Elgar's Hillside

[Mirror Image]

Tonight's Elgar quota:

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius     Nash/Ripley/Noble/Walker/Huddersfield Choral Society/Liverpool PO/Sargent

The very first recording of TDoG from April 1945.  I am getting a bit addicted to this work by now....   
It is my second listen to this specific Sargent recording and I definitely prefer it to his later one. Nash's voice is wonderful as Gerontius and the performance moves forward with urgency and passion. The war was not yet over in Europe and perhaps some of the spirit of the sorrow and pain of the war effort moved into the performance?  Not in the top tier, but definitely worthwhile. The sound has a little bit lack of resolution, but it is fantastic for being a 1945 recording (really!).

[asin] B000003XKH[/asin]

Walter Essex wrote a great comparative review of TDoG...

Very cool, Moonfish. I'm not really into mono recordings, but it's good to see these historical recordings made available to the public. You seem to be really enamored with The Dream of Gerontius. I'm going to have to give this work a listen tomorrow. It took me a little bit of time to appreciate Gerontius but I really enjoy it now. Do you enjoy The Kingdom and The Apostles equally or have these yet to take ahold of you?

[Moonfish]

Very cool, Moonfish. I'm not really into mono recordings, but it's good to see these historical recordings made available to the public. You seem to be really enamored with The Dream of Gerontius. I'm going to have to give this work a listen tomorrow. It took me a little bit of time to appreciate Gerontius but I really enjoy it now. Do you enjoy The Kingdom and The Apostles equally or have these yet to take ahold of you?

True! I use my "mono-ears" with the historical recordings and they are quite forgiving. Sometimes I am awed by our ability to listen to these snapshots of time and space at our leisure. You have to give the mono recordings a chance MI. So many gems there!  I have just started to stare into the well of The Kingdom (which I like) and have not yet started on The Apostles. I am a slowpoke and kind of want to take my time with these works. After all, I'm not in a hurry! 

[Moonfish]

My recording of the week or do I mean every week:


[...]
The "Cello Concerto" is a highly emotional work, but at it's core it's lyrical and filled with much beauty that it shouldn't be a problem for the listener to understand. The cello playing of Jacqueline du Pre, as noted by every review I've read of this recording, is exemplary. In fact, I read a story where world-renown cellist Mstislav Rostropovich said after he heard du Pre's performance, he immediately took it out of his repertoire. This is du Pre's second performance of the Elgar and, in my opinion, the finer of the two. I never liked Barenboim's conducting that much and feel he's out-of-place in Elgar's music. Barbirolli, on the other hand, is in-tune with Elgar and the emotional range this work needs to be successful in a performance. Barbirolli is no stranger to Elgar, in fact, he has recorded almost all of the orchestral works for EMI ([[ASIN:B004MSRD4C British Composers: Sir John Barbirolli Conducts Elgar]]). Anyway, this is the best "Cello Concerto" performance I've heard and while other performances that have come to fore lately (i. e. Heinrich Schiff/Elder, Watkins/A. Davis) demonstrate admirable virtuosity, they still don't erase my mind of du Pre's performance.

[...]

Fantastic choice for the week (err..eternity). I have always loved the cello concerto with du Pré. Such vibrant and eternal power. She and her cello seem to be an entity that just exists for the purpose of making music. Time ceases to exist. A wonder!  Now when I think about it that was probably the first time that Elgar really entered my own sphere of music. I strongly suspect that I fell for du Pré's charisma and skill rather than the composer at that point in time.      She was indeed an amazing cellist!

Here with the LPO under Barenboim in 1967:
https://www.youtube.com/v/UUgdbqt2ON0

[Elgarian]

Now when I think about it that was probably the first time that Elgar really entered my own sphere of music. I strongly suspect that I fell for du Pré's charisma and skill rather than the composer at that point in time.      She was indeed an amazing cellist!

There's no denying the outstanding character of that du Pre/Barbirolli performance, and I doubt if it will ever be matched. I've loved it like everyone else. But over the years it was gradually displaced as my personal favourite  by Beatrice Harrison's recording with Elgar conducting, in 1928. I suspect most of the reasons for this are extra-musical. The more I learned about Beatrice Harrison, the more I fell under her spell. She was of course Elgar's choice of soloist, so one has the mental image of Elgar nodding with approval to what one is listening to. But she's also the musician who famously played the cello to the nightingales in her garden on summer evenings, and who can resist the idea of that? Her performance is much more understated than du Pre's - closer, one suspects, to Elgar's own notion of how the thing should go - but still full of feeling. There's a humility in her playing that's consistent with the kind of person she was - she used to write about how an audience would applaud 'the cello', rather than her.

