Search - Edward Elgar :: Elgar: Enigma Variations; Pomp & Circumstance Marches; Sereande for Strings

Bargain cost reissue, prime performances.

jean couture | Quebec city - Canada | 09/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Edward Elgar (1857-1934) was the quintessential British artist. His influence on composers and musicians was enormous, even outside U.K. ; he could be seen, in some ways, as the `spiritual father' to most--if not all--British composers from the late 1890's upward.



The reason why this album has not received the attention it so urgently deserves is another enigma (no pun intended) in the world of music. This is one of the greatest Elgar discs. Subjectively, i'd be tempted to say `the' greatest--yet, admittedly, there are other superb discs in the discography and it would be unfair to overlook those. At any rate, all three works found herein (Variations, Marches and the Serenade) are admirable statements as to the significance of Elgar's orchestral works. Here we do plunge at the very heart of Elgar's creative spirit : The Enigma Variations (1899), Pomp and Circumstance Marches (1901-1930) and the Serenade for Strings in E (1892) expose the wide span career of Edward Elgar the composer. And, as we know, Elgar was the most prominent British composer of the late 19th-early 20th.



To begin with, the Variations by Mehta belong to the top of the pile. Personally, I also like the `classic' Barbirolli and Boult as well as an old reading by Hamilton Harty with the Halle Orchestra (1930), although the L.A. Philharmonic / Mehta is in no way running short of excitement and vitality. The recording session took lieu in May 1972. In my opinion, Zubin Mehta's reading is nearly every bit as good as the meritorious 1958 Monteux / LSO. The strings and wind section of the L.A. Philharmonic heartily succeed in their depiction of a genuine English sound, making use in a perceptive way of that sort of `old-fashioned technique' or, for lack of better words, `golden tone' typically Elgar and unequivocally English. In addition, recorded sound is impactful and vivid--certainly some of the finest from Decca from their analogue epoch. The Marches is characteristic Elgar in his prime. Here, the composer Arthur Bliss conducts them to great effect : It is obvious that the LSO responded well to their chief in this late 1950's recording. To quote the Elgar web info by Keith Hansen, "his performances stress the military aspect, coming across as quite jaunty and perky. Not as insightful as Barbirolli, Boult or Previn, but rousing nonetheless." The sound, lacking a bit in detail, is overall good for its vintage. The recording of the Serenade dates from 1968 and is a fairly good one. As for the Marches conducted by Bliss, it's been engineered by Kenneth Wilkinson for Decca. Victor Car Jr. of Classics Today wrote on the latter : "From the first strains of Elgar's Serenade you are immediately struck by how the music seems to snap into sharper focus, thanks no doubt to the razor sharp tuning and consistency of attack of Neville Marriner's band. [...] A fine presentation." The three works presented here embody different facets of this great composer ; the recordings, previously released, embrace nearly three decades. A fine sample from the positively surprising Eloquence budget series. There are none of those worn-out or overcrowded `filler tracks' on this enjoyable CD, so good *every* performance is. [5/5]"