Search - Edward Elgar, Bryden Thomson, London Philharmonic Chorus :: Elgar: Sea Pictures; The Music Makers

Kudos to Thomson, Finnie, and the London Philharmonic Orches

Eric S. Kim | Southern California | 02/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One wouldn't want to miss Elgar's Sea Pictures and The Music Maker, because this is stunning beautiful music. Sea Pictures is a song cycle that clearly involves the Atlantic Ocean, while the Music Maker is set to a poem by Arthur O'Shaughnessy. The Music Maker contains the "Nimrod" theme to the composer's own Enigma Variations, and one of the major themes from his cantata, The Dream of Gerontius. According to the liner notes, these themes are found in Music Maker because it's a continuous theme from Elgar, which is the "loneliness of an artist". And it does seem to work, I'd say, when I listen to the music itself.



Linda Finnie isn't the best Contralto for Sea Pictures, but her intelligent reading and passionate performance make up for her few strained moments. The London Philharmonic Orchestra gives a stunning performance in Sea Pictures, and gives perfect cooperation with the London Philharmonic Choir in The Music Maker. The late Bryden Thomson knows this music well: he never gives in to bombast or smoothing of tension. These are intelligent readings of just two of Elgar's choral works. Finally, the audio quality is very good, even if it's a bit weak compared to the digital sound of the new millennium.



I strongly recommend this CD to Elgar fans, and fans of English Classical Music in general.



Grade: A-"