BBC presenter and classical musician David Owen Norris wields the scalpel, dissecting Edward Elgar’s music in a live, on-stage collaboration with SÓN, Southampton’s professional orchestra.

And after the much-loved Enigma Variations have been stripped back to bare bones, uncovering the stories and meanings behind the masterpiece, the audience can enjoy a cup of tea, a slice of cake and a magnificent summer afternoon concert!

The Elgar Unwrapped event, at Turner Sims concert hall on 04 June, is designed to educate and entertain, to inspire and uplift. In the first half, David Owen Norris - popular TV presenter, and one of the world’s leading Elgar specialists - explores the music from the keyboard with the orchestra playing in counterpoint with his piano extracts.

The concert opens with a new commission, an arrangement of ‘Pomp and Circumstance March no 4’ and ends with a full orchestral performance of Elgar’s Enigma Variations, 14 musical portraits of his friends and family, each one a variation on his original theme.

This event is the latest in a series devised by SÓN’s founder and artistic director, Robin Browning, and follows last year’s sell-out ‘Beethoven Unwrapped’, presented by Classic FM’s John Suchet who described the orchestra as “stunning…They play with passion and commitment, and I enjoyed every minute of working with them”.

The Enigma Variations is a hugely popular masterwork, currently standing at number four in Classic FM’s top-300 chart, voted for by thousands of people. “We want to take the audience on a journey through one of music’s most touching and inspiring landscapes,” explains Robin Browning. “And David’s infectiously energetic and expert analysis of Elgar’s music will add to the audience’s understanding and appreciation of our second half performance.”

Reflecting its name, the piece is widely believed to involve a hidden melody encoded into the theme itself, and many have speculated and debated on this point since its original composition and performance in 1899. So will this event unwrap not only Elgar’s music but the hidden secret it holds? “If anyone is capable of uncovering the mystery, it’s David Owen Norris!” says Robin Browning, enigmatically.

‘Elgar Unwrapped’ is at Southampton’s Turner Sims concert hall on Sunday 04 June 2018 at 3.00 pm. Tickets, £9.00 – £22.00. Call 023 8059 5151 or book online at turnersims.co.uk