To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Elgar's birth and to tie in with BBC Four's Edwardians season, a host of star performers will shortly be taking us on a musical tour of the very best of Sir Edward Elgar.
The 10 pieces featured in the programme were selected from the most frequently recorded and performed of Elgar's works, and the order in which they appear in the programme was determined in a vote on this website. That vote has now closed, but here is the list of pieces in alphabetical order:
- Cello Concerto in E minor
- Cockaigne ("In London Town")
- The Dream of Gerontius
- Introduction and Allegro for string orchestra
- Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 in D major
- Salut d’Amour (Liebesgruss) for violin and pianoforte
- Sea Pictures, five songs for contralto and orchestra
- Symphony No 2 in E flat major
- Variations on an original theme ("Enigma") for orchestra - Nimrod
- Violin Concerto in B minor
Among the contributors championing their favourite pieces will be musician and presenter Myleene Klass, comedian Rebecca Carrington, composer Anthony Payne, cellist Paul Watkins, conductor Sir Andrew Davis and Catherine Sloan, director of the Elgar birthplace Museum.
So which of these pieces did Dame Janet Baker call "indescribably beautiful"? Which does film director Ken Russell think sums up "the very essence of England"? And which does MP Charles Kennedy find "absolutely scintillating"?
One piece that didn't make it into the vote, but was proposed by a number of viewers, was Elgar's Symphony Number 1. Although the piece isn't in the top 10, an excerpt from it is played over the programme's opening titles.
You'll have to watch the programme to discover whether your vote was enough to get your favourite Elgar piece into the number one slot.
