Edward Elgar was at the height of his creative powers when this concerto was composed. At that time, in 1910, he was riding high on the successes of his “The Dream of Gerontius”, the Enigma Variations, the First Symphony and the Pomp and Circumstance Marches.
Such was his reputation that the greatest violinist of the day, Fritz Kreisler, wrote Elgar and asked him to compose a violin concerto. The timing was perfect; Elgar had been making sketches for years, well aware of the prestige of the work, and it is surely no coincidence that Elgar’s concerto bears the same opus number as Beethoven’s: op. 61.
The premiere was an enormous success and the piece immediately entered the violin concerto repertoire.
Here is a short extract of a wonderful performance by violinist Gil Shaham with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra:
