BaL 21.06.14 - Elgar's Cello Concerto

[Bryn]

My own favourite recording of the work is the Barbirolli. That with André Navara as soloist, of course.

[verismissimo]

The cellist notable by his absence is, of course, Rostropovich. Although a lover of much English music, he never played the piece in public, certainly not outside the old USSR and never recorded it. He is, I believe, on record as saying that he regarded this concerto as his "Achilles heel"...

I have Rostropovich in the Elgar on a Revelation CD - with the Moscow Phil under Natan Rakhlin from November 1958. Presumably from a broadcast. I'll give it a spin.

But I'm going to focus mostly on the earliest recordings of the work - Beatrice Harrison with Elgar conducting from 1919 (abridged) and 1928, and WH Squire with Harty in 1930, then, after a long gap, Casals with Boult in 1945.

[Barbirollians]

Was it really as far ago as 2004 it seems like only a couple of years ago . Richard Morrison did it and du Pre won .

Quite rightly - her recording with Barbirolli remains head and shoulders above all the others . Tortelier's recording with Boult I regard as one of the megaduds . They both made far better recordings - Tortelier with Sargent and Boult with Casals .

[Bryn]

For their Sir John Barbirolli The Great EMI Recordings boxed set, they wisely chose the Navara rather than the mannered du Pré, delightful as that is in its very much own way.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Quite rightly - her recording with Barbirolli remains head and shoulders above all the others .

Whilst I share the reservations about this work of other contributors to this Thread* - and whilst there is so much about the du Pre recording that (of course) I love, I think the "head and shoulders" comment rather diminishes the work, Barbi - like most great works, it defies "pinning down" by any single interpretation, no matter how good. Barbirolli with Navara and du Pre with Barenboim give equally valid, if very different insights into the work. It's also been many years since I heard it, but the Fournier DG recording was a frequent visitor to my cassette deck back in the day - and Robert Cohen with Handley, too.

Totally agree about Tortelier and Boult - a shame; I remember a television masterclass on the work that he gave.


* = it's my least favourite of the Elgar works I love. (Read that sentence a couple of times - it makes sense: honest!)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

My own favourite recording of the work is the Barbirolli. That with André Navara as soloist, of course.

Mine too. Sadly the Pye stereo tapes deteriorated so the mono version had to suffice for later reincarnations.

[Barbirollians]

Whilst I share the reservations about this work of other contributors to this Thread* - and whilst there is so much about the du Pre recording that (of course) I love, I think the "head and shoulders" comment rather diminishes the work, Barbi - like most great works, it defies "pinning down" by any single interpretation, no matter how good. Barbirolli with Navara and du Pre with Barenboim give equally valid, if very different insights into the work. It's also been many years since I heard it, but the Fournier DG recording was a frequent visitor to my cassette deck back in the day - and Robert Cohen with Handley, too.

Totally agree about Tortelier and Boult - a shame; I remember a television masterclass on the work that he gave.




* = it's my least favourite of the Elgar works I love. (Read that sentence a couple of times - it makes sense: honest!)

I was getting my retaliation in first fHGL . The Du pre recording is the tall poppy that some people one always knows are going to want to run down . Bryn they chose the Navarra not because it is better but because they were trying to get Barbirolli fans to buy the box rather than just regurgitate all his most famous recordings .

I have that recording in its Testament incarnation . It is invigorating and enjoyable but does not strike me as a very idiomatic rendering of the solo part .

I don't consider the du Pre as the only way to play it - it does continue to give me most pleasure despite the many other recordings I have of the work - the JLW/Menuhin , Clein/Handley. Isserlis/Hickox , Harrison/Elgar, du pre/Barenboim , du Pre/Barbirolli LIVE, Harrell/Maazel and the recent Weilerstein all deserve honourable mentions in addition to the Tortelier/Sargent and Casals/Boult

[visualnickmos]

Mine too. Sadly the Pye stereo tapes deteriorated so the mono version had to suffice for later reincarnations.

I know; a real b****r, that; I only have the mono CD, but I would suppose the stereo version never made it to cd?

I actually wonder if the "tapes deteriorated" story is in fact, true. I cannot imagine that EMI would be so slap-dash as to store them so badly that that could have happened. I think some incompetent admin resulted in them getting lost. Or maybe one day they will turn up in a garage in Peckham....

[Barbirollians]

Well EMI took them over from Pye in the late 1980s as I understood it so they are likely already to have been stuffed by then.

[visualnickmos]

Well EMI took them over from Pye in the late 1980s as I understood it so they are likely already to have been stuffed by then.

"Lost in the move?"

[pastoralguy]

9.30am Building a Library: Helen Wallace makes a personal personal recommendation from recordings of Elgar’s Cello Concerto



[I][B]
Felix Schmidt, LSO, Rafael Fruhbeck De Bourgos

Although I love the du Pre version (which I bought on the recent sacd transfer), I've always held this one in very high regard. IMHO, very honest music making.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Well EMI took them over from Pye in the late 1980s as I understood it so they are likely already to have been stuffed by then.

"Four and twenty tape-worms baked in at Pye..."???

[EdgeleyRob]

Du Pre,Barbirolli.
The sheer emotion and burning intensity just kills me.
If not the best,certainly up there in the top one.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I know; a real b****r, that; I only have the mono CD, but I would suppose the stereo version never made it to cd?

I actually wonder if the "tapes deteriorated" story is in fact, true. I cannot imagine that EMI would be so slap-dash as to store them so badly that that could have happened. I think some incompetent admin resulted in them getting lost. Or maybe one day they will turn up in a garage in Peckham....

There may well still be some stereo vinyl pressings that are rescuable.

[visualnickmos]

There may well still be some stereo vinyl pressings that are rescuable.

Thanks EA, I will keep a lookout, but the mono CD is excellent, nevertheless.