The orchestral timbre is interesting: Elgar: Symphony No. 2 Report

January 13th: The Orchestra's Teiki is Interesting Report
Elgar: Symphony No. 2

(Text and photos by Yamaguchi Atsushi)

Sir Edward Elgar is famous for his marches "Pomp and Circumstance No. 1," "Salut d'Amour," and "Variations: The Mystery," but what about his Second Symphony?
How can we provide guidance to help people enjoy the programs at our subscription concerts?
And what should the audience take home after attending the concert? "Orchestral teiki is fun" was designed as a hands-on, hands-on course based on thorough research into the background of the work, such as the composer's upbringing, how the piece was created, and the structure and characteristics of the piece.
This time, I approached Elgar's Symphony No. 2 using as my cue the poem "Thou Spirit of Joy" by poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, which Elgar himself wrote into the score.

~ Comments from customers who participated in the event (excerpts) ~

From the survey conducted at the end of the event

・It was a luxury to be able to listen to high-quality live music.
・I was able to understand the highlights of the song
・It was a valuable opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Elgar in three dimensions.
・Learning about the composer's background has made me more interested in how the songs came about
・I learned a lot about Elgar, who I'm not very familiar with. I'm even more excited about the Tokyo Regular Concert in January.
・I want to know more about Elgar.
・Watching the piece while looking at the score piqued my interest.
　I realized that knowing the background of the song deepens my understanding of the music and the performance.
・I learned a lot about Elgar and was able to learn about his life.
・I found it interesting that the theme melody was incorporated in various ways.
・I felt it was important to take opportunities like this to broaden my perspective, which tends to be limited to my own specialty, and I decided to broaden my horizons once again.


From a survey conducted after the Tokyo regular concert in January

[Did you gain any benefit from attending the event on January 13th and listening to the actual performance?]

・Learning about the composer's background helped me to relate to the song and get a better idea of ​​what it was like.
・I was able to listen with concentration instead of just listening vaguely.
I understood the flow of the song well.
I felt close to this song.
・I was able to listen with interest to Elgar's Second Symphony, which I had never heard of before.

- The orchestra's rhythm is interesting -

Date: Monday, January 13, 2025 (national holiday) 14:00-16:00 Venue: Sesion Suginami Exhibition Room
Workshop design/talk/trombone: Mutsumi Inami (Pon-kun)
Supervised by: Michael Spencer
Performed by: Violinists: Natsurin Taketoshi and Shunichiro Sato, Viola: Yumiko Nakagawa, Cello: Tetsuya Osawa
　　　Horn: Shotaro Harakawa
Technical staff: Kiyotaka Ishikawa

Organized by: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Co-organized by: Sesion Suginami

Workshop Design Pon-kun: Mutsumi Inami, trombone player