Elgar's Hillside

[Papy Oli]

Thank you guys for the pointers, I'll check those out.

[Roasted Swan]

Thank you guys for the pointers, I'll check those out.

I forgot Mackerras and Tate in the Symphonies as well - both very fine.  And Sinopoli if you are looking for something a bit more individualistic.....?

[André]

I really like Mackerras in the symphonies. His Elgar is full-blooded and full-throated.

[vers la flamme]

I have Barenboim conducting the London Philharmonic in Elgar's Symphony no.1 but found it kindof unconvincing. I suspect the recording is the problem. Barenboim is a good conductor in my book, but I don't think his style works for Elgar's music, and my appreciation of which is fragile anyway. I might check out the Mackerras.

[aukhawk]

Barenboim with Pinchas Zukerman is my favourite recording of the Elgar Violin Concerto.  I have my needledropped vinyl but it looks as though it is available as part of this collection:


Sony Essential Classics Elgar twofer

For the symphonies don't forget Solti !  (I'll put my tin hat on now)



I think these are great performances but the digital transfer is a bit on the over-bright side, typical early Decca.

[Roasted Swan]

Barenboim with Pinchas Zukerman is my favourite recording of the Elgar Violin Concerto.  I have my needledropped vinyl but it looks as though it is available as part of this collection:


Sony Essential Classics Elgar twofer

For the symphonies don't forget Solti !  (I'll put my tin hat on now)



I think these are great performances but the digital transfer is a bit on the over-bright side, typical early Decca.

The Barenboim/Zuckerman is without doubt one of the great versions - and useful because it places the style of the work in the European mainstream and also Zuckerman's playing is big and bold.  For personal choice I'd go for something a bit more elusive - Hugh Bean with Charles Groves for instance but I like the Zukerman a lot.  The best of Barenboim's first recordings of Elgar.  The rest (symphonies etc) are good but not as good as the competition and also the CBS/Sony recordings even for their time are not great.

The Solti Symphonies are a valid alternative too.  The reasons behind Solti's interpretations are well known and certainly worth hearing.  You are right about the Decca sound - as much to do with a consciously "hi fi" almost forensic approach which in some ways is spectacular as the orchestra play very well but in others is almost too much detail (if that's possible!)

[aukhawk]

For personal choice I'd go for something a bit more elusive - Hugh Bean with Charles Groves for instance but I like the Zukerman a lot.

In a rare (for me) foray to a live concert I saw Nigel Kennedy play this with Vernon Handley conducting the Halle.  I don't know about 'elusive' but my wife slept through most of it.

[71 dB]

In my opinion Sir Adrian Boult really understood Elgar's music. My favorite performances of Elgar's Symphonies are the Naxos discs (great balance of sound quality and performance insight into musical details and these were the first I heard when exploring Elgar in 1997). As for the Third "elaborated" Symphony Andrew Davis is excellent, as is Andrew Davis' Enigma on the Opus Arte DVD. I also like Elder's Elgar, but imo Boult's Apostles and Kingdom are much better than Elder's despite of Elder benefitting from superior modern sound quality.

There's many performances of the symphonies I haven't heard: Tate, MacKerras, Solti... ...despite of being somewhat overlooked composer outside UK Elgar is lucky to have an impressive amount of recordings available of his most popular works. The reason why I haven't explored all recordings is because I have notice the first recording, if good enough, becomes my reference against which I compare any other recording so that the other recordings are "wrong" in the ways they differ from the reference. Only if I discover a far superior version does it become the new reference. Having heard half dozen performances of the symphonies that's unlike to happen. I rather spend my time and money exploring composers and works new to me, for example Weinberg, whose symphonies are mostly yet to be heard by me.

Now, you can disagree with me all you want. I don't care. I'm entitled to my opinions no matter how silly they seem to other people. I actually really like Elgar's music unlike some others preferring Britten and Vaughan Williams... 

[André]

I have Barenboim conducting the London Philharmonic in Elgar's Symphony no.1 but found it kindof unconvincing. I suspect the recording is the problem. Barenboim is a good conductor in my book, but I don't think his style works for Elgar's music, and my appreciation of which is fragile anyway. I might check out the Mackerras.

Correct. The recordings are over-reverberant and irritatingly unfocused. Trying to keep one's attention on the music becomes quite a challenge. It shouldn't be like that. Mackerras, Boult and Haitink tick all the boxes in their own individual ways.

[Mirror Image]

Now, you can disagree with me all you want. I don't care. I'm entitled to my opinions no matter how silly they seem to other people. I actually really like Elgar's music unlike some others preferring Britten and Vaughan Williams... 

No, I think you have it all wrong. My preference is for Mahler and Sibelius over Elgar, Britten and Vaughan Williams. So chew on that!

[71 dB]

No, I think you have it all wrong. My preference is for Mahler and Sibelius over Elgar, Britten and Vaughan Williams. So chew on that!

Well, I live 5 miles away from the Sibelius monument, so chew on that! 

[Mirror Image]

Well, I live 5 miles away from the Sibelius monument, so chew on that! 

That's awesome! Although, I will say your comment would have carried more weight if you actually liked the composer's music.

[aukhawk]

No, I think you have it all wrong. My preference is for Mahler and Sibelius over Elgar, Britten and Vaughan Williams. So chew on that!

And anyone who likes Mahler AND Sibelius is just plain ... oh, wait (checks own record collection)   

[Mirror Image]

And anyone who likes Mahler AND Sibelius is just plain ... oh, wait (checks own record collection)   

[vandermolen]

I wrote about this on WAYLT thread but just wanted to say that I have never heard a better performance of the Enigma Variations than this recording conducted by Sir John Barbirolli with the Halle Orchestra in 1947. Remarkably, before this release and for some unknown reason, the performance had never been issued in any format before - which I find quite extraordinary. It is quite fast at 26 minutes but it has IMO a power, depth and urgency unlike any other version that I have heard. It has restored my faith in this work:

[71 dB]

I wrote about this on WAYLT thread but just wanted to say that I have never heard a better performance of the Enigma Variations than this recording conducted by Sir John Barbirolli with the Halle Orchestra in 1947. Remarkably, before this release and for some unknown reason, the performance had never been issued in any format before - which I find quite extraordinary. It is quite fast at 26 minutes but it has IMO a power, depth and urgency unlike any other version that I have heard. It has restored my faith in this work:

Too bad it's so old recording so the sound quality is what it is. I think my favorite Enigma Variation is Opus Arte DVD / Sir Andrew Davis.

[vandermolen]

Too bad it's so old recording so the sound quality is what it is. I think my favorite Enigma Variation is Opus Arte DVD / Sir Andrew Davis.

Good to know. I think that Michael J. Dutton has done an excellent job with the remastering and the recording did not spoil my enjoyment at all, although I rather like the 'historical ambience' of these recordings.

[71 dB]

Good to know. I think that Michael J. Dutton has done an excellent job with the remastering and the recording did not spoil my enjoyment at all, although I rather like the 'historical ambience' of these recordings.

Thanks for the info. 

[Karl Henning]

I wrote about this on WAYLT thread but just wanted to say that I have never heard a better performance of the Enigma Variations than this recording conducted by Sir John Barbirolli with the Halle Orchestra in 1947. Remarkably, before this release and for some unknown reason, the performance had never been issued in any format before - which I find quite extraordinary. It is quite fast at 26 minutes but it has IMO a power, depth and urgency unlike any other version that I have heard. It has restored my faith in this work:

I must have a later Barbirolli/Hallé recording.

[vandermolen]

I must have a later Barbirolli/Hallé recording.

Maybe this one Karl?
Another famous and highly regarded recording: