Edward Elgar - Enigma Variations, Op.36: IX. (Nimrod)

In 1899, English composer Edward Elgar created his Enigma Variations; a set of variations on the one melody, with each one representing a different friend of his. From his wife to his music publisher, each friend was immortalised in music as their different personalities shone through. This piece has never lost popularity, especially with the moving and powerful ‘Nimrod’ variation.
Conducted by Peter Luff.
www.qso.com.au

[@arthurlecomte8950]

the most beautiful melody England has ever produced

[@robweston925]

My father knew Edward Elgar. As a small boy in the same village of Broadheath, he would see Elgar as an older man in his garden, he loved flowers. He would always say hello and look at my father and stop his gardening to speak to him and his brothers and sister as they walked past. I was lucky to live in the same village many years later. Sadly, now all family have gone. But what beautiful music!! I am approaching 70 years now but this moves me, such talent!

[@merlinstwin7373]

What an absolutely lovely family memory that is! Elgar was quintessentially English, a formidable creative force.

[@leslieelizabeth219]

His music speaks to me. It’s so nice that your father had met Elgar ❤

[@jamescooper9537]

WOW. That is amazing.Thnaks for sharing that

[@Kent-qo6xp]

One of the best melodies of history! Kent Vogel A.S.C.A.P

[@user-oi5jz2sz6m]

I've been in Queensland in 2005, I am from Brasil. Happy to listen this orquestra from Queensland and also Love Edward Elgar, specialy this variation.

[@Richard500]

The older I get the more this piece makes me want to cry.

[@philipbrooks402]

I know the feeling.

[@daneelolivaw602]

The older i get the more i do cry.

[@brendonjudd4944]

Me too. There's a documentary about the Battle of Britain and this sublime music is used at the end as the narrator talks of how poorly treated Hugh Dowding and Keith were following the victory of the RAF over the Luftwaffe. I always get a lump in my throat as a Spitfire and Hurricane are shown banking away. Simply the best music for such a powerful and emotional documentary.

[@marshgatelaneposse]

If you told me at the age of 18 that 40 years later you would sit on your sofa and basically cry your little heart out at this piece of music I would of called you a fool proud to be British ❤

[@nannygoatbassoonist]

I had a premature emergency c-section due to severe pre-eclampsia a year ago. The preeclampsia was exasperated after contracting covid, and I was in the hospital at 34 weeks. They tried to slow it down with magnesium, but I was in too bad of a shape to remain pregnant, so I had to have an emergency c-section. I wanted so badly to be able to breastfeed. My baby was immediately taken to the NICU and I was too sick to even get out of bed. They brought me a pump. I listened to this on repeat while I looked at pictures of the baby to help stimulate milk production. It worked. This piece has such a triumphant ending. A year later, I have my health back and a healthy active little boy who still breastfeeds.

[@cdeweijer12]

Thank goodness, you and your baby were saved and are thriving now. The power of music is indeed miraculously strong, a divine medicine in my opinion. It’s a gift from God. Best wishes to you and your loves ones❤

[@annbretagne2108]

I think you mean 'exacerbated'..

[@mackjay1777]

Arguably the most beautiful 4 minutes of music ever composed. The beating heart of Elgar's great Enigma Variations

[@LGranthamsHeir]

For the 80th anniversary of D-Day. In remembrance of all whom have fallen and all who participated in the campaign and are no longer with us. Thank you for your service.

[@The_Viscount]

This piece was written for Elgar's friend, editor, and publisher, Augustus J Jaeger. Elgar struggled with depression and questioned his own worth and abilities. Through the years they worked together, Jaeger was there for Elgar through depressive episodes, and reaffirming the composers' abilities. Apparently, this is meant to be a musical telling of their relationship. It's one my favorites.

[@stephenking3044]

'Nimrod ....Nimrod is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Shinar. The Bible states that he was "a mighty hunter before the Lord [and] ... began to be mighty in the earth"......Jaeger was Norwegian .Jaeger in Norwegian translates as 'Hunter'....therefore 'The 'Enigma ' of the enigma variations!.Clever old Elgar!

