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29 February 2016, 11:13 | Updated: 12 May 2017, 17:08
We asked Steven Isserlis, one of today's very best cellists, to give us a personal guide to one of the most beautiful pieces ever written.
Steven Isserlis is one of the best cellists around. Not only has he just recorded Elgar's Cello Concerto (available to buy now), he'll also be performing the work at Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall on 5th April.
So he's perfectly placed to answer our burning question about one of Elgar's most famous works: why does it always make us well up?
Starting at the top, Elgar gives us an arresting, dramatic opening.
There’s loneliness and self-doubt, as Isserlis goes on to explain.
And that really tugs at your heart-strings
And this is the section that Isserlis believes is the “ultimate glory of the work”