CONSIDERING THE ENIGMA ON SIR EDWARD’S BIRTHDAY In 1899, just as his “Variations on an Original Theme” was to be premiered, Sir Edward Elgar dropped a bombshell on the music world. In a set of program notes written for this occasion, Elgar amped up the puzzle element of the work from a set of vignettes about his friends thinly veiled by names and initials to a whole other level. He proclaimed “…The Enigma I will not explain, its ‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed…through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’ but is not played…” Around the same time, as the work was being readied for publication, the publisher scribbled the word “Enigma” next to the metronome marking for the Theme. Through these actions, Elgar and his Publisher ignited a firestorm of mystery and intrigue that not only propelled this work into great levels of popularity and success, but also inspired a quest for “solving the Enigma”— pointing to “God Save the Queen,” the Adagio Cantabile from Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata, “Auld lang syne” and settings of “Ein feste Burg” as candidates for the “Larger Theme.” None actually fit convincingly, and an examination of statements and articles by Elgar and his publisher point to the whole “larger Enigma” as a rather successful marketing ploy. Regardless, the music takes you on a warm and empathetic journey through Elgar's closest friends, and is a joy to listen to. Enjoy this recording of Elgar’s Variations on an Original Theme by David Bernard and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony. (fb)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RITE OF SPRING! Enjoy this recording of The Rite by David Bernard/Park Avenue Chamber Symphony through your favorite streaming service using this link: https://orcd.co/pacsrite 111 years ago, Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” premiered at the Théâtre de Champs-Elysées in Paris as the second work in a program that also included Chopin’s “Les Sylphides” and Weber’s “Le Spectre de la rose.” Legend has it that Stravinsky’s dissonant and unconventional music, Nijinsky’s exotic choreography and Roerich’s bizarre settings for “The Rite” prompted a riot in the theatre. Some claim the riot occurred because of the juxtaposition of The Rite’s dissonance and bombast following Chopin’s pleasing “Les Sylphides.” Others claim the riots weren’t caused by the music, choreography or settings at all, but instead was created by outside anti-Russian, anti-Diaghilev and anti-Nijinsky agitators determined to disrupt the concert. Another interesting account claims that the “riot” was actually a small scuffle isolated to a small part of the balcony and that most of the theater was unaware of any disturbance—a claim that is supported by the fact that “The Rite” ended with 5 curtain calls and was followed by Weber’s “Le Spectre de la rose”—none of which could have happened in the aftermath of a riot. In this account, the amplification of the small scuffle to a full fledged “riot” was the result of an effort to make classical music appealing to younger audiences. Regardless of the actual circumstances, the impact of the landing of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring has been felt for over a century, directly by listeners and performers and indirectly in how it inspired works by countless composers. (fb)