Cockaigne Overture

Elgar’s heart belonged in the countryside of the English Midlands, but that didn’t prevent him from enjoying the sights and sensations of London. He loved wordplay too: the Land of Cockaigne, in medieval legend, was a realm of abundance and pleasure, as well as being (some said) the root of the term “Cockney” for a Londoner. So Elgar’s concert overture Cockaigne (1901) is an unashamedly extrovert celebration of early Edwardian London, written for a virtuoso symphony orchestra (Elgar dedicated it “to my friends, the members of British orchestras”). At first it’s playful, even irreverent; but as the pageant passes by Elgar paints images of marching bands, of tranquil city parks, of bustling crowds, and above all, the majesty of the ancient city’s civic pride. After a lively city tour, that noble civic theme towers proudly over the final climax—but it’s the wit of the cockneys that gets the last laugh.