Enigma Variations

The Enigma Variations immediately placed Edward Elgar on the international music map. One evening, Elgar entertained his wife with musical caricatures of people in their social circle. From that, a number of variations for orchestra emerged. “This work commenced in a spirit of humour and continued in deep seriousness,” Elgar has said. The fourteen people described include his wife, the publisher Jaeger and Elgar himself.

Victoria Borisova-Ollas was born in Vladivostok, Russia, but has lived in Stockholm since 1992. Her music is regularly performed by prominent orchestras world-wide and was the focus of Konserthuset’s Composer Weekend in 2013.

Angelus was commissioned by the Munich Philharmonic in conjunction with its hometown’s 850-year anniversary. In the music, we hear bells from several of the city’s churches. “850 years ago, a lone monk rang the church bells of Munich for the first time. They have not stopped ringing ever since,” Borisova-Ollas has said of her piece.