Elgar's Hillside

[TheGSMoeller]

The first place I heard it was this very enjoyable CD:



Philharmonia & Andrew Davis on Signum, in case the image doesn't show up. I listen to it fairly regularly for the organ alone, so yeah, probably a worthy add to your collection! (Puts the disc on right now.) (EDIT: Hmmmmm listening again I can't help wondering if there's another recording where the organ is more "forward"...)

Cool, thanks for the rec, Brian.

[Mirror Image]

Let me first clarify that I was not praising Pentatone to the hills in my first post and that I completely agree with what you say, John. As a collector of lesser-known music, Pentatone is not a label I buy from often. Even so, I enjoy the recordings that I do have from this label.

I know you weren't, Kyle. I was just making a comment. Nothing more, nothing less. I do feel, however, rather opposite of you. I haven't really enjoyed any of the Pentatone recordings in my collection. If they ever devote their energies to Latin American music, then I might reconsider them.

[Sergeant Rock]

Philharmonia & Andrew Davis on Signum, in case the image doesn't show up. I listen to it fairly regularly for the organ alone, so yeah, probably a worthy add to your collection! (Puts the disc on right now.) (EDIT: Hmmmmm listening again I can't help wondering if there's another recording where the organ is more "forward"...)

I've been listening to some of my Enigma recordings, trying to hear the organ. I think it's in Davis's earlier BBC performance too (not strikingly prominent though). I don't hear an organ in either Boult (LSO) or Solti (Chicago) recordings. I'll continue to my other Engimas after I finish the complete Solti Enigma (his finale made me want to hear the whole).

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Maybe you can hear this guy's organ 

Yeah, I can definitely hear it in that recording 

boult/BBCSO 29March1971, barbirolli/halle, stern/kcso, slatkin/LPO

Thanks. Other than an LP of the Barbirolli, I don't have any of those in my collection. The CDs I do have are listed below. Those I could identify positively as having an organ are in bold. I listened again to A. Davis, this time at much higher volume. No organ    Sinopoli has the most tummy rumbling bass; Bernstein the most prominent higher notes.

Bernstein/BBC
Sinopoli/Phil
Menuhin/RPO
Boult/LSO
Solti/Chicago
Barbirolli/Philh
Davis A/BBC
Monteux/LSO

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

Hmmm....this thread has been pretty quiet lately. Time to shake things up a bit. I just bought this:



I heard some of this via NML and really was enchanted with it or the 15 minutes that I heard of it. Very beautiful recording. Can't wait it get it in my hands and blast it through the stereo system.

[Mirror Image]

A good documentary that's been graciously uploaded:

http://www.youtube.com/v/3V904QpK-Bw

The excerpt from The Apostles (Gardner conducting) is bone-chilling and quite powerful. I thought they went on a little too long with discussing Sospiri. Not that it's not a gorgeous work, but enough is enough already.

[71 dB]

A good documentary that's been graciously uploaded:

I just finished watching it. A good document indeed. Thanks for the link MI! 

[Mirror Image]

I just finished watching it. A good document indeed. Thanks for the link MI! 

You're welcome. Elgar was a such a complicated personality as his music demonstrated, so this Bridcut documentary helped give more of an insight into the man behind the mask (no pun intended).

[Mirror Image]

The first place I heard it was this very enjoyable CD:



Philharmonia & Andrew Davis on Signum, in case the image doesn't show up. I listen to it fairly regularly for the organ alone, so yeah, probably a worthy add to your collection! (Puts the disc on right now.) (EDIT: Hmmmmm listening again I can't help wondering if there's another recording where the organ is more "forward"...)

The organ aside, this is a fantastic performance of Engima Variations and could very well be the best performance I've heard and I own most of them.

[Brian]

an insight into the man behind the mustache

fixed 

[Mirror Image]

fixed 

I like it!

[71 dB]

You're welcome. Elgar was a such a complicated personality as his music demonstrated, so this Bridcut documentary helped give more of an insight into the man behind the mask mustache (no pun intended).

For some reason I have always (ever since I heard Enigma Variations on radio December 1996 and was blown away) connected with Elgar's music very strongly even if I don't know every aspect of Elgar's personality or life*. For me it's weird that many people struggle with Elgar's music but then again, we are different and I do struggle with tons of other composers. 

* Of course I do know quite a lot about Elgar.
I even did a presentation of Elgar in Swedish in my
University language studies. It was fun to "educate"
other students about Elgar in foreign language. 

