Radio 3 in Concert

Martin Handley presents from London's Barbican as Antonio Pappano conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in in two turn-of-the-century works, separated by just three years. Elgar's Enigma Variations were an immediate success at their premiere in 1899, portraying his family and friends in a series of miniature portraits, while Mahler's mighty Symphony No 5 takes listeners on a journey from darkness to light and includes one of the most rapturous slow movements in all music. Elgar: Variations on an Original Theme, Enigma. Interval. Mahler: Symphony No 5. London Symphony Orchestra, Antonio Pappano (conductor).