Rattle conducts Elgar

[teamsaint]

Well I thought that was a superlative Elgar 2 - interpretation & playing beyond criticism. I loved the crackling trumpets in a couple of the early flourishes… and the prominent harps at various key points. The latter might have been down to recording balance (LHC may perhaps confirm, having been there) because there was one ‘boing’ in a quiet bit near the end which seemed artificially loud. But generally-speaking, the pacing, the sweep and urgency when required, the introspection ditto… wow

Never mind all that , was the Frank Bridge any good ?

[Nick Armstrong]

Never mind all that , was the Frank Bridge any good ?

Dunno I arrived at half-time

[teamsaint]

Dunno I arrived at half-time

Oh bad luck. Always a poor plan to rely on the Circle Line

(Will follow up your enthusiasm for the Elgar performance obvs )

[Nick Armstrong]

Oh bad luck. Always a poor plan to rely on the Circle Line

(Will follow up your enthusiasm for the Elgar performance obvs )

Yes, do. I’m just listening again.

(Lovely mazy run up the centre from the oboist in the slow movement )

[Ein Heldenleben]

Never mind all that , was the Frank Bridge any good ?

Yes - tremendous. LSO strings on particularly fine form. As Nick says a wonderful Elgar 2 .

[teamsaint]

Yes - tremendous. LSO strings on particularly fine form. As Nick says a wonderful Elgar 2 .

Thanks.

Got it playing on BBC sounds…where the track listing has the first two works in the wrong order….

[vibratoforever]

A wonderful Elgar 2, following on from a Mahler 2 of similar quality at the Proms. Rattle is in great form!

[smittims]

I've been listening to this symphony for nearly sixty years and I was pleased to find this a textbook performance, everything just right. I consider myself fortunate to have heard so many fine Elgar 2's in recent years: Ed Gardner , Vassily Sinaisky, Juanjo Mena, Vassily Petrenko, Daniel Harding and Sir Andrew Davis among them. I hadn't heard Simon do an Elgar symphony and this performance fulfilled my hopes.

[LHC]

Well I thought that was a superlative Elgar 2 - interpretation & playing beyond criticism. I loved the crackling trumpets in a couple of the early flourishes… and the prominent harps at various key points. The latter might have been down to recording balance (LHC may perhaps confirm, having been there) because there was one ‘boing’ in a quiet bit near the end which seemed artificially loud. But generally-speaking, the pacing, the sweep and urgency when required, the introspection ditto… wow

I'm just listening to it again now. The sound balance appears to be a pretty accurate representation of what I heard in the hall; I would say that any highlighting of particular instruments/musical lines is down to Rattle, rather than the engineers.

Hearing it again, I can only agree with your superlatives. It really was a fabulous performance of Elgar's 2nd symphony.

I was back at the Barbican last Sunday to hear Rattle and the LSO play Bruckner's 7th in a new Urtext Edition by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs (who also edited the edition of the 4th used by Rattle and the LSO for their new recording). Sadly, this performance wasn't recorded for Radio 3, although it will appear on LSO Live in due course, as well as on the streaming platforms Mezzo and Symphony.

[smittims]

Does this 'urtext' exclude the timpani and cymbals parts in the second movement, which some conductors omit because they are not (supposedly) in Bruckner's handwriting?

I think that is taking musicology too far: I agree with Bob Simpson, that once you've heard them you miss them if they're not there.

[LHC]

Does this 'urtext' exclude the timpani and cymbals parts in the second movement, which some conductors omit because they are not (supposedly) in Bruckner's handwriting?

I think that is taking musicology too far: I agree with Bob Simpson, that once you've heard them you miss them if they're not there.

Timpani, cymbals and triangle all present in the 2nd movement. As the introduction in the programme noted “the Urtext … includes the percussion omitted in Robert Haas’ 1944 edition”.

[smittims]

Well, isn't that grand! Presumably they've looked at the Hadwriting and concluded that it is the old boy's after all. If so, it's one in the eye for Georg Tintner and others who 'cleansed' the score in their performances.

[Bryn]

Well, isn't that grand! Presumably they've looked at the Hadwriting and concluded that it is the old boy's after all. If so, it's one in the eye for Georg Tintner and others who 'cleansed' the score in their performances.

I don't have Carragan's 'Red Book' but wonder what he might have to say on the subject. I might ask on FB. He is certainly generally rather critical of Haas's work. Oops! I have just noticed that this started as an Elgar-related thread. I, too, tend to respond to the content of messages, rather than thread titles.

[cloughie]

I don't have Carragan's 'Red Book' but wonder what he might have to say on the subject. I might ask on FB. He is certainly generally rather critical of Haas's work. Oops! I have just noticed that this started as an Elgar-related thread. I, too, tend to respond to the content of messages, rather than thread titles.

Like his finales, discussions on Bruckner go on forever!

Will we be getting an equally good LSO Rattle Elgar 1. I hope so!

[Bryn]

Like his finales, discussions on Bruckner go on forever!

Will we be getting an equally good LSO Rattle Elgar 1. I hope so!

For me, the finer of the two Elgar completed.