Edward Elgar’s popular Enigma Variations, composed between 1898-99  is a collection of  variations on an original theme - each of the variations is dedicated to one of  his close friends -  or as Elgar himself put it: “Dedicated to my Friends Pictured Within”.<br>
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Christopher Hogwood’s new Urtext edition makes use of all known source material including the early sketches, autograph score and the revised text from 1904, the new edition clarifies discrepancies between the score and  reprintings  of  the orchestral material while also  documenting Elgar’s revisions. The edition contains an original ending to the final movement “(E. D. U.) Finale”, in addition to the version commonly played today.<br>