Five Essential Elgar Recordings - your five?

[Barbirollians]

1. Symphony no. 1 - Halle Orchestra, Barbirolli, Kings Lynn Live broadcast
2. Enigma Variations - Halle Orchestra, Barbirolli, 1956 Pye recording in the FTH
3. The Music Makers - BBCSO, Davis
4. Sospiri - NPO, Barbirolli. A beautiful work conducted and played beautifully.
The Dream of Gerontius - Halle, Barbirolli

Splendid stuff

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

1. Symphony no. 1 - Halle Orchestra, Barbirolli, Kings Lynn Live broadcast
2. Enigma Variations - Halle Orchestra, Barbirolli, 1956 Pye recording in the FTH
3. The Music Makers - BBCSO, Davis
4. Sospiri - NPO, Barbirolli. A beautiful work conducted and played beautifully.
The Dream of Gerontius - Halle, Barbirolli

In my list I had to fight the temptation to have 5 Barbirolli recordings. He really was the best in Elgar.

[Barbirollians]

In my list I had to fight the temptation to have 5 Barbirolli recordings. He really was the best in Elgar.

Me too - toss of a coin between his King's Lynn and Boult's live Elgar 1 and between his 1956 Enigma and that of Boult- though I could not leave out the Menuhin/Elgar VC .

[Pabmusic]

Me too - toss of a coin between his King's Lynn and Boult's live Elgar 1 and between his 1956 Enigma and that of Boult- though I could not leave out the Menuhin/Elgar VC .

Which Boult Enigma? The last (with the LSO?) That's the one Boult finished with a session to spare, so he chose to use that ffinal session for Brahms 3, thus starting his second Brahms cycle. 1970?

[BBMmk2]

OK Smart A... Yes he did some great stuff with GCB and PJBE - a good brass arranger - I'm sure BBM will agree!

Hi Cloughie! Yes! Actually, I saw Grimethorpe yesterday afternoon! Very good they were too. Howarth’s arrangements are second to none, plus I’ve been conducted by him too, in Henze’s Ragtimes & Habeneras. Especially his arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures!

[Barbirollians]

Which Boult Enigma? The last (with the LSO?) That's the one Boult finished with a session to spare, so he chose to use that ffinal session for Brahms 3, thus starting his second Brahms cycle. 1970?

That's the one - sublime record . I still have my ASD LP somewhere though it was pretty much played to bits.

[BBMmk2]

I haven't contributed to mine yet!

The Dream of Gerontius,(the Sir Andrew Davis recording on Chandos)
Symphony No.1(Edward Gardner)
Violin Concerto(Kennedy/Rattle)
Severn Suite(Black Dyke Band - Major Peter Parkes, from their CD entitled "Epic Brass")
Enigma Variations (c/w Cockaigne Overture, Introduction & Allegro, Serenade for string orchestra)
BBC SO/Sir Andrew Davis.

[cloughie]

Hi Cloughie! Yes! Actually, I saw Grimethorpe yesterday afternoon! Very good they were too. Howarth’s arrangements are second to none, plus I’ve been conducted by him too, in Henze’s Ragtimes & Habeneras. Especially his arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures!

Not all Howarth's but there are quite a few PJBE recordings currently not available on CD, which is a shame as they are an excellent band.

[Nimrod]

In my list I had to fight the temptation to have 5 Barbirolli recordings. He really was the best in Elgar.

Ha ha, I too fought and thought about this, but I do enjoy Davis's Music Makers. I'm surprised no one else has mentioned Sospiri?

[Nimrod]

Welcome to the JB Fan Club. That Kings Lynn No1 is something special, do you have the recording with the Sea Pictures?

Hi Cloughie, Thank you for that 'Wecome' note but I'm more of a fan of JB than you could possibly imagine! I have got the Intaglio CD with the Sea Pictures from Kings Lynn; also I was at that utterly memorable concert. Elgar 1 in a relatively small church? It blew your socks off!!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned Sospiri?

It's a lovely piece, but not amongst the five "essential" recordings (or works) for me. No Symphony #2 or Violin Concerto for you?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... though you're right about the Barbirolli recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i3rNX2mU-s

[gradus]

Elgar is often a problem where pronunciation is concerned. For most of his life his name was edWAHRD ELgrrr - pretty well the opposite of what we say now (EDwd ELGAHR). It was WW1 that did for the Germanic pronunciation of Edward (people had lived in the Edwahrdian age).

Apropos pronunciation how about the final var. 'Edu'. His housemaid said that Alice called him 'Edoo'( Eduard?), presumably the way to say it.

[cloughie]

Hi Cloughie, Thank you for that 'Wecome' note but I'm more of a fan of JB than you could possibly imagine! I have got the Intaglio CD with the Sea Pictures from Kings Lynn; also I was at that utterly memorable concert. Elgar 1 in a relatively small church? It blew your socks off!!

...and I guess intimately close to JB, soloist and orchestra. O to have been there! As for Sospiri, we were limited to 5! I think that I frst heard Sospiri and Elegy on JB’s HMV LP ASD2292 back in the mid 60s and loved them from first hearing, likewise Froissart from the same LP.

[Nimrod]

...and I guess intimately close to JB, soloist and orchestra. O to have been there! As for Sospiri, we were limited to 5! I think that I frst heard Sospiri and Elegy on JB’s HMV LP ASD2292 back in the mid 60s and loved them from first hearing, likewise Froissart from the same LP.

Ah, Froissart, haven't played that in ages. Thanks for reminding me.