Elgar (1857-1934)

[LMcD]

While on holiday earlier this week, I purchased some CDs from a charity shop in Sidmouth, and am looking forward to hearing, in particular, an EMI Pheonixa CD of Elgar's Cello Concerto (soloist Andre Navarra), Enigma Variations and Elegy for Strings with the Halle Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli. Apart from their musical merits, such bargains also serve as holiday souvenirs! (The other purchases were Mahler's 3rd and 10th conducted by Simon Rattle).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

While on holiday earlier this week, I purchased some CDs from a charity shop in Sidmouth, and am looking forward to hearing, in particular, an EMI Pheonixa CD of Elgar's Cello Concerto (soloist Andre Navarra)...

My favourite version of the cello concerto. But although recorded in stereo and appeared as such on LP, I believe the CD versions are mono, because of deterioration of the stereo master tapes.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There's a new recording of Caractacus, conducted by Martyn Brabbyns with the Huddersfield Choral Society and the Orchestra of Opera North.

Being a favourite work, I was looking forward to buying this, but the samples on the Presto website have warned me off it. Eigen (Caractacus's daughter) is sung by Elizabeth Llewellyn, but in the Eigen/Orbin love duet, you could be forgiven for thinking she's Caractacus's mother, such is the off-putting vibrato. A great pity. I had similar issues with Sheila Armstrong on the Groves recording, but this new one is worse. Theresa Cahill was magnificent as Eigen on the radio broadcast conducted by Bryan Fairfax in the 1970s, as was Judith Howarth in the Chandos/Hickox recording.

[pastoralguy]

Apart from their musical merits, such bargains also serve as holiday souvenirs!

Oddly enough, I'd never thought of that! Mind you, I do drive Mrs. PG crazy since the very first thing I do before visiting a strange town or city is to print off a list of charity shops before entering them in the Sat. Nav!

[BBMmk2]

There's a new recording of Caractacus, conducted by Martyn Brabbyns with the Huddersfield Choral Society and the Orchestra of Opera North.

Being a favourite work, I was looking forward to buying this, but the samples on the Presto website have warned me off it. Eigen (Caractacus's daughter) is sung by Elizabeth Llewellyn, but in the Eigen/Orbin love duet, you could be forgiven for thinking she's Caractacus's mother, such is the off-putting vibrato. A great pity. I had similar issues with Sheila Armstrong on the Groves recording, but this new one is worse. Theresa Cahill was magnificent as Eigen on the radio broadcast conducted by Bryan Fairfax in the 1970s, as was Judith Howarth in the Chandos/Hickox recording.

Oh that looks rather tempting!

[LMcD]

My favourite version of the cello concerto. But although recorded in stereo and appeared as such on LP, I believe the CD versions are mono, because of deterioration of the stereo master tapes.

The concerto is marked as mono but the other pieces are apparently stereo.

[cloughie]

My favourite version of the cello concerto. But although recorded in stereo and appeared as such on LP, I believe the CD versions are mono, because of deterioration of the stereo master tapes.

Was this originally on 35mm film?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Was this originally on 35mm film?

I don’t think so.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The concerto is marked as mono but the other pieces are apparently stereo.

Yes. It was only the cello concerto stereo tapes that had decayed past the point of rescue.

[cloughie]

I don’t think so.

I wondered because Mercury was linked with Pye- Nixa around this time and maybe also Everest who used 35mm.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I wondered because Mercury was linked with Pye- Nixa around this time and maybe also Everest who used 35mm.

They were linked, but Pye was always the runt of the partnership in terms of sound quality, even though the same engineers worked for both.

[seabright]

For any Elgarians who might be interested, here are some of the non-British performances of "Nimrod" to be found on YouTube ...

Boston Symphony / Andris Nelsons ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWm7HYzO-Lg

National Philharmonic of Russia / Stanislav Kochanovsky ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siXOg3e4zwY

Simon Bolivar Orchestra / Gustavo Dudamel ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b91Gq1HQVl4

Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France / Mikko Franck ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh111_G6BaI

Chicago Symphony / Daniel Barenboim ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgoBb8m1eE

Czech Philharmonic / Leopold Stokowski ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lQLyaiMieU

Stokowski's is possibly the most refulgent version, due to his insistence on "free-bowing" in the strings.

Barenboim also played it with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and there's a curtailed performance from the Berlin Philharmonic which starts about half-way through and is accompanied by the usual facial grimacing on the part of the conductor, one S. Rattle. Also, Bernstein isn't included as he did it here with the BBC Symphony. Finally, according to the comments under the video, the Boston / Nelsons reading was an unrehearsed tribute to the recently deceased Andre Previn.

[LMcD]

'Nimrod' playing on 'Breakfast' right now - waiting for the back- announcement of which recording it is .....
CBSO/Rattle
Whenever I start to despair about the way the country seems to be going, I know I can rely on this piece - and lots more Elgar - to help me battle bravely on.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I just get annoyed by the constant use of Nimrod as a bleeding chunk. It needs to be heard in context.

[LMcD]

I just get annoyed by the constant use of Nimrod as a bleeding chunk. It needs to be heard in context.

I feel the same way about the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th symphony. I'm no fan of bleeding chunks either, but a little touch of Elgar made a refreshing change from the goings-on over on Radio 4.