The remarkable thing is that her recording of it is very, very accessible today. I'm as reluctant to engage with old mono recordings as anyone else, but the noise-removal and audio cleaning of the sound from the 78s has been so successful that after just a few moments of adjustment, one can forget the limitations of the medium and focus completely on the music. This, after all, is Elgar conducting, and his favourite cellist playing, and the experience is unique.



You can buy the Harrison recording separately, but what's the point when you can buy the wonderful box set of ALL Elgar's electric gramophone recordings for next to nothing:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Electrical-Recordings-Edward-Elgar/dp/B004MSRDK6/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1420627699&sr=1-1&keywords=elgar+electrical

[71 dB]

I use my "mono-ears" with the historical recordings and they are quite forgiving.

At least mono sound doesn't contain spatial distortion with headphones. 

For me listening to historical recordings (and I only have about half dozen of them) is other kind of listening, kind of a curiosity: Yeah, the sound quality sucks, but at least it's Elgar himself conducting his own music!

Naxos 8.111022 contains as a bonus track part of the Cockaigne Overture in "Accidental Stereo" recorded in 1933! It was common in those days to use 2 turntables recording the music, both fed from the same single microphone. In a handful of cases, two microfones were used. So, combining these two signals carefully on a computer, one can construct a stereophonic version of the track. The stereo image on this bonus track is far from optimal of course, but it makes the sound quality appear "better" and more modern than it really is.

Generally my ears aren't forgiving. I can forgive less than perfect performance if the sound quality is good.

[Mirror Image]

Fantastic choice for the week (err..eternity). I have always loved the cello concerto with du Pré. Such vibrant and eternal power. She and her cello seem to be an entity that just exists for the purpose of making music. Time ceases to exist. A wonder!  Now when I think about it that was probably the first time that Elgar really entered my own sphere of music. I strongly suspect that I fell for du Pré's charisma and skill rather than the composer at that point in time.      She was indeed an amazing cellist!

No mention of Baker's Sea Pictures?!?!? That's sacrilege! Cast ye demon to the fiery pits!

[jfdrex]

Yes, this thread is moving along quite nicely. I'm excited about the influx of enthusiasm for Elgar's music. Please let me know your thoughts on the Takezawa/C. Davis performance. Also, what do you think of Chung/Solti? How would you rate that performance?

By the way, you can call me, John. What is your name?

John, I'll be very glad to let you know my thoughts re. both those recordings after I next listen to them again.  Just offhand, I recall being quite taken with Takezawa/ C. Davis--a rich, dark, creamy sort of performance with a distinctive character, if that makes any sense.  I always wondered why that recording did not gain more positive reviews, but I'm glad to see that Ralph Moore and others have given it glowing reviews on Amazon.

Chung/Solti, I think, was more straightforward.

But I'll let you know if those impressions hold after my next listening--it's probably been ten years or more since I listened to the Takazawa/ C. Davis, simply because I've got so many other recordings of this work (and of lots & lots of other stuff, Elgar & non-Elgar).

Cheers,

John, in the chilly northeast

[jfdrex]

Tonight's Elgar quota:

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius     Nash/Ripley/Noble/Walker/Huddersfield Choral Society/Liverpool PO/Sargent

The very first recording of TDoG from April 1945.  I am getting a bit addicted to this work by now....   
It is my second listen to this specific Sargent recording and I definitely prefer it to his later one. Nash's voice is wonderful as Gerontius and the performance moves forward with urgency and passion. The war was not yet over in Europe and perhaps some of the spirit of the sorrow and pain of the war effort moved into the performance?  Not in the top tier, but definitely worthwhile. The sound has a little bit lack of resolution, but it is fantastic for being a 1945 recording (really!).

[asin] B000003XKH[/asin]

Walter Essex wrote a great comparative review of TDoG...

Yes, a wonderful performance, with a style of singing we don't hear anymore; and Sargent certainly rose to the occasion.

