Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
Adagio; Moderato
Lento; Allegro molto
Adagio
Allegro; Moderato; Allegro, ma non troppo
Composed: 1919
Estimated length: 30 minutes
Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto is steeped in the spirit of farewell and reflection. Written in the aftermath of the First World War, it conveys both personal loss and the sense of a world forever changed. Its sound is pared down and autumnal—not grand or flashy, but inward-looking, elegiac, and deeply moving. Elgar gifted us with music that feels like looking back even as it searches for meaning in what remains.
Cast in four movements, this was the last major orchestral work Elgar completed. As the war drew to a close, he withdrew from London for the quiet of the Sussex countryside, where the natural landscape restored some of his peace of mind. There, in the summer of 1919, he produced a late flowering of chamber works along with the Cello Concerto, all marked by a new simplicity and restraint.
The concerto’s premiere in London, with Elgar himself conducting, was marred by inadequate rehearsal and fell flat, though the soloist, Felix Salmond, received praise from Elgar. Yet critics already recognized the work as possessing “a wisdom and beauty underlying its simplicity,” to quote the influential Ernest Newman. Later generations would take the piece to heart, especially thanks to the impassioned performances of Jacqueline du Pré, whose 1965 recording became a classical bestseller and remains one of the most celebrated interpretations of any concerto.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
Right from the start, the cello takes the spotlight with bold, speech-like gestures before the orchestra responds. Soon a wistful theme appears—first in the violas, then expanded and explored in depth by the solo cello. The second movement opens with the cello plucking chords that set up a sense of anticipation before the music flips into a fast, scherzo-like exchange crackling with nervous energy.
The Adagio is the emotional heart of the piece: a long, singing line for the cello that seems to hold both consolation and sorrow at once, comforting even as it aches. After this slow movement, the orchestra provides an excited introduction to an extended, speech-like bridge from the cello that leads without pause into the finale. A lively main theme then takes off, setting in motion the concerto’s longest and most varied movement. Bursts of confidence alternate with moments of introspection. Toward the end, the pace slows until Elgar reprises music from the opening, summoning one last surge of passion.
In addition to solo cello, scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, percussion, and strings.
− Thomas May is the Nashville Symphony's program annotator.
Featured on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony: Elgar's Cello Concerto — October 2 & 3, 2025.
Nashville Symphony
Jonathan Taylor Rush, conductor
Zlatomir Fung, cello
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