The elegiac Second Symphony and the dramatic Cello Concerto in E Minor by Edward Elgar are the featured works in this 2nd volume of our English Masters Series. This is a special 2 CD set priced as a single volume.

The Symphony No. 2 in E-Flat Major by Edward Elgar was composed between 1909 and 1911. Elgar dedicated the work to King Edward VII who had passed away in 1910. There is a solemn and mournful tone to the whole piece. The Edward Era (Belle Epoque or Beautiful Era) in England, named for the reign of King Edward, spans the years 1901 through 1910. These years were very important to Elgar. His most celebrated musical years were during this time. Like the other work in this set, the Cello Concerto, Symphony No. 2 has a solemn, stately tone with an overriding sense of melancholy. This is especially apparent in the slow second movement of the piece.

The cello concerto is Elgar's reaction to the horrifying events of World War One. Finished in 1919, a year after the end of the war, the concerto is filled with feelings or sorrow and despair. This was quite a departure for Elgar whose previous works really celebrate the English way of life in a bright and optimistic way (like the Pomp and Circumstance Marches on English Masters, Vol. 1).

As background soundtrack, this music will establish a noble but somewhat sorrowful tone. This is suited well to documentary themes of overcoming conflict or of dramatic world events.