[Mirror Image]

For some reason I have always (ever since I heard Enigma Variations on radio December 1996 and was blown away) connected with Elgar's music very strongly even if I don't know every aspect of Elgar's personality or life*. For me it's weird that many people struggle with Elgar's music but then again, we are different and I do struggle with tons of other composers. 

* Of course I do know quite a lot about Elgar.
I even did a presentation of Elgar in Swedish in my
University language studies. It was fun to "educate"
other students about Elgar in foreign language. 

I understand what you're saying. I think the work that really opened me up to Elgar was the Cello Concerto. As this was years ago, I can't quite remember what I heard before the CC, but I just remember being floored by the heart-on-sleeve, intimacy of the music. When Symphony No. 2 finally clicked with me, I began to realize that this was such a complex musical personality, and I'm sure this has been said many times before, but, on one hand, you have this masculine, robust exterior of the music, but, on the other hand, you have this private emotional world where it feels like the composer is yearning for something that's unattainable.

I was listening to Symphony No. 1 last night, and before I liked the work but thought it's predecessor was so much better, but, now, I'm having second thoughts and my thinking now is this is just as remarkable of a symphony as the 2nd.

[madaboutmahler]

Hmmm....this thread has been pretty quiet lately. Time to shake things up a bit. I just bought this:



I heard some of this via NML and really was enchanted with it or the 15 minutes that I heard of it. Very beautiful recording. Can't wait it get it in my hands and blast it through the stereo system.

It's on my Christmas list! Shall be interesting to hear a non-British orchestra and conductor in this piece, wish it wasn't so rare! Need to hear the Svetlanov still...

[Mirror Image]

It's on my Christmas list! Shall be interesting to hear a non-British orchestra and conductor in this piece, wish it wasn't so rare! Need to hear the Svetlanov still...

I think you'll enjoy what Oramo brings to the table, Daniel. It's not an emotional reading per se, but it has it's moments of intensity. I think where Oramo excels the most is in the orchestral balancing and being able to give the music a clarity that you don't always get in the more highly charged performances. He certainly is a distinguished Elgarian, so I'm hoping there is more to come from Oramo in the future. Of course, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic play phenomenally well and the BIS audio quality is crystalline.

[Mirror Image]

I'm listening to The Kingdom for the first time tonight and this is really an amazing work. Anyone else here heard this work? Any thoughts on it? I own the Boult and Elder performances, but I'm listening to the Elder tonight.

[71 dB]

I understand what you're saying. I think the work that really opened me up to Elgar was the Cello Concerto. As this was years ago, I can't quite remember what I heard before the CC, but I just remember being floored by the heart-on-sleeve, intimacy of the music. When Symphony No. 2 finally clicked with me, I began to realize that this was such a complex musical personality, and I'm sure this has been said many times before, but, on one hand, you have this masculine, robust exterior of the music, but, on the other hand, you have this private emotional world where it feels like the composer is yearning for something that's unattainable.

I was listening to Symphony No. 1 last night, and before I liked the work but thought it's predecessor was so much better, but, now, I'm having second thoughts and my thinking now is this is just as remarkable of a symphony as the 2nd.

I heard the Cello Concerto after I had heard Elgar's two Symphonies and Violin Concerto. So, the Cello Concerto was a bit "anti-climax" for me (the performance was Kliegel on Naxos, not Jacqueline du Pre). It's a brilliant Cello Concerto, but I rank quite many of Elgar's works above it. It is kind of "Elgar light, but emotionally heavy", which explains why people can relate to it so well even if they find Elgar a bombastic composer (anyone calling Elgar bombastic doesn't understand much about his music).

For me Op. 63 is Elgar's best symphony, but Op. 55 is almost as magnificent. The first time I heard them I liked them a lot, but of course my understanding of the works got better and better with each subsequent listening. After 6 or 7 listenings I felt I "understood" the works. I don't think much about, how the works reflect Elgar's complex personality. They simply are the greatest symphonic music I have ever heard. Maybe I am just as complex personality, since relating with this music goes so naturally for me? I mean, aren't WE ALL torn apart by internal conflicts, not only "enigmatic artists" like Elgar? In my opinion it takes tons of prejudice, hypocrisy, self-delusion and ignorance not to like the kind of music Elgar wrote, but that's me and I am known to have outlandish views.

I'm listening to The Kingdom for the first time tonight and this is really an amazing work. Anyone else here heard this work? Any thoughts on it? I own the Boult and Elder performances, but I'm listening to the Elder tonight.

The Kingdom is one of Elgar's greatest works imho! I rank The Apostles Elgar's best oratorio followed closely by The Kingdom. Then comes Gerontius.