The comparative review on the Elgar website is a great resource, as indeed is the entire website.  There's also a useful, comprehensive comparative review by John Quinn on MusicWeb:  http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/May14/Gerontius_survey.htm

[Mirror Image]

John, I'll be very glad to let you know my thoughts re. both those recordings after I next listen to them again.  Just offhand, I recall being quite taken with Takezawa/ C. Davis--a rich, dark, creamy sort of performance with a distinctive character, if that makes any sense.  I always wondered why that recording did not gain more positive reviews, but I'm glad to see that Ralph Moore and others have given it glowing reviews on Amazon.

Chung/Solti, I think, was more straightforward.

But I'll let you know if those impressions hold after my next listening--it's probably been ten years or more since I listened to the Takazawa/ C. Davis, simply because I've got so many other recordings of this work (and of lots & lots of other stuff, Elgar & non-Elgar).

Cheers,

John, in the chilly northeast

Very good to know, John. Yeah, I wonder why Takezawa never really got anywhere as a soloist? I have a recording of her performing Barber's VC and it's really good. If I haven't had heard Hahn's performance, I often wonder if she still would be my favorite after all of these years. I have this Takezawa on order, so, hopefully, I'll be able to impart my impressions on this very thread. She's going to have be pretty special not make me forget Little's incredible performance.

[Moonfish]

No mention of Baker's Sea Pictures?!?!? That's sacrilege! Cast ye demon to the fiery pits!

Saved that for another time. It felt like heresy to mention two legendary recordings in one post... 

[Moonfish]

Yes, a wonderful performance, with a style of singing we don't hear anymore; and Sargent certainly rose to the occasion.

The comparative review on the Elgar website is a great resource, as indeed is the entire website.  There's also a useful, comprehensive comparative review by John Quinn on MusicWeb:  http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/May14/Gerontius_survey.htm

Oh, thanks for that musicweb link jdfrex!  I had not read that one. Very interesting!

[Mirror Image]

Saved that for another time. It felt like heresy to mention two legendary recordings in one post... 

All is forgiven, Moonfish. 0:)

[Moonfish]

There's no denying the outstanding character of that du Pre/Barbirolli performance, and I doubt if it will ever be matched. I've loved it like everyone else. But over the years it was gradually displaced as my personal favourite  by Beatrice Harrison's recording with Elgar conducting, in 1928. I suspect most of the reasons for this are extra-musical. The more I learned about Beatrice Harrison, the more I fell under her spell. She was of course Elgar's choice of soloist, so one has the mental image of Elgar nodding with approval to what one is listening to. But she's also the musician who famously played the cello to the nightingales in her garden on summer evenings, and who can resist the idea of that? Her performance is much more understated than du Pre's - closer, one suspects, to Elgar's own notion of how the thing should go - but still full of feeling. There's a humility in her playing that's consistent with the kind of person she was - she used to write about how an audience would applaud 'the cello', rather than her.

The remarkable thing is that her recording of it is very, very accessible today. I'm as reluctant to engage with old mono recordings as anyone else, but the noise-removal and audio cleaning of the sound from the 78s has been so successful that after just a few moments of adjustment, one can forget the limitations of the medium and focus completely on the music. This, after all, is Elgar conducting, and his favourite cellist playing, and the experience is unique.



You can buy the Harrison recording separately, but what's the point when you can buy the wonderful box set of ALL Elgar's electric gramophone recordings for next to nothing:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Electrical-Recordings-Edward-Elgar/dp/B004MSRDK6/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1420627699&sr=1-1&keywords=elgar+electrical

That is absolutely fascinating Elgarian! I was not aware of the 1928 recording with Beatrice Harrison nor the wonderful story of her playing. I simply have to dig up Elgar's electric recordings and get the full exposure. Thanks for yet another inspiring post! I do love historical recordings!!

[Elgarian]

I was not aware of the 1928 recording with Beatrice Harrison nor the wonderful story of her playing. I simply have to dig up Elgar's electric recordings and get the full exposure.

Well I think you have a wonderful treat in store. There's the music itself - with all the wonder of recognising that this is Elgar himself at the helm - and also the little stories that are woven around it all. Like one occasion when they were going up to perform the cello concerto, and Elgar turned to Harrison and said: "Give it 'em, Beatrice. Don't worry about the notes or anything. Give 'em the spirit."