[@peedee-zo1yq]

May not be very appropriate but.....long live depressive geniuses.....

[@user-io4fy9vr7i]

Ik kan alleen maar zeggen FANTASTISCH, GEWELDIG mooi nummer.🙏♥️🇳🇱

[@trishhallz3394]

​@@peedee-zo1yqdon't care too much about the history .. He wrote it for me.

[@Maddybreenofficial]

This is the single most moving piece of music ever made. lest we forget.

[@edwardthtan]

Agree!

[@dustinharris5573]

i performed this with an honors orchestra in high school, and it was the greatest feeling in the world

[@ianhills8980]

For me the best bit is near the end when everything suddenly goes quiet after the tumultuous build-up. It is so peaceful and relaxing.

[@brandonlegallez]

This piece of music - words can barely describe my affection for it.

[@Daniel-deMerrivale]

I really wish this was the English National Anthem. Reminds me of summer days when I was young, looking up through elm and oak trees at the bright blue sky. A place now gone.

[@Richard500]

Yes, the English National Anthem but NOT the National Anthem.

[@DavidMitchell-by2hr]

That England still exists you just have to look.

[@Daniel-deMerrivale]

@@DavidMitchell-by2hr You may be right for smaller enclaves, but when I was growing up what are now enclaves were generally what you got over a great area. The majestic elms used to dominate the landscape. We had “tree noise” (leafy woods and streets, that rustled when the wind blew). Now it’s traffic noise etc. Opposite where I was brought up there were around 300 mature elm woodland, some over 100 years old, reaching up and spreading out. Dutch elm disease devastated them all and tree spaces were lost. Over development, loss of local culture, loss of manufacturing. No, this is no longer the country I knew.

[@keithbate9405]

!Still we remember we who live far beneath the trees........................................................................seas" (JRR Tolkien) Another great English man born in the Victorian era.

[@keithbate9405]

@@DavidMitchell-by2hr In Dent in the Yorkshire dales . The village and the Dale . Very little has changed ( a new car park ) since I first went there in my youth in the 1960's.

[@cavan2664]

Musicians put their hearts into their instruments and their emotions into the music and then into their orchestra so that the audience hears the music but feels what the composer is saying. This reminds me of a time when people, rich and poor, actually loved this place. You can't play with a broken heart.

[@geea8509]

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few",

[@ommyotter4064]

I choke up almost every time I hear this. Thanks to Elgar and the Queensland Symphony for helping me release my emotions when nearly nothing else makes me cry like that. I hope there is an afterlife and that Elgar knows how beloved his work has become.

[@dr.v.j.340]

Jesus is the way to Salvation. Repent and believe. God bless you, neighbor. And oh by the way, I agree… beautiful and lasting art!

[@nitrogary8998]

got this music to be played at my funeral. Its always been special too me

[@briancairns6649]

Beautiful performance...no schmaltz or exaggerated slow tempos...just Elgar's magnificent music speaking for itself!!

[@billace90]

This moving, short jewel embodies the British spirit of resilience and perseverance. And you don’t have to be one to get tears in your eyes listening to it.

[@mike1536]

I live in chicago area, I have been here since 11 years old. Born near Istanbul. I am 39 now, been listening to Elgar since my early 20s. Timeless beautiful music, doesn’t matter where you are or came from, we can all appreciate the brilliance this man put on paper and this orchestra playing it so masterfully.

[@tombows6980]

I'm British but I don't get patriotic when listening to this. This song and my constant battle with loneliness and depression are one and the same. I can't explain it, but this song helps me realize the few things I have in life are worth living for.

[@nick260682]

@@tombows6980 keep strong mate, never be ashamed to ask for help, and remember better times are almost certainly round the corner. All this is temporary.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

oh boo hoo hoo!

[@normanbabbitt818]

one of my favorite pieces and out of many I've heard this is the best performance yet. Unlike many of the performances, the winds and strings are balanced here. Just absolutely jerks the tears right out of your face. So perfect. thanks so much Queensland S. O.

