Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Falstaff, Op. 68; Elegy, Op. 58; The Sanguine Fan, Op. 81

The idea for what was to become Falstaff, Symphonic Study in C minor, had been a possibility in Elgar's mind since 1901, but it was not until 1913 that he set to work seriously, determined to provide a work in response to a commission for the coming Leeds Festival, and completing the composition on 5th August. Dedicated to the conductor Landon Ronald, who directed the first London performance, Falstaff allies the composer with the Richard Strauss of the symphonic poems and was seen by George Bernard Shaw as a distinct rival, outclassing Till Eulenspiegel and Don Quixote. The work held a very special place in the affections of the composer. As he explained in a letter to the critic Ernest Newman: "Falstaff… is the name but Shakespeare – the whole of human life – is the theme… over it all runs – even in the tavern – the undercurrent of our failings