《Romance, Op.62》

Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

Elgar originally wrote the piece Romance for bassoon and orchestra, but later arranged it for cello and orchestra, both of which were written between 1909 and 1910. The piece was originally written for Edwin F. James, principal bassoonist of the London Symphony Orchestra. The cello arrangement was not performed again until 1985. Romance was composed in the middle of two of Elgar’s larger works, a violin concerto and his second symphony. The structure of the piece is concise and succint. Both the scope and style of the piece display an intense contrast. Elgar’s music exhibits a highly British sense of poetry and painting, always weaving through changes in dynamics and tempo, as if he is a sentimental poet or a capricious dancer. A cello made by British luthier Benjamin Banks (1727-1795) in 1793 is used for this recording. The violinist uses the old famous violin to allow a musicial dialogue to occur between Elgar and the old British luthier. The two are inseperable and an exquisite poetic and picturesque quality surges forth in the form of a musical vision.