[@seanvictor736]

I hail from a former British colony, the British conquered us and then on certain occasions massacred us and treated us slaves, and stole and pillaged all our wealth so as a man from a former British colony I have a bitter taste for the British, but having said that we had a certain love and respect for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second, she had a dignified personality fit to be a Queen, in her younger days she was a beautiful damsel, and she lived an untarnished life so your comment corresponds perfectly to this piece of classical music.

[@robpriest9031]

This piece allows us to hear a true crescendo. Very moving.

[@misterdog7]

Probably because they practice a lot, but I always wonder why no musician actually gets overcome with emotions playing a piece like this and lets a tear escape.

[@nwmusic2010]

It happens quite a bit in rehearsals.

[@reseebruder7600]

Let me tell you, everytime I play this piece in my orchestra I'm near tears 😂

[@deanvanjaarsveld3415]

It's because we pour all the emotions into the music

[@diamonddog4708]

As a chorister I've teared up in rehearsal's a few times, not to this obviously. The adrenaline kicks in at the performance. The second half of Mozart's 'Confutatis' will do it every time. Spine tingling

[@misterdog7]

Thanks for the feedback guys! Good to see that great music still has the ability to make grown men cry, and who can blame them.

[@craigemmerich1604]

Probably the best orchestral version of this piece, I have ever heard. Brilliant!

[@CollieDog24]

Listen to the Warsaw Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk,you,ll get the whole Enigma Variations, it,s good!!

[@ruthfox7267]

I hear the first notes and immediately I relax and feel calm. Such a beautiful piece of music, I wonder whether young people today who don't grow up with classical music the way I did are even able to relate to it and appreciate it.

[@bowman05]

What is it about this piece touches so many in such a profound and emotional way? For me, at least in part it evokes a sense of loss for a time, a place and people we knew loved and are now and forever gone.

[@megbradley971]

I'm 71 and to me this music is England, the England we have lost , but when I hear it it makes me proud to be English.

[@davidcolley7714]

And what England do you want to go back to, Workhouses and Grinding poverty and the rest as portrayed by Dickens?

[@megbradley971]

@@davidcolley7714 There's nothing I can say that you will understand , you silly man

[@cantorsparadise]

Exquisite piece, beautifully performed. More so than God Save The Queen or Rule Britanna, this piece embodies the essence of 'Britishness' for me - courage, resolve and hope, tinged with a wistful melancholy and romantic yearning. It is the music we play on sad occasions, such as state funerals. And I think the music a nation turns to on such occasions says a lot more about it than its celebratory music, and more honestly expresses its deep identity.

[@johnandkathleenodonnell4130]

Such a beautifully expressed comment. Thank you for sharing a bit of your sensibility. My affection for your country runs deep.

[@martinwfarrell]

@@johnandkathleenodonnell4130 I used to have similar sentiments about that country but not now, since Brexit. IMO it has revealed a nasty side that i didn't really know existed. Long live Europe/EU and its wonderful musical heritage

[@cantorsparadise]

@@martinwfarrell Most people in the UK did not vote for Brexit. It was an appalling abuse of democracy that misrepresented the will of the majority. Please be assured that the majority of the british people are as open-minded, internationalist and pro-European as we were before that scandalous and fraudulent corruption of our political process.

[@sanctejohannesorapronobis8825]

You’re Catholic aren’t you? I’m also an Englishman and agree entirely, but you speak with a spirit I think I recognise

[@martinwfarrell]

Yes i am but i don't see the relevance of my faith. I am not French or Italian but i love their national anthems. Music transends

[@lisaroberts8135]

Beautiful….never get tired of listening to this wonderful piece of music!

[@normafivaz8916]

Touches the heart at its deepest, vulnerable, tender point: Thank you for giving me such a blessing!

[@tonyblakemore2355]

Brilliantly reproduced, thank you. A piece of music forever linked to Remembrance Day, and credited to one of the finest musicians that ever lived.

