner conducts Elgar

Congress Theatre

Elgar’s Enigma Variations features the heart-wrenching “Nimrod,” featured in films like Dunkirk. Violinist Liza Ferschtman returns for Sibelius’ challenging Violin Concerto, a grand symphonic masterpiece. Artistic Partner Tito Muñoz returns to lead this program including Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, famously featured in Fantasia, delighting audiences of all ages.

Sibelius Violin Concerto and Enigma Variations

Phoenix Convention Center

This season, several of the DR Symphony Orchestra's own musicians can be experienced as soloists in front of their orchestra, and for this concert it is 1st solo cellist Henrik Dam Thomsen, who has recently won both Danish and international awards for his playing. He is the soloist in Elgar's expressive cello concerto, which for this concert is surrounded by two eerie parties.

De la Parra & Sacre

DR Koncerthuset

A few orchestral Champions League matches are on the horizon: But before we take some creative shots on goal in Spain, we're looking forward to a home game in front of our loyal Bamberg fans. Our principal conductor will be leading us as our musical coach, guiding us through, among other things, "Champions League" works from his native Czech Republic. He has been sharing his enthusiasm for this repertoire with us since 2016, and we love to revel in the unique artistry of this region. First up is a lively piece by Smetana from 1874: the overture to the rarely performed opera "The Two Widows"—an entertaining composition about two very different cousins ​​and an unexpected visitor. 

On Tour: Santander

Cantabria Festival Palace

University Orchestra – Callum Smart, guest violin/leader; Bryce Burgess, viola soloist

Auer Hall

In 1906, following the success of The Dream of Gerontius and The Apostles, the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival commissioned Elgar to write a third large oratorio for its festival that year.

Elgar: The Kingdom

A few orchestral Champions League matches are on the horizon: But before we take some creative shots on goal in Spain, we're looking forward to a home game in front of our loyal Bamberg fans. Our principal conductor will be our musical coach, guiding us through, among other things, "Champions League" works from his native Czech Republic. He has been sharing his enthusiasm for this repertoire with us since 2016, and we love to revel in the unique artistry of this region. First up is a lively piece by Smetana from 1874: the overture to the rarely performed opera "The Two Widows"—an entertaining composition about two very different cousins ​​and an unexpected visitor.

On tour: Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Tenerife Adán Martín Auditorium

A few orchestral Champions League matches are on the horizon: But before we take some creative shots on goal in Spain, we're looking forward to a home game in front of our loyal Bamberg fans. Our principal conductor will be leading us as our musical coach, guiding us through, among other things, "Champions League" works from his native Czech Republic.

On Tour: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Alfredo Kraus Auditorium

On Tour: Madrid

National Music Auditorium, Madrid

From the depths of longing to the heights of euphoria, the Reno Phil and guest conductor Nicholas Hersh embark on a stirring pursuit of peace, where every note seeks solace, strength, and triumph. The journey begins with Grażyna Bacewicz’s Overture, a dazzling burst of orchestral brilliance that crackles with energy. She broke new ground as she continued writing music while war threatened to destroy her country. Davidson Fellow Zlatomir Fung takes center stage for Elgar's Cello Concerto, a soul-baring masterpiece that speaks in whispers and echoes in eternity. Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 brings the evening to a jubilant close, its relentless rhythms and soaring melodies sweeping us toward a finale that dances with unshakable joy.

Elgar Cello Concerto

Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts

The Future is Now

Aurora University

To mark the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten's death, Canterbury Choral Society and Youth Choir will perform his popular cantata St Nicolas. This inventive work features dramatic storms and shipwrecks alongside touching scenes from the saint's life, with audience participation in two hymns.

Joining the choir are the world-renowned London Mozart Players, who will also perform two of the finest English works for string orchestra by Elgar and Vaughan Williams.

Together with Holst's moving Psalm 86, this promises to be an evening of rich enchantment and powerful storytelling.

Canterbury Choral Society presents Britten: St Nicolas

Canterbury Cathedral

Symphony Orchestra – Nicholas McGegan, guest conductor

Musical Arts Center

Edward Elgar scored an instant hit with his 1899 Enigma Variations, and he's been captivating new generations with it ever since. Enigma found its way into the films Dunkirk (2017) and The Matrix (1999), as well as the solemn funerals of Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II.

Ellington + Elgar's Enigma Variations

The Woodruff Arts Center

We're taking a trip to the other side of the globe to meet Jessica Cottis, who grew up on her family's sheep farm in southeastern Australia. From there, she has a deep connection to nature, which is reflected in her passion for programs that explore music's relationship with nature and science.

