​​Elgar’s Second Symphony

Edward Elgar’s Symphony No. 2 from 1911 is a work of deep emotion and great personal significance. Unlike the heroic tone of his First Symphony, this second symphony is more introspective and tinged with melancholy.

Elgar himself described it as “a passionate pilgrimage of the heart.” The profoundly moving slow movement is a tribute to the recently deceased King Edward VII. Although it received a mixed response at its premiere, the symphony is now firmly established in the British orchestral repertoire – a kind of soundtrack to the final golden days of Edwardian England, and to the inevitable change that followed.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Danish-born Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Chief Conductor of the Orchestre National de Lyon, who also continues to enjoy a distinguished parallel career as a violinist at the highest international level.