Elgar’s Serenade for Strings was composed in 1892 and represents the first of his works with which the 35-year-old composer was truly satisfied. Whether, as often claimed, it derives from three pieces for strings from 1888 can no longer be ascertained, since only the titles of those pieces “Spring Song”, “Elegy” and “Finale”, have come down to us. However, these titles would also characterise the movements of the Serenade surprisingly well. Posterity shares Elgar’s positive assessment to the present day: the Serenade op. 20 is not only one of his most popular compositions, but is among the most frequently played works in the string-orchestra literature.

Edited by British Elgar specialist Rupert Marshall-Luck, this classic now appears in Henle Urtext as conducting score, performance material and handy study edition.

Rupert Marshall-Luck (Editor)