Elgar's Enigma Variations

Sir Edward Elgar's alternately boisterous and ruminative 1899 orchestral variations are famous not only for their musical quality but also for the fact that all but one of the 14 pieces are accompanied in the score by a set of initials that refer to persons who served as inspiration for the music--most are easy to identify, but some are fairly mysterious. Presented with DTS and LCPM stereo, Elgar's Enigma Variations offers both a complete performance and a documentary perspective. Filmed in the architectural splendor (and warm acoustic setting) of Worcester Cathedral, the concert by Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony is very fine, with Davis imbuing the slower variations with a rapt intensity and bringing a blazing vitality to more martial ones, ably backed by an orchestra playing with passion and refinement. Davis also proves to be an amiable and knowledgeable host in the documentary, titled “A Hidden Portrait,” which combines still photos, archival footage, and dramatic recreations to offer both a biography of the composer and a chatty, sometimes-poignant gloss on the individuals he portrayed in his music (Davis goes beyond the obvious to make a strong case that the variations reveal as much about the different aspects of Elgar's character as about his subjects--who appear in a photo gallery that is the DVD's sole extra). An affectionate, informative, and insightful introduction to a superb musical work, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)