Written shortly after the first world war, English composer Sir Edward Elgar's four-movement Cello Concerto is an unapologetic missive of innocence lost. The opening movement, unorthodoxly marked "Adagio" ( Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85: I. Adagio - Moderato ), mourns this affliction with particular poignancy. One can almost hear Elgar's heart break as the solo cellist begins the piece alone, declaring a troubled melody punctuated by stormy double stops, in which two notes are bowed savagely at once. Tentatively at first, yet becoming gradually stronger, cellist and orchestra swoon together in a mixture of Continental Romanticism and that mysterious, lambent presence unique to Britain.

Additional Tracks:
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85: II. Lento...
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85: III. Adagio