[@mdlspld]

Nimrod will forever be associated with the days following the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The solace in the cords, matches beyond our sorrow. Gone but never forgotten. May She rest in eternal peace.

[@martystrasinger3801]

I haven’t listened to this in a while. Yes, tears. Also almost passed out because I forgot to breathe.

[@antoni6825]

I heard this music for the first time at the "La Farándula" theater in Sabadell (Catalonia) at a Christmas concert. It is very emotional music and it also makes me cry every time I hear it. It suggests to me the sad and happy tribute to an entire life.

[@eternallymelancholy]

How can a mere mortal write such wonderful music? How wonderfully gifted.

[@davidvarley1812]

One of the greatest piece of music by one of the most impressive composers , performed by a talented group of individuals. Thanks you for the pleasure.

[@michaelbutcher3563]

One of my father's favourite classical works. Whenever it was on the radio he'd have it on loud. I remember a Thursday when i was packing to go away for a weekend and this piece was on his radio downstairs. Suddenly i just didn't want to go away and leave my dad for the weekend. I had a far bigger stereo than his radio downstairs, maybe i should have put it on it.

[@pulau6481]

Absolute perfection.

[@charlesrae3793]

it's hard not to think of Remembrance Sunday when I hear this The sheer depth of emotion always elicits tears.. The climax always gets me, no matter how often I have heard it. The sign of truly great music that it survives even familarity.

[@johnrondeau220]

This is a beautiful rendering of a masterpiece. There are infinite interpretations however this one is decidedly unique.

[@katrinas2752]

What a stunning performance of this lovely piece. Brought tears to my eyes.

[@markdowse3572]

Four minutes of absolute beauty..... 🎶 Thank you, QSO. 🙏 M 🦘🏏😎

[@annbeirne9583]

This was so wonderful, it always brings tears to my eyes it is so moving, not sad tears but happy tears, although this is often played at the cenotaph on remembrance Sunday, it is just as beautiful played by a military band. so glad I found this!💖

[@composernotes]

Amongst all the wonderful moments composed by Edward Elgar, surely this is the most beautiful, exquisite and heart-wrenching. If I compose even one minute of music in my lifetime as extraordinary as this, I will consider that I have achieved greatness!

[@brendadrew834]

The second movement of Edvard Grieg's Holberg Suite is equally beautiful and moving along with his famous gorgeous Piano Concerto in A minor. We could say that also about the deeply beautiful and moving piano concertos by the equally iconic Russian composers Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky! Elgar has plenty of company in this regard!

[@chollocks]

Cello concerto

[@thenoobyblock1208]

Elgar was without a doubt a musical and compositional genius. Land of Hope and Glory, Nimrod, Pomp and Circumstance, etc. - any song that captures the essence and plenitude of our country was by his hand. This song in particular never fails to bring a tear to my eye, and it's quite incredible how one man could compose something of such depth and pathos. Rest in peace, Sir Edward Elgar.

[@PMC-ji6vm]

Beautifully performed. Excellent tempo, rendering mystery and bliss to this masterpiece.

[@fam3871]

What a beautiful, beautiful piece.

[@rugsack2005]

Excellent performance. Love the slow and steady buildup to the crescendo and then down to end. Well done

[@robertgage2785]

Absolutely gorgeous......so well done my friends

[@arteguey]

One of the best renditios of Nimrod I've ever heard

[@johnmcgarry148]

I am Irish but feel like a west Brit....this is magnificent thank you

[@josephdadey]

Damn, it's hard to get through this without crying. I'm not going to speculate if his love for Jaeger was romantic plutonic or fraternal, but it was an immeasureable love just the same, and to witness such an expressioin of love is humbling. Thank you Mr Elgar for sharing one of your most intimate expressions of love with the world.

[@psijicassassin7166]

Plutonic love sounds deathly sinister and grim. It's a far cry from the sadness of the piece.

