Nimrod Zen Koan
Every time I play “Nimrod” from Elgar’s Enigma Variations, two thoughts always cross my mind:
This is some of the most moving and magnificent music ever composed.
What’s the deal with that marking three bars before 37? I mean, how exactly does one make a crescendo and decrescendo at the same time? ‘Must be some kind of Zen koan: the key to the enigma, perhaps?
