Enigma Variations

The Enigma Variations placed Edward Elgar on the international music map and are among the most frequently played and popular works of classical music. One evening, Elgar entertained his wife with musical caricatures of people in their social circle, and these were developed into a number of variations for orchestra. “This work commenced in a spirit of humour and continued in deep seriousness,” Elgar has said. The fourteen people described include his wife, the publisher Jaeger and Elgar himself.

This concert will begin with Scottish composer James MacMillan’s (born 1959) cello concerto, which is the second of three parts of a large symphonic triptych. The world premiere of this incredibly intense and masterful concerto, which places enormous demands on the soloist, was performed in 1997 by Mstislav Rostropovich. At this concert, Marie Macleod, solo cellist of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, will tackle the challenging cello part.

Ryan Bancroft is chief conductor designate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The young American was the winner of the Malko Competition for Young Conductors in 2018. He debuted with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019. He most recently appeared with the orchestra in the Nobel Prize Concert of 2021. A previous concert, conducting Stravinsky’s Petrushka, is also available on Konserthuset Play. Now we get to see and hear this charismatic young conductor lead the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra once again.