I only have Boult and I love the performance deeply (only the "not-so-crystal-clean" sound is a tiny minus about it).

I understand why both The Apostles and The Kingdom aren't so popular works. Most of the time (and these are long works!) the music seems dead and boring to a impatient listener, but it isn't if you understand Elgar's music. The music is full of life when you pay attention to all the little things that are happening here and there. It's like sitting by a lake watching the surface of the water ripple, sparkling the reflecting sunlight. It's relaxing and serene. Suddenly you notice dragonflies "dancing" above the water and you sense deep richness in this peaceful moment. Then you have all those great melodies and themes spinning around each other in a way only Elgar seems to have mastered. These oratorious are wonderlands to me and sadly overlooked.

I want to hear Elder too.

[Mirror Image]

I heard the Cello Concerto after I had heard Elgar's two Symphonies and Violin Concerto. So, the Cello Concerto was a bit "anti-climax" for me (the performance was Kliegel on Naxos, not Jacqueline du Pre). It's a brilliant Cello Concerto, but I rank quite many of Elgar's works above it. It is kind of "Elgar light, but emotionally heavy", which explains why people can relate to it so well even if they find Elgar a bombastic composer (anyone calling Elgar bombastic doesn't understand much about his music).

For me Op. 63 is Elgar's best symphony, but Op. 55 is almost as magnificent. The first time I heard them I liked them a lot, but of course my understanding of the works got better and better with each subsequent listening. After 6 or 7 listenings I felt I "understood" the works. I don't think much about, how the works reflect Elgar's complex personality. They simply are the greatest symphonic music I have ever heard. Maybe I am just as complex personality, since relating with this music goes so naturally for me? I mean, aren't WE ALL torn apart by internal conflicts, not only "enigmatic artists" like Elgar? In my opinion it takes tons of prejudice, hypocrisy, self-delusion and ignorance not to like the kind of music Elgar wrote, but that's me and I am known to have outlandish views.

Anyone who thinks Elgar is a 'bombastic' composer has already missed the point and will never understand his music anyway. So forget them. Any composer of any significance have detractors. Some may listen to the Pomp & Circumstance Marches and think this is the only music Elgar composed and of course they would be ignorant and, in the end, look like a fool.

Well, Symphony No. 1 finally has opened up for me in a big way, but I still feel that Symphony No. 2 is quite possibly Elgar's greatest symphonic utterance. That symphony just has it all. As Elgar wrote about the symphony, "I have written out my soul." I'm starting to really believe it, because every measure is piece of him torn out. That theme towards the beginning of the Larghetto movement where the strings just come alive I always find myself humming all day long. Such a gorgeous movement, but the whole symphony is a feast for the ears.

The Kingdom is one of Elgar's greatest works imho! I rank The Apostles Elgar's best oratorio followed closely by The Kingdom. Then comes Gerontius.

I only have Boult and I love the performance deeply (only the "not-so-crystal-clean" sound is a tiny minus about it).

I understand why both The Apostles and The Kingdom aren't so popular works. Most of the time (and these are long works!) the music seems dead and boring to a impatient listener, but it isn't if you understand Elgar's music. The music is full of life when you pay attention to all the little things that are happening here and there. It's like sitting by a lake watching the surface of the water ripple, sparkling the reflecting sunlight. It's relaxing and serene. Suddenly you notice dragonflies "dancing" above the water and you sense deep richness in this peaceful moment. Then you have all those great melodies and themes spinning around each other in a way only Elgar seems to have mastered. These oratorious are wonderlands to me and sadly overlooked.

I want to hear Elder too.

Very cool description. I'm really digging The Kingdom. I haven't finished it (yet), but everything about it is grand, majestic, and sweeping. After hearing a lot of this music, I can't understand why this work is so neglected or seldom discussed. I'm hoping to finish it sometime this morning.

Merry Christmas!

[Mirror Image]

I've got to report a few thoughts about The Kingdom. My first obvious thought is I thought it was absolutely enthralling. Such a plethora of emotions captured throughout the work. My favorite part of the whole oratorio, there were many of them, but one that I actually repeated several times in a row was Part IV. The Sign Of Healing: ''The Sun Goeth Down''. This particular movement which lasts a little over eight minutes is chockfull of musical ingenuity and a deep, emotional lyricism. I'm really looking forward to hearing The Apostles now. In the meantime, I'll probably give Elder's Dream Of Gerontius a spin tonight or tomorrow night.

[71 dB]

I'm glad you have been enjoying The Kingdom MI. Yes, you would enjoy The Apostles too for sure.