Desert Island Disc. 3

Hello!
I'm sorry for the lack of posts recently and that this Desert Island Discs is so late! My computer's been messed up recently so it's had to be fixed.

Anyway, moving onto the 3rd edition of Desert Island Discs. Now today's piece is one that most people have probably heard of, so this selection maybe a bit cliche to some musicians, but despite that, it's one of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching pieces ever written It's Elgar's "Nimrod", the 9th variation of his 'Enigma Variations'.

This variation was described by Elgar to be 'the story of something that happened'. When Elgar was depressed and was close to giving up his music, his very close friend and advisor Augustus J. Jaeger visited him and encrouaged to continue composing. In this visit, Jaeger referred to the same problems experienced by Beethoven who went on to compose more beautiful music and demanded Elgar do the same. Jaeger then sang the opening bars of the second movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata no. 8 'Pathetique' which is suggested in the theme of Nimrod.

If one does not feeling completely emotionally overwhelmed, then, they're not human. The melody is so simple but is accopanied by wonderful harmonies to make it a wonderfully sweet sound. The mixture of tonality from major to minor creates a huge emotional atmosphere - a feeling of being sorrowful one time, triumphant the next. Towards the end when the theme is played tutti and builds to a huge climax, your heart feels like it's about soar out of your chest, it's enlightening, and quickly the music dies away to piano dynamic and its such a wonderful release of tension. This is the hardest piece to talk about because, it is really simple, but the effect it creates leaves me speechless. It's probably a good idea if you listened to it yourselves, but the reason why I would take this to a desert island is because it effects you so emotionally, the piece is mindblowingly beautiful and will make you feel so uplifted and speechless that it would be hard to survive on a desert island without it!

Elgar's 'Nimrod' - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

This link takes you to a rememberance of soldiers and a tribute to their service but the Royal Philharmonic do a lovely version of Nimrod so that's why I chose this one.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Desert Island Discs! Next week I'll do something a bit more different so until next time!

Hope you're all okay!

Love Alice xxx