As requested, here's some more Elgar.

We all know Pomp and Circumstance. Elgar knew it was going to be popular when he wrote it. At its premiere at a London Promenade Concert, it was given a double encore. No other orchestra work has received one since— at a Promenade Concert.

Elgar wrote music that almost seems un-British to me. He goes beyond proper etiquette even though he was the picture of an Edwardian gentleman.

Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for Strings is a gem that is rarely on display. It was written for the newly formed London Symphony Orchestra in 1905. There isn't an inspirational story to go with it, but the music is sufficient in and of itself.

The Nimrod section from The Enigma Variations is among my favorite pieces of music. The composition as a whole is a theme and 14 variations that are supposed to be portraits of Elgar's closest friends.

The Nimrod Variation is for his publisher Augustus Jaeger. Nimrod was an Old Testament figure who was supposed to be a mighty hunter and Jaeger is German for hunter, hence Nimrod.

The story is that Jaeger visited Elgar when he was about to quit composing. Jaeger admonished him to continue and referred to Beethoven who also had doubts about his abilities but continued to compose immortal music. Jaeger sang the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Pathetique sonata to remind Elgar of the beauty that lay behind Beethoven's doubt.

Elgar gently allows that theme to be hinted at through out Nimrod. You can hear the similarity clearly in the links below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2nG1bt7IBM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgoBb8m1eE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7u89h7arlU