His final major completed work, Elgar’s Cello Concerto was completed in 1919, just as Europe was starting to rebuild after WWW1. A critic at the premiere noted…”a profound wisdom and beauty underlying its simplicity … a fine spirit’s lifelong wistful brooding upon the loveliness of earth”
Of the 2nd Symphony it has been written, “It is all rippling streams, blue sky, sunshine, and cool green shadows.” Brahms knows that even a sunny day contains moments of darkness and doubt—moments when pastoral serenity threatens to turn tragic. It’s that underlying tension—even drama—that gives this music its remarkable character. The finale is jubilant and electrifying; the clouds seem to disappear after the hushed opening bars, and the music blazes forward, almost unchecked, to the very end.
