Pomp and Circumstance March No.4

Edward Elgar's fourth march from the famous "Pomp and Circumstance" series was composed in 1907 as the last of the originally planned four marches. Unlike its more popular predecessors, this march in G major displays a rather lyrical character, with Elgar's characteristic blend of British pathos and romantic melancholy emerging particularly clearly.

Here the composer dispenses with the triumphant gesture of the first two marches and turns to a more subtle musical language. The melodic lines flow more elegantly, the harmonic progressions are more sophisticatedly crafted. Elgar's mastery of orchestration is fully realized in the nuanced wind writing and colorful string passages, as he skillfully employs the large orchestra with harp and expanded percussion.

As a representative of late English Romanticism, Elgar stands here already on the threshold of modernity, without however abandoning his deeply rooted connection to British musical tradition. The fourth march is considered one of the most reflective of the series and shows the composer at the height of his compositional maturity, a few years after his great successes with the "Enigma Variations" and "The Dream of Gerontius."