At its premiere led by Hans Richter in London on June 19, 1899, Elgar’s Variations were greeted as the greatest composition for large orchestra ever written by an Englishman.  Audiences have delighted in what Elgar had written ever since, but they have been equally intrigued by what he had withheld, namely that the work had a secret that the composer refused to divulge.

Elgar indicated that there was a secret, an enigma, connected to the theme upon which his variations were based.  Many researchers have tried to solve this puzzle, but to date, no one has been able to come up with a universally accepted solution.  Perhaps it is better that way:  after all these years, any concrete answer would mean the end of the enigma and be, necessarily, a letdown…

In each of the fourteen variations that follow the theme, Elgar intended to portray a different friend.  Variation 9, which has become particularly famous and is often performed separately, pays homage to August Jaeger, a German-born musician who was Elgar’s closest friend.  Elgar called him “Nimrod” after the “mighty hunter” mentioned in Genesis 10:9 (Jäger means “hunter” in German). Elgar turned the original theme into a hymn-like, soaring melody.

Notes By Peter Laki