Symphony No. 2 (Elgar) Elgar is widely acknowledged as one of England's leading composers, his orchestral music, with the exception of the "Enigma Variations", the Cello Concerto, and his "Pomp and Circumstance" Marches, is only sporadically programmed outside Britain. The symphony was first recorded complete in 1927 by His Master's Voice, part of the EMI group, conducted by the composer. This recording was later reissued on LP and later on CD. There was no further recording for eighteen years, until Sir Adrian Boult and the BBC Symphony Orchestra made a recordings of the symphony in 1944. Since then there have been more than twenty-four
Land of Hope and Glory newly composed ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ March No. 1 was introduced as an orchestral piece (a year before the words were written), conducted by Henry Wood who later recollected "little did I think then that the lovely broad melody of the trio would one day develop into our second national anthem". It was played as "Land of Hope and Glory" in the last concert of the 1905 proms, and at the first and last concerts of the 1909 Proms, which also featured Wood's "Fantasia on British Sea Songs". The two pieces were played one after another at the closing concerts in