Great Elgar recordings

[Pabmusic]

Interesting. Also interesting that he chose to record it at all, or was Pears influential in that respect? ...

There had been a televised performance from Canterbury Cathedral, conducted by Boult, with Peter Pears (and Janet Baker?) and the story was that Britten was impressed and wanted to make a recording.

[salymap]

I'm sure I remember Pears and Ferrier at the RAH for a soloists and orchestra rehearsal. It could have been for Gerontius but don't remember a third soloist, ditto surely not Messiah with no others.

I didn't realise, as often happened at `17 or so, that I was watching 'greats'.

[akiralx]

[Sinopoli] recorded them both. No. 2 is a dreadful (so slow) as No. 1 is wonderful.

Yes, Sinopoli's No.1 is wonderful.

His No.2 is not good, far too comatose - though I really like Tate's powerful LSO recording on EMI which is also well over 60 mins but doesn't sound slow (though Tate does rather savour the closing pages). Phenomenal playing from the LSO in this one.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

One work I forgot in my list was the Nursery Suite. For this, there can only be one choice conducted by Laurence Collingwood.
It's one of those perfectly perfect performances that challenges the very concept of perfection. But it's in mono and isn't available.

[AmpH]

The LSO / Collingwood recording of the Nursery Suite is available as an mp3 download from the river people and as a cd ( transfer from LP ) from Klassic Haus Restorations.

[BBMmk2]

Heinrich Shiff's recording of the Cello Concerto!?!??

[Pianoman]

Heinrich Shiff's recording of the Cello Concerto!?!??

Like the man said, a welcome antidote to du Pre and much nearer Elgar's owm tempi. I really rate the Schiff/ Elder disc, but then I like most of the other recent Elgar stuff from Elder and the Halle..

[BBMmk2]

Like the man said, a welcome antidote to du Pre and much nearer Elgar's owm tempi. I really rate the Schiff/ Elder disc, but then I like most of the other recent Elgar stuff from Elder and the Halle..

Ah yes, thatis true. The man did say that. Might be worth getting!

[Pianoman]

You won't regret it, especially as there's a cracking Falstaff on there too- one heck of a bonus !

[BBMmk2]

You won't regret it, especially as there's a cracking Falstaff on there too- one heck of a bonus !

Thanks pianoman!!

[seabright]

I taped the live broadcast but hardly ever played it, recalling the pained look on the face of that put-upon principal viola in the TV doc. Years later I recklessly spent a couple of quid of hard-earned cash on the DG issue, but I'm still waiting to be in the 'right' mood to play it.

You can see the viola player in the Bernstein "Enigma," though not so much his pained look, due to the TV camera angle, on You Tube, where so far well over 54,000 people have viewed it ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnKBVL45VSs

Some of the comments underneath the video are priceless ...

"I saw this performance and loved it, especially Nimrod. It has made me cry then and now. I believe Leonard Bernstein loved Elgar as I do and the English do"

"Oh well, I suppose Elgar conducting West Side Story would have been as much of a train-crash."

The You Tube upload of the Bernstein "Enigma" is in three parts, the above being the first one. But then, rather curiously, Lenny and the NYPO in the "Cockaigne" Overture aren't remotely as controversial and deliver quite a lively and straight-forward performance of it, as will also be heard on You Tube ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOlHHrc49E0

[gurnemanz]

You can see the viola player in the Bernstein "Enigma," though not so much his pained look, due to the TV camera angle, on You Tube, where so far well over 54,000 people have viewed it ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnKBVL45VSs

Some of the comments underneath the video are priceless ...

"I saw this performance and loved it, especially Nimrod. It has made me cry then and now. I believe Leonard Bernstein loved Elgar as I do and the English do"

"Oh well, I suppose Elgar conducting West Side Story would have been as much of a train-crash."

More comments in a discussion I remembered we had on the old BBC board (2008! found the archive via Google). I'm quite happy to listen to it from time to time but it still reminds me of a slow bicycle race.

[Bamig]

I seem to remember BAL going for a Dresden / Davis 1st Symphony. Anyone know that recording? A couple of votes for the 1976 Boult version - intrigued by that.

I'd only ever read about Bernstein's tempo for Nimrod. To be honest, I didn't find it as shocking as I thought I might, although it definitely felt as though the strings were trying to move Bernstein along - they often seem to arrive at the next bar before him.

[Barbirollians]

Barnig - we discussed this on the Sir Colin Davis thread started just after he died - some people really liked it others ( like me ) find it too hard driven and prefer either his old BBC SO account on RCA Navigator or his LSO Live account .

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The LSO / Collingwood recording of the Nursery Suite is available as an mp3 download from the river people and as a cd ( transfer from LP ) from Klassic Haus Restorations.

Many thanks. I