Andrew Haveron and Simon Tedeschi perform Elgar

03 July, 2020

Sydney Symphony Concertmaster Andrew Haveron and pianist Simon Tedeschi perform Elgar's 'La Capricieuse' together.

Music-making in the home was extremely common at the turn of the last century.

Elgar cashed in, writing dozens of pieces of ‘salon music’ (although he sold his biggest success for a trifling sum and had to watch impotently as it made his publisher a fortune). These delightful miniatures are perfectly crafted for musicians to play for their friends.

An online audience is perhaps larger than Elgar envisaged but the pleasure of playing music for one’s friends hasn’t changed since Elgar’s time.

La Capricieuse by Elgar has always been one of my favourite violin show pieces. Once extremely popular, and recorded by all the great violinists, this style of music has fallen somewhat out of fashion these days, which I think is a great shame. More tea anyone?

– Concertmaster Andrew Haveron