[@josephdadey]

@@psijicassassin7166 Wow, that's an interesting take. First, there's nothing sinister about plutonic love (the love between friends). Also, the Nimrod variation isn't sad to me.

[@psijicassassin7166]

@@josephdadey Isn't Pluto the god of the underworld? Sounds morbid and ghastly.

[@josephdadey]

@@psijicassassin7166 Yes, I believe that's true, but it's from the Greek philosopher Plato , not the Roman god Pluto.

[@josephdadey]

@@psijicassassin7166 By the way.. thank you. I have misspelled platonic far too much herein. I was going to edit my posts, but I didn't want your comment to lose context, so I'll just confess to being a dumbass :)

[@JanetStevenson-ce7qk]

The first classical piece of music I remember hearing as a child and still my favourite

[@wendychen5779]

An admirable interpretation of the famous "Nimrod"! How I wish the QSO would play the entire "Enigma Variations" beginning with the equally famous, yet simple, theme statement. Before we are lucky to have that, however, I'd highly recommend listeners try the performance of the complete "Enigma" by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra (under the baton of Kaspszyk), available on KZbin. The experience may enhance your appreciation of the "Nimrod" variation, whether by the QSO or any other orchestra, even more.

[@ManofTruth999]

I lived in Malvern for several years in the 1980s and often used to visit Elgar's grave at St Wulstan's Church, to pay homage to such a great man. Elgar used to say apparently, that he drove round the beautiful Worcestershire countryside in his car and 'plucked the music out of the air'. When I hear Nimrod, I truly believe him!

[@squixmax69]

❤ bravi. Bravi tutti. Le percussioni... bravissimo.

[@brendadrew834]

Divinely beautiful melody but then that's where divinely beautiful music comes from , heaven! As a lifelong pianist/composer of lyrical pieces for piano and an American folk opera, I can personally attest to that, music from the angelic spheres, out there in the heavens as well as from the heart and soul! May Edward Elgar rest in peace on the Other Side, our "spiritual home"! "We're spiritual beings having a human experience"...the late Dr. Wayne Dyer and before him, French philosopher and Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin in the 1700s! Hard to get this moving melody out of one's head! ❤🎼🎹🎵♥

[@kevinhart3555]

Played at my fathers funeral. Nuff said or the tears might start. Thanks Dad. Love you.

[@77diderot]

Formidable interprétation ! Merci...

[@user-sv4rp4iz8l]

Glorious, moving , so beautifully played.Bravo 🎉🎉

[@housey4297]

Incredible performance of a very special song to most Englishmen.

[@stuross8190]

I will make sure my freshly hatched Grand daughter hears this often. Not just during a televised event, but at home when it is just right for a bit of Elgar.

[@daneelolivaw602]

Beautiful, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, just Beautiful, this always makes me emotional.

[@hogey74]

I took my parents to a free QSO concert at Brisbane City Hall in maybe 2015? I was grinning like an idiot all the way through this tune! I didn't expect to ever hear it being played live, let alone so cleanly and with such restrained intensity. Then in the movie Dunkirk I wondered if I could hear little tickles of it throughout. When it was played at the end I burst into tears :-) I already loved Christopher Nolan's work but that was such a complete moment.

[@davidheath3835]

Nimrod ❤ on hearing it bring much emotion to me of my country and late parents and growing up, it gives me pride of our 🇬🇧 flag our precious Jerusalem and Island Nation.

[@gerrycooper56]

Where has this sort of talent gone?

[@lawrencewinter]

Some pieces of music feel like they existed before time began. This is one such piece. Thanks for bringing it to us QSO

[@BerrikoAndonik]

Nimrod, a lone hunter-king of Assyria, is the name support of the most great piece of classic music of XXth century from England. Perhaps, and only perhaps, the music's names are correlated at inverse with the quality of the music they represent. Very well touched by orchestra.

[@readbird]

I can't belive it has taken me this many years to find this good composer. Yes I heard it first through Matrix and Blade, and I had to search back to find this gentleman!. Thank you!

