Prom 14Elgar’s ‘Enigma’ Variations

Part of the BBC Proms.’The Enigma I will not explain – its “dark saying” must be left unguessed…’ So wrote Edward Elgar of his career-making ‘Enigma’ Variations. What’s not in question, however, is the tender playfulness of orchestral variations inspired by the composer’s friends and family, including the noble, much-loved ‘Nimrod’. Pianist Jan Lisiecki joins Elim Chan and the BBC Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 – a Romantic tussle between conflict and lyricism. The concert opens with the European premiere of Noriko Koide’s silkworm-inspired Swaddling Silk and Gossamer Rain, commissioned for last year’s BBC Proms Japan.