Elgar's Hillside

[Irons]

https://youtu.be/ta0Xkw6yj3Q

A most thought provoking view of if not the greatest, most famous Elgar recording ever. What I found most interesting had nothing to do with Elgar, but the bit at the end when du Pré was presented with a score for a Haydn cello concerto.­

[Mirror Image]

I have five of those:

The Dream of Gerontius
The Apostles
The Kingdom
Symphony No. 2, Introduction and Allegro
The Music Makers, Froissart, Dream Children

These are solid performances with good sonics. Not always my absolute favorite performances, but close.  0:)

Very nice. I own them all and have been impressed by them for sure even if they don't displace favorite individual performances.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

https://youtu.be/ta0Xkw6yj3Q

A most thought provoking view of if not the greatest, most famous Elgar recording ever. What I found most interesting had nothing to do with Elgar, but the bit at the end when du Pré was presented with a score for a Haydn cello concerto.­

You'll find this to be of interest and rather amusing I suspect.  I just ran across this same video (missed your post here).  This morning, a friend of mine told me about a video that he liked on you tube by the guy who owns Pearl Acoustics.  Well, it was a different video on youtube, but then I ran across the one about DuPre and Elgar!  lol  Needless to say, I enjoyed it.

One question I have:  he had talked about the problems that one occurs when one tries to go from recording 22 minutes on one side to I think it was 30 minutes--that you need to lower the volume on the cutter to avoid bleed through.  This may be more of a vinyl thread question, but I thought that I would bring it up here since you had posted a link to that video.  Mr. Lovegrove mentioned about issues with bleed through from what sounded like the other side of the LP and also the previous track.  I had thought that bleed through only occurred on the same side and the previous track (or possibly also not certain what it is called...pre-echo?).

In any event, I greatly enjoyed that video (Darn you for beating me to it!  ).  And, yes, I do love her recording of it!  Interesting to hear about the orchestra's reactions too.  And Rostropovich's request to his record label!   

PD

[Irons]

You'll find this to be of interest and rather amusing I suspect.  I just ran across this same video (missed your post here).  This morning, a friend of mine told me about a video that he liked on you tube by the guy who owns Pearl Acoustics.  Well, it was a different video on youtube, but then I ran across the one about DuPre and Elgar!  lol  Needless to say, I enjoyed it.

One question I have:  he had talked about the problems that one occurs when one tries to go from recording 22 minutes on one side to I think it was 30 minutes--that you need to lower the volume on the cutter to avoid bleed through.  This may be more of a vinyl thread question, but I thought that I would bring it up here since you had posted a link to that video.  Mr. Lovegrove mentioned about issues with bleed through from what sounded like the other side of the LP and also the previous track.  I had thought that bleed through only occurred on the same side and the previous track (or possibly also not certain what it is called...pre-echo?).

In any event, I greatly enjoyed that video (Darn you for beating me to it!  ).  And, yes, I do love her recording of it!  Interesting to hear about the orchestra's reactions too.  And Rostropovich's request to his record label!   

PD

Brilliant! Pleased no end, PD  that you enjoyed the video. Even if it wasn't me that inspired you to watch it.  

Just think arguably the greatest cellist ever instructs his record company to withdraw a recording because a recording by a youngster half his age is so good! How proud must she have felt.

He raised a very important point (so do you). Unbelievably this was driven home to me the very same week I viewed his talk. DG in Karajan's 1962 recording of Beethoven's 8th Symphony chance their arm by placing the whole symphony on side 1. Side 2 is filled with overtures. My usual volume setting for both LP and CD is 15. For this recording I had to increase level to 16 which is unusual. Fabulous performance, but plays on my mind how more dynamic the sound if they only had dropped an overture and placed the fourth movement on side 2.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Brilliant! Pleased no end, PD  that you enjoyed the video. Even if it wasn't me that inspired you to watch it.  

Just think arguably the greatest cellist ever instructs his record company to withdraw a recording because a recording by a youngster half his age is so good! How proud must she have felt.

He raised a very important point (so do you). Unbelievably this was driven home to me the very same week I viewed his talk. DG in Karajan's 1962 recording of Beethoven's 8th Symphony chance their arm by placing the whole symphony on side 1. Side 2 is filled with overtures. My usual volume setting for both LP and CD is 15. For this recording I had to increase level to 16 which is unusual. Fabulous performance, but plays on my mind how more dynamic the sound if they only had dropped an overture and placed the fourth movement on side 2.

Interesting to hear that; so, it sounds like I should automatically turn up the volume control if a piece of music is on the longer side?  Or have you also noticed it with other types of music?  Like with chamber or solo instrument works?

And what are your thoughts about bleed through too?  Perhaps this would be best answered in the vinyl thread?

PD

p.s.  And, yes, amazing how she erased (crossed out?) timing instructions (re Haydn) and went with her gut instead...pretty darn cheeky too!

