Elgar’s Symphony No. 1

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s chief conductor Sakari Oramo has a special passion for the music of Edward Elgar. They have also recorded two acclaimed records of music by the English composer, famous for his Pomp and Circumstance March, which is used each year to conclude the popular promenade concerts – The Proms – at the Royal Albert Hall in London. His particular touch is also clear in the noble theme that begins his first symphony, which is presented here. “The intention was for it to feel simple, noble and elevated, like a convincing idealistic calling, not by force or on command, but something above and beyond the mundane.”

Swedish composer Katarina Leyman’s (b. 1963) musical ideas are often awakened by natural phenomena, such as the movement of fish in schools, DNA chains, water molecules, clouds, volcanic activity and more. In Solar Flares, the sun’s frantic activity set her imagination in motion. “I’ve been inspired by phenomena such as sunspots, torches and solar winds that reach far out into the universe, and perhaps above all by solar flares, which have given this piece its title. They can be violent jet streams or smaller, faster outbursts, and sometimes the most incredible arched bows are formed, resembling enormous handles.”