Elgar's Enigma Variations and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake

Two great orchestral works in one morning: Elgar's enigmatically beautiful Enigma Variations are among the most beloved orchestral classics. Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is a ballet hit of the outer category.

Elgar's Enigma Variations
Elgar's Enigma Variations are both picture-perfect and extremely mysterious. Each variation is a musical portrait of one of Elgar's friends, and the whole is brought together, according to the composer, by an "unplayed theme. This enigma has kept music puzzlers busy for decades. The large-scale orchestral work marked Elgar's breakthrough, and he put British music back on the map with it.

Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is also a touch mysterious: the story is full of magic. In this "ballet of ballets," according to choreographer Rudy van Dantzig, "the Russian soul resounds, the lyricism, the melancholy and the longing to come out of the cold winter and see spring blossom again. Arvo Pärt composed his Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten as a hushed tribute after the death of the British master composer.