PD

[Irons]

A superb account of the Violin Sonata. A husband and wife team of The Weiss Duo play Elgar to the manor born. Both from Chicago, Sidney Weiss was concertmaster of the Chicago SO from 1967 to 1972. I enjoy the velvety tone of his playing very much.

[kyjo]

The Violin Sonata is a wonderful work, especially the haunting, "ghostly" slow movement. The Piano Quintet is Elgar's Undoubted Chamber Masterpiece, but the Violin Sonata and String Quartet have much fine and characteristic music in them as well.

[Irons]

The Violin Sonata is a wonderful work, especially the haunting, "ghostly" slow movement. The Piano Quintet is Elgar's Undoubted Chamber Masterpiece, but the Violin Sonata and String Quartet have much fine and characteristic music in them as well.

All three works composed at Brinkwell cottage Elgar was renting at the time. Bellow a map drawn by Elgar to be used as directions for his mate WH Reed.

[71 dB]

All three works composed at Brinkwell cottage Elgar was renting at the time. Bellow a map drawn by Elgar to be used as directions for his mate WH Reed.

Elgar was REALLY bad at drawing dogs!     

[Irons]

Elgar was REALLY bad at drawing dogs!     

I'll wager he draws a good pig!

[71 dB]

I'll wager he draws a good pig!

Yep, looks like dogs were epigma variations for Elgar...

[Elgarian Redux]

I recall enjoying this a few years ago, when I was looking for more of the background to the chamber pieces and cello concerto:

[71 dB]

David Hurwitz speaking about Elgar's Overtures on Chandos (Scottish National Orchestra / Sir Alexander Gibson)

I have that CD, but I haven't listened to it for years. Certainly time to revisit it in the near future!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DjrmUobFS4

[Maestro267]

I've listened to Sospiri a few times in total and so far I've yet to hear the organ in any of the recordings? Is it an ad lib part?

[71 dB]

I've listened to Sospiri a few times in total and so far I've yet to hear the organ in any of the recordings? Is it an ad lib part?

Sospiri is often performed lighter than maybe intented* (a version for Violin and Piano is common). Nimbus Records has an Elgar disc "Works for String Orchestra" - English String Orchestra/William Boughton that has organ in Sospiri.

* String orchestra, harp and organ.

[Maestro267]

That's the thing, all the liner notes say it calls for strings, harp and organ. I can hear the harp clearly in the recording I heard today (Barbirolli from early 60s on EMI) but not the organ.

[71 dB]

That's the thing, all the liner notes say it calls for strings, harp and organ. I can hear the harp clearly in the recording I heard today (Barbirolli from early 60s on EMI) but not the organ.

Check out the Nimbus. You should hear the organ.

[Roasted Swan]

That's the thing, all the liner notes say it calls for strings, harp and organ. I can hear the harp clearly in the recording I heard today (Barbirolli from early 60s on EMI) but not the organ.

Sospiri is arguably Elgar's finest/most profound "miniature".  Dedicated to W H Reed (who helped with the preparation of the Vioin Concerto & Sonata and wrote "Elgar as I knew him") it was conceived as a companion piece to Salut d'Amour but became an Elegy of remarkable depth.  The score actually marks the organ as optional (and the harp can be played on a piano!).  From memory I can't recall if Barbirolli uses the organ or not but if he doesn't/its inaudible there is a precident for that.  While it does exist in a vioin & piano version it is best known and best appreciated in the string orchestral original.

[vers la flamme]

Enjoying the recently released Barbirolli Elgar box immensely. I almost remarked to myself that I have all the Elgar that I need for now, until I realized that I don't have a recording of the violin concerto. Any recommendations?

[Roasted Swan]

Enjoying the recently released Barbirolli Elgar box immensely. I almost remarked to myself that I have all the Elgar that I need for now, until I realized that I don't have a recording of the violin concerto. Any recommendations?

It depends how you perceive the work.....  Of the older recordings Menuhin with Elgar has to be heard but I love Albert Salmons with Henry Wood too.  Menuhin re-recorded the work with Boult but his technique was more fallible by then.  Boult also recorded it with Ida Haendel - always a great player.  Because Boult had 2 versions in the can already Groves was on the podium for Hugh Bean's wonderfully inward and subtle version - a real faourite of mine.  At much the same time Barenboim took over the stick with the LPO and Zuckerman produced a wonderfully fiery version - the polar opposite of Bean but tremendous.  Kennedy's first version with Handley is the better of his two.  Handley did another fine version "the original version" with Graffin and the RLPO - his sound is wonderful.  Gil Shaham is another favourite player and his is a fine version in Chicago which I prefer to the same orchestra's version with Barenboim and Perlman.  More unusual but very fine is Catherine Manoukian with the Staatskapelle Weimar - lovely to hear that rich German sound in this music.  Another absolute favourite player is James Ehnes who has technique to spare and the right kind of style for this work.

So if pushed - in no particular order I'd say:  Hugh Bean / James Ehnes / Pinchas Zuckerman with Graffin as first sub!