The pianist Fanny Davies planned an all-English recital in 1901 and, after repeated attempts, succeeded in getting Elgar to compose a substantial work, the Concert Allegro, Op. 46. On the basis of the piece, just over ten minutes in length, it seems unfortunate that he didn't write more for solo keyboard. While the dense, contrapuntal piano writing comes from Bach by way of Liszt and Brahms, the musical language is pure Elgar in its nobility and occasional quirkiness. Rhapsodic in form, the piece contrasts two themes, one boldly presented in powerful chords, the other lyrical and yearning. The working-out of both themes is consistently imaginative, leading to a coda that is strong and satisfying. Elgar worked over the manuscript in subsequent years, never decided if he wanted to tighten it or turn it into a piano-orchestra work, and finally laid it aside. Thought lost during World War II, the still-unpublished piece was rediscovered and revived in the late 1960s.

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