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A muffled drum, a quiet march … and the melody for which a nation had been waiting. From first hesitant notes to heaven-storming conclusion, Elgar’s First Symphony is more than just a landmark in British music: it’s the autobiography of a creative spirit, passionate, troubled and profoundly moving. Â鶹ԼÅÄ Symphony Orchestra Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo has loved the music of Elgar for decades, and it’s a thrilling contrast to the playfulness and poetry of Vaughan Williams’s Tuba Concerto, played by rising international brass star Constantin Hartwig. Meanwhile, what’s a composer to do when he’s invited to the Tokyo Olympics during a global travel ban? Mark-Anthony Turnage lets his music do the globetrotting in his jazz-inspired Time Flies.

Image: Constantin Hartwig © Tobias Epp