Elgar鈥檚 boldly virtuosic Violin Concerto was one of the few works he admitted to being proud of: 鈥楢wfully emotional! Too emotional,鈥� he said, 鈥榖ut I love it.鈥� A deeply personal work, its title-page carries the enigmatic inscription 鈥楬erein is enshrined the soul of .....鈥�. Distinguished German violinist Christian Tetzlaff is the soloist, following in the line of Fritz Kreisler, for whom the concerto was written. Schumann鈥檚 鈥楽pring鈥� Symphony reflects the freshness and drive that seized the composer around the time of his marriage. Begin Afresh, a new commission from Master of the King鈥檚 Music Judith Weir, also celebrates new beginnings, inspired by Philip Larkin鈥檚 poem 鈥楾he Trees鈥�.

Image: Christian Tetzlaff 漏 Giorgia Bertazzi