Search - Edward Elgar, George Hurst, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra :: Elgar: Imperial March / Symphony 1

Excellent Value for Money

KH | Chicago, IL | 04/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This may not be the best Elgar 1st ever committed to disk (I would go to Previn's on Philips or Otaka's on Bis for that), but it is excellent value for the money. The BBC Phil has now reached world class stature, and no one can complain about their playing. I find Hurst a little loose and discursive in the first movement, but the slow movement is rapturously beautiful and relaxed, while the finale, by contrast, is bold and vigorous--downright powerful at the end.The March is agreeable filler--rarely recorded, not a great piece, and very brief (about 5 minutes--but very well presented here.Sound is not audiophile levels, but totally competitive. You can't go wrong at the Naxos price."