Harrison's Memoirs are a delight to read, and are available as The Cello and the Nightingales, see here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cello-Nightingales-Autobiography-Beatrice-Harrison/dp/0719542081/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420668279&sr=1-1&keywords=cello+nightingales

And if you want to hear her duetting with a nightingale, there are recordings on You tube, eg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU1Z7QtyJVs

[Mirror Image]

I'd love to read some opinions on Falstaff. What do you guys think of this work? I used to have some difficulty with it but this alleged 'difficulty' seems to have subsided thanks on account of Andrew Davis' fantastic performance with the BBC SO on Warner. Earlier today, I went back and listened to Barbirolli's only to find so much more richness in the score. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of hearing Boult conduct this work. Anyone have any favorite performances of Falstaff or interesting stories to share?

[Mirror Image]

Cross-posted from the 'Listening' thread:

I was listening to this Davis performance of Symphony No. 1 and I turned it off in disgust. I simply do not understand why he chose to tackle these symphonies? I mean the only thing that comes to mind that he brings to the music is refined playing from the LSO, but he seems like he dissects every little moment. Then there's the tempi, especially in the first movement, where there needs to be a forward momentum and some electricity. Davis conducts this work at a snail's pace. I liked his recording of Introduction & Allegro and Enigma Variations and his first performance of Symphony No. 1 with the Dresden Staatskapelle was a barnburner. What in the world happened here? Both performances of the symphonies fail to move me. Also, the recorded sound is dreadful. So dry and lifeless. Agh...I hope to never listen to this recording again.

Why is it that I can't, for the life of me, get onboard with these performances from Davis/LSO? On paper, it looks like it would be a great partnership. I suppose the cards weren't in Davis' favor when he recorded these symphonies?

[71 dB]

I'd love to read some opinions on Falstaff. What do you guys think of this work? I used to have some difficulty with it but this alleged 'difficulty' seems to have subsided thanks on account of Andrew Davis' fantastic performance with the BBC SO on Warner. Earlier today, I went back and listened to Barbirolli's only to find so much more richness in the score. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of hearing Boult conduct this work. Anyone have any favorite performances of Falstaff or interesting stories to share?

Falstaff isn't very important Elgar work for me. The work somehow lacks the kind of emotionality and inner peace I enjoy in Elgar's music. However, it contains brilliant moments.  These I have:

Hallé Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli / EMI
London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Edward Elgar / Naxos 8.111256
English Northern Philharmonia / David Lloyd-Jones / Naxos 8.553879

I think I will re-visit Barbirolli. I don't remember anything about it. 

Why is it that I can't, for the life of me, get onboard with these performances from Davis/LSO? On paper, it looks like it would be a great partnership. I suppose the cards weren't in Davis' favor when he recorded these symphonies?

I don't know these performances so I can't comment on what is wrong (if anything really is).

[Mirror Image]

Falstaff isn't very important Elgar work for me. The work somehow lacks the kind of emotionality and inner peace I enjoy in Elgar's music. However, it contains brilliant moments.  These I have:

Hallé Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli / EMI
London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Edward Elgar / Naxos 8.111256
English Northern Philharmonia / David Lloyd-Jones / Naxos 8.553879

I think I will re-visit Barbirolli. I don't remember anything about it. 

I don't know these performances so I can't comment on what is wrong (if anything really is).

You don't think highly of Falstaff, eh? Oh well, I think it's brilliant. As I mentioned, it did take some time for the work to 'click' for me. You only own three performances of Falstaff, I figured you would own them all by now. My Elgar collection has certainly gained in numbers since last year.

[Mirror Image]

Received today:



I will definitely be giving both of these recordings a spin tonight.

[71 dB]

You don't think highly of Falstaff, eh? Oh well, I think it's brilliant. As I mentioned, it did take some time for the work to 'click' for me. You only own three performances of Falstaff, I figured you would own them all by now. My Elgar collection has certainly gained in numbers since last year.

Well, what is highly enough?

I'm not much into buying multiple performances generally, but I do have half-dozen performances of many works by Elgar. I have 9 performances of Enigma Variations, 7 on orchestra and 2 on piano. 

I have collected Elgar pretty carefully the last 10 years or so. I bought four Elgar CDs (three of them double CDs) in 2014.

There are long periods when I hardly listen to classical music at all. My music taste has been expanding in unexpected directions. At the moment I have a classical music period and that's why I am also more active on this board.