Sir Andrew Davis conducts Elgar and Bliss

Sir Andrew Davis conducts Elgar’s evergreen ‘Enigma’ Variations before the BBC Symphony Orchestra is joined by the BBC Symphony Chorus and superb soloists for Bliss’s powerful cantata, The Beatitudes.

Sir Arthur Bliss wrote The Beatitudes for the opening of the new Coventry Cathedral in 1961, but at the last minute the premiere was relegated to Coventry Theatre. A powerful work, its dramatic arc reminds us of Bliss’s gifts as a film composer. Conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, it’s unlikely to be in better hands – as indeed are Elgar’s ‘Enigma’ Variations, his glorious, affectionate and often jocular musical portraits of friends and family.