Elgar & Szymanowski: A on 3

[Stanley Stewart]

A on 3 offered a generous quota of new recordings this week:

Tues, 18 Nov: Elgar, Sea Pictures;
Sarah Connolly. BBC SO/Andrew Davis

Thurs, 20 Nov Elgar, Dream of Gerontius, BBCSO/Davis
A powerful and sensitive performance
worth shelf space with many others

Monday,17 Nov Szymanowski, Love Songs of Hafiz;
BBC SO/Edward Gardner - Ben Johnson

Thurs, 20 Nov Szymanowski, Sym No 1
Friday, 21 Nov " Sym No 3 - Song of the Night
BBC SO/Edward Gardner - Ben Johnson

Both symphonies a revelation for me, although I have an LP recording of Sym Nos 2 & 3: Dorati and the Detroit Symphony (1981). The back cover contains the poem and translation, always a bonus. Cover notes by Felix Aprahamian, (1980).
Composed in 1915/16 the Symphony is a setting for tenor, mixed chorus and large orchestra of a mystical poem taken from the second divan of Jallal- ud -din Rumi, the greatest of all the Persian Sufi poets (NB time to google!).

Elgar is like meeting an old friend as Szymanowski suggests the beginning of a beautiful friendship! The MD recording has a fine bloom throughout.

[Roehre]

At the time of the Dorati recordings (then only Polish recordings had been made I think, I picked a couple up in Warsaw around that time) the score of Symphony no.1 had not been published yet. It is actually an unfinished work, put into a drawer by Szymanowski.
The Marco Polo (now on Naxos) recording of no.1 was a world premiere at the time AFAIK.

Btw: It would have been a nice idea to have a female singer in the 3rd symphony. Szymanowski (like Mahler in Lied von der Erde) dose not prescribe the gender of the soloists.

[BBMmk2]

I am awaiting my copy of the Davis(Gerontius). Ed Gardner's survey of the Szymanowski has been vey good. He has also done a good survey of Lutoslawski as well. Now he is turning to Janacek.