The Enigma of Edward Elgar

Michael Lunts presents a one-man musical drama about the life of Edward Elgar, focusing on the complex relationship he had with his beloved wife Alice. The friends who inspired the famous ‘Enigma Variations’ are also brought to life as, following the death of Alice, Elgar’s senior by a number of years, the composer muses on the origins of that first acknowledged masterpiece, a work that put him on the musical map, and which may never have seen the light of day but for Alice’s encouragement and inspiration. But what of the other women hidden within the work’s ‘musical portraits’? And who, ultimately, was Edward Elgar? Was he the real ‘enigma’? In this performance the Enigma Variations are played live in a special piano transcription made by Elgar himself, as well as the ever-popular ‘Salut d’Amour’, dedicated to the composer’s wife.