Award-winning soloist sings Vier letzte Lieder

Alsion Concert Hall

South Jutland Hall

Jakub Hrůša, Sol Gabetta

Bamberger Symphoniker

Edward Elgar, Johannes Brahms, Paul Hindemith, Gabriel Fauré

2nd Chamber Concert / Kaleidoscope

Rostock Art Gallery

British cellist Marie Macleod has been a familiar presence in the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra since 2013, when she joined as principal cello. In this concert, she is joined by pianist Martin Sturfält to highlight music for cello by four English composers.

Salut d’amour

Stockholm Concert Hall

Soprano Christina Nilsson is a familiar guest at Konserthuset Stockholm. Most recently, she appeared in February 2025 as soloist with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. She also made a highly acclaimed debut in the title role of Verdi’s Aida at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. On this occasion, we hear her in a selection of songs by Richard Strauss.

Strauss and Elgar

Stockholm City Hall

Edward Elgar’s Symphony No. 2 from 1911 is a work of deep emotion and great personal significance. Unlike the heroic tone of his First Symphony, this second symphony is more introspective and tinged with melancholy.

​​Elgar’s Second Symphony

The Orchester der Oper Zürich starts the concert season under a new, old name. After thirteen years as Philharmonia Zurich, the orchestra will return to its original moniker. The Philharmonic Concerts will once again alternate between the Opernhaus and the Tonhalle Zürich.

Altstaedt & Chan

Zurich Opera House

A sparkling New Year's celebration with Martyn Brabbins and guests! 

With glitter and champagne we celebrate the new year atMalmö Live Concert Halland hearMalmö Symphony Orchestrashine with sparkling virtuosity.  

New Year's Gala 2025

Malmo Live Concert Hall

A French conductor and violinist with Spanish roots, Sonia Ben-Santamaria has forged an original career at the crossroads of artistic excellence and transmission.

Christmas Concert

Le Sonambule

Salle Georges Brassens

Opéra Comédie

1879 – 1899 – 1919: Three compositions from three eras, exactly 20 years apart. But that's not the only thing that connects them. All are closely linked to very specific individuals. With Le Tombeau de Couperin, Maurice Ravel creates a musical monument to one of the greatest composers of the French Baroque – François Couperin. In his Enigma Variations, Edward Elgar portrays friends and companions. But who lies behind these musical character studies was a mystery for a long time. That has long been revealed, but the magic remains. And Brahms's only violin concerto would be unthinkable without Joseph Joachim. The star violinist not only advised Brahms, he wrestled with him over every note. The result: one of the most popular works in violin literature. At the helm is Finnegan Downie Dear, one of the most promising conductors on the international scene, and the name of violinist Hana Chang is also worth remembering. This is the music of the future. And it sounds spectacular.

Ravel, Brahms, Elgar | Finnegan Downie Dear

The Bell, Bremen

Bask in the glow of winter’s light with a radiant program of music that shimmers like freshly fallen snow. New Century Chamber Orchestra and the San Francisco Girls Chorus unite in a performance that radiates warmth and wonder. In a season of reflection and renewal, let this concert be a moment of serenity and shared joy to brighten the longest nights.

In Winter’s Glow

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Tiburon, CA

First Congregational Church of Berkeley

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

Following his sensational success with Shostakovich's First Cello Concerto in February 2025, British rising star Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns to Hamburg with Saint-Saëns' elegant Cello Concerto. His unprecedented career began with his surprise victory on the television show "Britain's Got Talent" and his subsequent performance by captivating an audience of millions at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Not exactly the usual path for a young graduate of the Royal Academy of Music... Yet the likeable musician and football fan has remained down-to-earth and approachable, enjoying playing with his six siblings as much as with the world's best orchestras. The London Philharmonic Orchestra, for example, will complement the ProArte program with Edward Elgar's masterful First Symphony.

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Sheku Kanneh-Mason / Edward Gardner

A Thursday concert that moves from full cello focus with soloist Senja Rummukainen to a playful parade of the entire Malmö Symphony Orchestra's instruments, one by one. 

Elgars Cello Concerto

Malmö Concert Hall

The Columbia University Orchestra with music director and conductor Jeffrey Milarsky returns to Symphony Space for their Fall concert: The Exploration of Sound and Space. The program opens with Lumière et pesanteur composed by Kaija Saariaho who tactfully explores simple melodies and turns them into exotic and malleable textures. Gustav Mahler’s Symphony #10 is a statement of past and future—desperately clinging to traditional romanticism while pressing toward the future. The concert concludes with Edward Elgar’s deeply personal work Enigma Variations which expresses his elegantly poetic and powerful personality through a series of dedicated variations.

The Columbia University Orchestra

Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space

Embark on an emotional journey through two profoundly moving masterpieces. First, soloist Nicolas Altstaedt will bring Elgar’s Cello Concerto to life with powerful intensity, followed by a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, a piece brimming with nostalgia and inner drama. From Tchaikovsky’s turbulent passion to Elgar’s poignant melancholy, every note unveils the complexities of human anguish and fear.

Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” Symphony

Place des Arts

Edwardian gentleman, melancholy dreamer, wide-eyed romantic, orchestral showman: Britain’s greatest composer had many moods, and tonight Edward Gardner explores four of Elgar’s most personal (and most loved) masterpieces.

Edward Gardner Conducts Elgar

Edwardian gentleman, melancholy dreamer, wide-eyed romantic, orchestral showman: Britain’s greatest composer had many moods, and tonight Edward Gardner explores four of Elgar’s most personal (and most loved) masterpieces. From the musical sunburst of In the South to the deep sorrow of Sospiri and the windswept longing of Sea Pictures, this is an Elgar you might not expect. And if all you know of the Enigma Variations is the glorious ‘Nimrod’ – well, you’re about to make some new musical friends.

‘In the evening twilight we went today to the palace were Queen Mary lived and loved’ wrote Felix Mendelssohn from Edinburgh in 1829, after visiting the ruins of Holyrood. ‘I think I have found there the beginning of my ‘Scottish’ Symphony.’ Though much has changed in 196 years, there’s still no more melodious – or poetic – musical portrait of Scotland as seen through the eyes of one of music’s supreme Romantics. Conductor Antony Hermus brings a fresh perspective to Mendelssohn’s highland fling, setting it against the sea spray and howling gales of Wagner’s great musical seascape, and joining the wonderful British contralto Jess Dandy in Elgar’s Sea Pictures – five songs filled with surging waves and surprisingly dark passions. Thought you knew Elgar? Think again…

Mendelssohn, Elgar and Wagner

It’s been twenty years since Aurora Orchestra tore up the rule book and made its name worldwide as a boundary-breaking ensemble, creating extraordinary musical experiences by incorporating drama and choreography and making even the most familiar classical works feel new-minted by performing them entirely from memory.

Aurora Orchestra

Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

“In the evening twilight we went today to the palace were Queen Mary lived and loved,” wrote Felix Mendelssohn from Edinburgh in 1829, after visiting the ruins of Holyrood. “I think I have found there the beginning of my ‘Scottish’ Symphony.” Though much has changed in 196 years, there’s still no more melodious – or poetic – musical portrait of Scotland as seen through the eyes of one of music’s supreme Romantics.

Conductor Antony Hermus brings a fresh perspective to Mendelssohn’s highland fling, setting it against the sea spray and howling gales of Wagner’s great musical seascape, and joining the wonderful British contralto Jess Dandy in Elgar’s Sea Pictures – five songs filled with surging waves and surprisingly dark passions. Thought you knew Elgar? Think again…

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Kateryna Tereshchenko

Elgar’s Enigma Variations contain one of the most fascinating mysteries in British classical music. Consisting of a theme and 14 variations—some dark and searching, others playful and assertive—the orchestral work builds upon a wistful theme that was written as a countermelody to an unknown piece that Elgar never shared. A century later, no one has cracked the code to the secret tune. Roberto González-Monjas opens the program with another set of variations, this time by Korngold, overflowing with golden harmonies and a folkish warmth.

Elgar’s Enigma

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Step into a world where science, art, and music converge in What Music Is, a transformative concert-theatre experience that explores the profound role music plays in our lives and the universe. Created by composer Bill Barclay, this immersive, family-friendly performance features a full orchestra, captivating spoken narrative, and stunning animations that bring to life the universal language of music.

What Music Is

Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center

Enigma Variations

Carson Center for the Performing Arts

The Syracuse Orchestra presents an evening of animal-themed music! We begin with Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals and 14 animals represented through the performance of pianists Aaron Wunsch and Giancarlo Llerena. Explore the Secret of the Wind and Birds from Tan Dun, who also composed the Academy Award-winning music for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. In Elgar’s Enigma Variations, listen for musical references that communicate personality traits of 14 of his friends (with a special musical homage to a friend’s beloved bulldog!)

Composer

Edward Elgar

Events

Upcoming events

Mar 24, 2026

4th Soirée · Wiener Philharmoniker

Mar 25, 2026

Nightfall: Elgar, Berio, Messiaen, Schubert · Sinfonia Smith Square

26 - 27 Mar, 2026

The Language of Eden · Scottish Chamber Orchestra

27 - 29 Mar, 2026

Enigma Variations & Bruch’s Violin Concerto · New York Philharmonic

Mar 28, 2026

Elgar’s Enigma · Paducah Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Mar 23, 2026

London: Orchestra Unwrapped · Philharmonia Orchestra

21 - 22 Mar, 2026

7th Subscription Concert 2026 · Wiener Philharmoniker

About

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