Symphony No. 1 in A‑Flat Major

A relatively late work, Elgar’s first symphony was composed after several large-scale and often stunningly orchestrated choral works, including The Dream of Gerontius, The Apostles and The Kingdom. His Symphony No. 1 (1908), while a formidable musical structure in its own right, arguably reaches yet deeper into the heart of Elgar’s Christian faith. Most strikingly, it begins with an introductory stately procession, described by Elgar as “noble and elevating… something above everyday and sordid things…” The turbulent “Allegro” section that immediately follows is a startling contrast, though its tension is alleviated by moments of calm and hope; and at key moments the processional music returns, sometimes ghostly, sometimes more boldly as if promising ultimate resolution. The scherzo second movement (“Allegro molto”) has the sardonic fury of the devils in The Dream of Gerontius. But, again, there are moments of respite, and the scherzo’s opening theme, massively slowed down, becomes the reassuring contours of the limpid “Adagio” into which it segues. The finale opens with a baleful slow introduction, and a stealthy staccato theme played by bassoons grows into a strutting march theme. The tide suddenly turns, as that march theme is transformed at a stroke into a noble “new” melody—surely the musical embodiment of what Elgar described as the symphony’s ultimate theme: “There is no programme beyond a wide experience of human life with a great charity (love) and a massive hope in the future.”