With his assertive gaze, aristocratic bearing and lavish moustache, photographs of Sir Edward Elgar give the impression of the archetypal English establishment figure. In fact, Elgar was something of an outsider: a Catholic from a humble background.
Born into a devout family in 1857, the talented young Edward deputised for his shopkeeper father as organist of St George’s Church in Worcester, then run by the Jesuits. Throughout his life, however, Elgar also held a close association with the city’s Anglican cathedral, and his compositions have dominated the programmes of the Three Choirs Festival since the beginning of the 20th century. The festival returns to Worcester this summer (27 July to 3 August), culminating in a performance of Elgar’s magnificent 1906 oratorio, The Kingdom.
