A Lasting Impression

by Shari Childers

It was the end of the Great War and a time of great disillusionment. Prior to 1914, people had scarcely conceived of destruction on such an apocalyptic level. Now they recognized that they were living in a changed society. Pessimism and nihilism were commonplace. Life in Europe would never be the same.

It was at this time that Edward Elgar checked into a London nursing home for a tonsillectomy. He had withdrawn from musical composition completely, not writing anything since the war’s outbreak. But that would change one fateful morning in his hospital room. "He was in a great deal of pain for several days," his daughter Carice later wrote, "There was not anything like the sedatives we have now, but nevertheless, he woke up one morning and asked for pencil and paper." On that day in March 1918, Elgar penned the theme to the most expressive and most beloved piece of his musical career—his Cello Concerto in E minor.

Why is this piece so beloved? Perhaps because along with his Enigma Variations, the cello concerto is a rare gem in Elgar’s musical contributions. While some critics went so far as to label his music "cow-pat" and even today some people continue to find his music somewhat trying and uninspiring, Elgar’s Cello Concerto stands out as one of the most universally appealing pieces in classical music. Admittedly, though, he has not found as large an acceptance outside his native England as his German and French contemporaries (with the notable exception of Pomp and Circumstance which is played year after year at every graduation ceremony).

His cello concerto, however, is a sharp contrast to this relative obscurity, held by cellists and classical music enthusiasts as an inspired and inspiring work of art. It presents a broad spectrum of emotions from grief to joy—whim to passion. "The cello’s cry of anguish at the start of the work is followed by a gently rocking string background, as if the orchestra is comforting the cello weeping over a lost world," writes Classic CD, "Flashes of Edwardian pomp try to cheer everyone up; but as usual with Elgar’s big works, something large and dark and awful is looming all the time."

Scholars continue to debate over what that "something large and dark" represents. Many speculate that the work was a response to the devastating effects of the war in Europe and intended as an elegy for the people who had died (even though sadly it became an elegy for his wife who died a year later). Too often, however, people mistakenly stop at this point, never realizing that Elgar is not simply lamenting over Europe’s lost innocence. In music scholar Diana McVeagh’s words, the piece is "haunted by an autumnal sadness, but the sadness of compassion, not pessimism." The concerto reflects Elgar’s sadness over the devastating effects of the war, but then a "powerful poignancy" points toward a "Better Land," which according to music critic Frank Beck is why "we still listen to it and are moved."

What inspired the writing of the Cello Concerto and its true meaning are uncertain. What is definite, however, is that since its composition, the piece has played a key role in classical music. The concerto quickly became a favorite with audiences as well as with Elgar himself. He recorded it twice and it is reported that during his final illness in 1933 he hummed its theme to a friend saying, "If ever after I’m dead you hear someone whistling this tune on the Malvern Hills [his home], don’t be alarmed. It’s only me." The first performance of the concerto occurred in October 1919 at the Queen’s Hall in London. Remarkably, one of the players that evening was a promising nineteen-year-old musician named John Barbirolli who would some sixty years later conduct and record the work with famed cellist Jacqueline du Pré .

To this day, du Pré ’s performance of the Cello Concerto is considered by most music critics to be the best interpretation. Her passionate style of playing complemented the already emotional nature of the piece itself. It is only fitting that the concerto appeared throughout the recent film Hillary and Jackie. The work has also appeared in several British television commercials and was in the soundtrack for the movie Lorenzo’s Oil. Countless recordings of the concerto exist and the Los Angeles Philharmonic recently performed the work on March 4 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The concerto will also be performed again at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday, August 22.

In addition to these numerous recent appearances, the Cello Concerto also remains a prominent subject in classical music discussions. In an article for the webzine The Flying Inkpot, Derek Lim writes that the final movement of the concerto "concludes with the abrupt recall of the angry chords from the first movement, and the music rages towards... despair? Optimism? For there is more than a hint of determination in the propulsion of the music. Whatever it is the listener is kept wondering. The music speaks so directly to the heart that one must wonder." It is this sense of wonder that keeps the scholars thinking, the music lovers listening, and the cellists performing. His music continues to speak to its audience and point toward the future. This wonder also reflects the uncertainty of Elgar’s own future. When he wrote the piece he was sixty-one and this was to be his final composition. Perhaps the work was more than simply a response to the war, but a poignant reflection of his own life and a determined outlook toward his own future. In any case, the fact remains that Elgar’s Cello Concerto is one of his greatest achievements and among the most loved pieces ever written. As far as classical music is concerned, Elgar has left a truly lasting impression.
 

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