[@verafrazier3209]

There are no words to describe how much this piece,this version,moves me. Thank you

[@arteguey]

A perfect tempo and a perfect balance between different instruments of the orchestra

[@sabrinai]

Breathtaking performance😍. And so many familiar faces😉.

[@zara4793]

I don’t know why, but when I hear this song, I feel the struggle and ultimately the triumph of standing on top of Mount Everest, the highest place in the world.

[@juanjesusgonzalez251]

Esta música llega hasta lo más profundo de mi ser.

[@thomasmoagi-xw1ks]

❤ IT S0 MUCH❤

[@pegg3754]

Beyond beautiful

[@claudiasg3385]

Encontré la versión en Spotify y ahora la busco aquí, me ha encantado demasiado! Es una belleza exquisita...

[@tiberiumdsv2321]

A stalagmite with no stalactite above it brought me here. This music touched my heart and soul.

[@sarahemily1]

Spectacular ♥️

[@bilingualviolinists]

I agree with you!!

[@Antoineduval159]

Beautifully played.... as a Brit in the UK I can confirm this great orchestra sounded more English than English in this famous piece.... each crescendo was beautifully executed,and the tempo was magic.

[@nadirsilva4528]

Simplesmente magnífica!!!!!!!!!!

[@joeljennifer2005]

Such a majestic and emotional music piece. This will always remind me of Queen Elizabeth 2, rip. ❤

[@ynys_mon6928]

I’ve never paid much attention to Elgar, apart from loving this piece. Anyway, as a fitting finish to a lovely weekend visit to Worcester (we were a ‘fill-in’ choir singing the services at the Cathedral whilst the choristers were on holiday), we visited Elgar’s birthplace. It was a delightful place to visit. As a bonus, and maybe because it was a bank holiday we were treated to a couple of talks about Elgar’s life and about the ‘Variations’. What an excellent visit that was.

[@sofiacasiraghi9503]

So beautiful, thank you so much!!

[@carolynatkinson5832]

Stunningly beautiful!

[@SpookyFox1000]

So beautiful and evocative of an England now lost.

[@stevenhobbs3288]

Here out of curiosity after reading Kieron Gillens X-men forever and I can’t believe how familiar this is. I think I must have heard it in a dozen movies

[@jhl3653]

I was today years old when I learned that this piece is the product of bromance. Brilliant. ❤

[@mensariznikli]

"Nimrod" by Edward Elgar, is a masterpiece that captures the pain of separation and the subsequent power of rebirth. With its melodic structure, it delves deep into emotions and reignites hope. This composition celebrates the human ability to find strength and be reborn amidst challenging times.

[@SenzoTanaka]

Yes, it's very English.

[@person7200]

3:47 this note on trumpet I believe is one of my favourite single notes played in any piece of music ever composed it is just the embodiment of the sense of yearning and a melancholy joy that this piece gives me

[@tomlee812]

Wow......spine tingling production

[@Wilkins_Micawber]

Elgar was without doubt England's greatest composer. His sound has is at one with the English identity.

[@jasonfernee6395]

What an amazing piece of music and so beautifully performed.

[@williamcarlosreyes]

Absolutely beautiful. Thank you

[@newenglandgreenman]

I love this piece, and this is in my opinion the best performance available on KZbin. The others get the tempo too slow.

[@sarmadpiano]

what a great piece and what a wonderful team performance from all.

[@DonaldoJTrumpet]

Fair play Aussie, from the UK. That was amazing, good on ya.

[@davidpeters6536]

Loved this since I first heard it when I was 7 years old. This and Holst's Planet suite were amazing at seven and remain so at almost 70. I also love The Rolling Stones who I discovered about the same time!

[@Gleadless]

I m not religious I can’t believe in a supernatural entity but when I listen to Elgar I can understand humanities heaven

[@shigityshigityshwa]

Stunning.

[@michaeldad]

This is glorious fantastic music.

[@mekaworldus]

It's like stepping through the gates of Heaven. 🇳🇬

[@juannico7712]

He re-used this music in The Music Makers piece! Beautiful