Five Essential Elgar Recordings - your five?

[Petrushka]

Do try the Previn P&C’s (RPO) if you don’t have that disc already.

I do have the Previn plus Solti, Elgar himself and Norman del Mar (which I've just played) amongst complete outings.

[Barbirollians]

I do have the Previn plus Solti, Elgar himself and Norman del Mar (which I've just played) amongst complete outings.

Unsurprisingly I would say try the Barbirolli P and Cs .

[Pulcinella]

Depressingly the Barbirolli EMI symphonies now seem to be download only whilst the Handley CFP accounts are nla.

Used copies of the Handley (earlier incarnations) are available dirt cheap:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Symphony-No-1-Op-55/dp/B00004SE9S/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1536612401&sr=1-4&keywords=elgar+handley

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Symphony-No-2-Op-63/dp/B00000DR1P/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1536612401&sr=1-6&keywords=elgar+handley

[pastoralguy]

Whilst I agree it is an indisputable masterpiece - it is far from alone in his output

My five indispensable recordings of it would be

Menuhin/LSO/Elgar
Menuhin/LPO/Boult
Kennedy/Handley
Ida Haendel/ CBSO/Rattle live
Campoli/Boult

Though I should not like to be without the Bean, Heifetz,Zukerman, Perlman and Sammons recordings.

There's a wonderful recording of Igor Oistrakh playing it which, whilst hardly idiomatic, is an unbelievable piece of fiddle playing! I believe his father, the great David Oistrakh, played it although I've never been able to trace a recording. I live in hope there's one in a radio archive somewhere.

I have a recording of Gidon Kremer playing it at a competition which I really should look out.

Just looked out! Recorded 25th May 1967 at the Brussels Centre For Fine Arts with the National Symphony Orchestra of Belgium under René Defossez. This was the occasion when Kremer won 3rd prize in the Ysaye & Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition.

[Alison]

I do have the Previn plus Solti, Elgar himself and Norman del Mar (which I've just played) amongst complete outings.

Quite a disparity between the number of recorded versions and the neglect of the marches in the concert hall.

[Alison]

I must seek out Norman del Mar too.

[pastoralguy]

Used copies of the Handley (earlier incarnations) are available dirt cheap:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Symphony-No-1-Op-55/dp/B00004SE9S/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1536612401&sr=1-4&keywords=elgar+handley

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Symph...=elgar+handley

IIRC, aren't tube trains to be heard in the quiet bits?!

[Barbirollians]

I must seek out Norman del Mar too.

Very good coupled with a particularly fine Enigma.

[Petrushka]

Very good coupled with a particularly fine Enigma.

And the organ makes its contribution felt, too!

[HighlandDougie]

Wand of Youth Suites: RLPO/Handley

I wouldn’t want to be without it.

[cloughie]

Very good coupled with a particularly fine Enigma.

The recordings from, I think, Guildford Cathedral with use of organ and a lovely echo!

[Pabmusic]

IIRC, aren't tube trains to be heard in the quiet bits?!

That was a phenomenon associated with the Kingsway Hall, which was literally above Holborn Station. It's quite clear in Boult's Gerontius, Part II especially.

[cloughie]

That was a phenomenon associated with the Kingsway Hall, which was literally above Holborn Station. It's quite clear in Boult's Gerontius, Part II especially.

And I believe in Ansermet’s Firebird!

[mikealdren]

I must seek out Norman del Mar too.

As a teenager, I didn't really like English music generally and Britten and Elgar didn't strike a chord. That all changed when I played Elgar 1 and, later the cello concerto, with Norman.

About the same time the Heifetz recording convinced me about the violin concerto. He played what was written without the sentimentality that had ruined it for me in earlier performances that I had heard and I've since heard two spectacularly memorable live performances: Nigel Kennedy and Martin Milner.

[cloughie]

As a teenager, I didn't really like English music generally and Britten and Elgar didn't strike a chord. That all changed when I played Elgar 1 and, later the cello concerto, with Norman.

About the same time the Heifetz recording convinced me about the violin concerto. He played what was written without the sentimentality that had ruined it for me in earlier performances that I had heard and I've since heard two spectacularly memorable live performances: Nigel Kennedy and Martin Milner.

Yes Martin was a great orchestral leader and could have been a top soloist had he chosen to go along that career route.