BSO: Wigglesworth Conducts Elgar

Sensitively written for the violin, Beethoven’s only completed concerto for the instrument is a lyrical balance between soloist and orchestra, a masterpiece like no other. It belongs to the flood of compositions that poured from Beethoven’s pen during what was the most productive period of his life, unleashed by his spiritual crisis of 1802 and the realisation of his oncoming deafness. Despite this, it feels like a celebration, a modest and reserved one, perhaps, but triumphant, nonetheless. Far more complex and deeply personal than his First, Elgar described his Second Symphony as “the passionate pilgrimage of a soul” suggesting the music’s predominantly restless and tragic character. It reflects the tension of the time in which it was written – a study of conflict and paradox. Riddled with doubts, questioning and conflict it reflects not only the true spirit of the age but also the personality of the composer as it meanders from extrovert exuberance to melancholy introversion.