Last night I went to a concert at the Anvil in Basingstoke which had an opening set of Debussy's "Prelude a l'apres-mid d'un faune" and Bartok's 2nd piano concerto. Both of these compositions are exceptional and exactly the kind of music that makes me passionate about Classical music although my main interest is jazz. That said, the second half featured the 2nd Symphony by Edward Elgar, a composer I have very rarely listened to other than the Cello Concerto and the Enigma Variations. Neither of these two works are of particular interest and I have to admit that I find the P & C marches more than a bit ridiculous. I listened to the 2nd Symphony with open ears yet I have to admit that I felt it was an over-long, monotonous piece of claptrap. It is staggering to think that this symphony was composed in 1911 when the world was Classical composition was open to so many possibilities yet the "English" love of nostalgia ensure that not only could Elgar's music still be accommodated at that time but some felt him worthy enough to be elevated to the position of our nation's greatest composer.
Part of the problem with the music is that it is so wrapped up in our Imperial past that it probably carries more political baggage than many other composer's whose music has nationalistic overtones. Indeed, where this is the case, it is often seen through a lens of looking for independence whereas Elgar's music reflects the time when half of the map of the world was coloured red. Elgar is the ultimate "White man's music." This makes listening to Elgar's music in 2023 extremely problematic. The problem is also compounded by the fact that Elgar's music does not really deserve the reputation it deserves and should have been put out of it's misery after his passing in the 1930s. It is not good enough to have lasted 90 years after he died. His popularity merely reflects the way the English perceive themselves within the world and it has nothing to do with the highly average quality of his music. Having listened to some Amy Beach's music last week, I certainly do not feel she was inferior to Elgar yet she is a contemporary whose reputation is far more niche.
As a jazz fan, I do find it difficult to understand why some classical composers are reverred whereas there are many others who have been unjustly neglected. The early 20th century was the most exciting period in Classical music to my ears, even though I am not a fan of all of it including 2nd Vienese school. However, the likes of Debussy, Bartok, Janacek, Ravel, Scriabin and Enescu present for me the apogee of the Classical ouevre. I therefore find it bizarre to consider that Elgar was a contemporary of many of the above.
I am going to be mischievous and argue that by dint of his Imperials associations alone, it is high time that Elgar's music was "cancelled." Given that Elgar's music was never at the forefront of Classical music and, in my opinion, vastly overrated, I would like to suggest that the time for his music to be "cancelled" is well overdue and it's absence from the Classical canon will be of little consequence.
Part of the problem with the music is that it is so wrapped up in our Imperial past that it probably carries more political baggage than many other composer's whose music has nationalistic overtones. Indeed, where this is the case, it is often seen through a lens of looking for independence whereas Elgar's music reflects the time when half of the map of the world was coloured red. Elgar is the ultimate "White man's music." This makes listening to Elgar's music in 2023 extremely problematic. The problem is also compounded by the fact that Elgar's music does not really deserve the reputation it deserves and should have been put out of it's misery after his passing in the 1930s. It is not good enough to have lasted 90 years after he died. His popularity merely reflects the way the English perceive themselves within the world and it has nothing to do with the highly average quality of his music. Having listened to some Amy Beach's music last week, I certainly do not feel she was inferior to Elgar yet she is a contemporary whose reputation is far more niche.
As a jazz fan, I do find it difficult to understand why some classical composers are reverred whereas there are many others who have been unjustly neglected. The early 20th century was the most exciting period in Classical music to my ears, even though I am not a fan of all of it including 2nd Vienese school. However, the likes of Debussy, Bartok, Janacek, Ravel, Scriabin and Enescu present for me the apogee of the Classical ouevre. I therefore find it bizarre to consider that Elgar was a contemporary of many of the above.
I am going to be mischievous and argue that by dint of his Imperials associations alone, it is high time that Elgar's music was "cancelled." Given that Elgar's music was never at the forefront of Classical music and, in my opinion, vastly overrated, I would like to suggest that the time for his music to be "cancelled" is well overdue and it's absence from the Classical canon will be of little consequence.
. That said, Elgar has never enthralled me, but that's a statement about me not Elgar or his music.
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