EDWARD ELGAR - Orchestral Works on BEULAH

THREE DISC SET (each CD available separately)

(1) 1PD15 COLLINS CONDUCTS ELGAR [58.47]

• Falstaff - A Symphonic Study (London Symphony Orchestra)
• Introduction and Allegro for Strings (New Symphony Orchestra)
• Serenade for Strings (New Symphony Orchestra).

(2) 2PD15 VAN BEINUM CONDUCTS ELGAR (London Philharmonic Orchestra) [77.48]

• Cello Concerto (Anthony Pini)
• Cockaigne Overture
• Wand of Youth Suites 1 and 2
• Elegy

(3) 3PD15 BOULT CONDUCTS ELGAR (BBCSO) [66.23]

• Second Symphony rec 1944
• Sospiri and Prelude to Dream of Gerontius rec 1930s.

1-3PD15 ELGAR INTERPRETATIONS - BOX SET £24.95

ALL DISCS MONO

Individual discs retail at £9.95 each. The box of 3 CDs costs £24.95 P&P £1.25. Cheques made payable to Beulah. Send to: BEULAH, 66 Rochester Way, Crowborough, TN6 2DU

INTRODUCTION

This set collects together at an attractive price three reissue discs that first appeared in 1995. Anthony Collins performances are released on CD for the first time.

It is too easily forgotten that these recordings were made during the depths of the hoar-frost years for Elgar's music and in the case of the Symphony during the depths of the second world war. While Enigma had continuing currency as did some of the Pomp and Circumstance marches the other works in this set became less frequent visitors to the concert hall and recording studio. Recording Elgar in 1930s-1960s was a risk-heavy business and marked out companies swimming against the fashionable rip-tide.

These recordings kept Elgar's banner flying in often adverse circumstances and the ones from the 1930s and 1940s would have been known initially only on 78s with the continuity and sound quality here only dreamt of in those far off days.

While Adrian Boult seems always to have had a place in the high prestige premium label ranges I always associate Van Beinum and Collins with Decca's Eclipse label LPs at 19s/11d or 99p per vinyl disc. This of course betrays my age. I was a student in Bristol in the early 1970s and spent many happy hours browsing the new and second-hand classical racks on Whiteladies Road, at the HMV shop and at the Wise Owl book and record shop. Those Decca Eclipses used as illustrations 'chocolate box' photos from National Trust properties. Truth to tell they were not the most prepossessing of sleeves compared with the glories of the premium price labels.

These are all mono recordings and their vintages spans three decades from the 1930s to the 1950s.

COLLINS

Collins (a composer in his own right - when will we hear his two symphonies?) is better known for his brilliantly sympathetic Sibelius symphonies recorded in mono by Decca during the early 1950s. In Falstaff (rec 1954) he is in touch with the mercurial fantasy of the work, making of it something of a midsummer night's dream. The tragedy and some of the gawky ruined heroism of Falstaff escapes Collins affectionate hands but in its place you are blown hither and yon by a butterfly imagination and a shiver of tenderness. I have never heard the quirkier quieter passages played with such feather-drift abandon. The sometimes reticent recording does not have the obvious impact of many other recordings but where it is strong is in the detail. A certain lack of weight afflicts the heavier moments as in the famous horn swooping guffaws at 20.00 and later.

The Introduction and Allegro was recorded two years before with the same engineer (Ken Wilkinson) as the Falstaff. The recording is good indeed with some weight to the strings. A thinness can afflict the string sound but this is vivid music-making with a devil-may-care rush of excitement to the music vying with the tenderness of the solo viola song at 6.58 (like a similar passage in In The South). Tenderness is also the hallmark of the Serenade which is redolent of Dvorák (Serenade for Strings) and Sibelius (Valse Triste). This does not displace the stereo EMI Barbirolli but is no mean account. The slightly bony character of the higher string sound is noticeable once or twice. If you knew these works only from this recording no injustice would be done to Elgar or you though you do forsake the broader span of stereo tracking.

VAN BEINUM

Eduard van Beinum (1901-1959) recorded these Elgar works in 1949 and 1950 on the cusp of the 78/LP transition. The concerto was issued on 10" LP. The others were first released on 78. Cockaigne is accorded a gutsy performance - bluff but not at all heartless. The pace of the music is not allowed to collapse. The sense of sustained momentum is most impressive. The bruisingly blowsy brass sound at 6.03 is forward and with impact. Rawness in the recorded sound is inevitable. The Concerto (where the masters sound to be in better heart) is given a very fine controlled performance, powerful in its restraint rather than in abandon. Precision does not make for a lack of intensity in the presence case. While my love for the volcanic Jacqueline Dupré Sony-CBS recording (rather than the lauded studio version on EMI as conducted by Barbirolli) is not undermined the Pini is an easier, though still challenging, version to live with and a better library choice - allowance being made for mono sound.

These same qualities of precise attention and clarity while preserving the pulse of the music are singularly evident in the refined magic of the light music balletic pieces: Wand of Youth and Elegy. These are drawn from a deep stock swelled by the work of hundreds of composers but Elgar's fairy-tale illustrations are a cut above. The Wand of Youth suites sound very good indeed: vibrant sound and bristling with life. However this contrasts with the Elegy for string orchestra which while clearly enjoying a heartfelt eloquent performance is subject to the worst surface noise in the set.

BOULT

Unlike the other discs in the set these recordings of the BBCSO conducted by the then Dr Adrian Boult were not made in the Kingsway Hall. They are all HMV recordings and are the oldest in the trio of CDs. The two shorter pieces were set down in EMI Studio 1 at London's Abbey Road in 1934 and 1937 (Sospiri). Surface noise is noticeable but oddly enough not as heavy as in the Van Beinum Elegy. To compensate, the music-making is dominated by a sense of unwavering concentration from all involved which almost had me warming to Gerontius (a work much-lauded which I know I should like but which for me has never 'caught fire') and the most touching performance of Sospiri I have ever heard - a strangely un-Elgarian piece - almost Sibelian. The magic of this piece is not moderated substantially by the higher hiss level.

The major piece is the symphony in Boult's most impassioned version before the deathly reputation of Elgar doyen began to settle on his shoulders. The tender ghost of the bars at 9.23-9.35 in the first movement is done as well as I have ever heard it. The Larghetto professes considerable feeling although Boult's reticence is still apparent when measured against Elgar's own performance and certainly against Handley's or Solti's. The Rondo dashes and yearns satisfyingly but its impact is robbed somewhat by the 1944 vintage sound. The finale has as much rippling fire (try the off-beat hammer punctuated swing of the great tune - brilliantly handled), lava flow and lightning as I have ever heard from Boult.

Over the years I have heard all five Boult Elgar 2s. The Pye LPO (1951), Waverley, Scottish National Orchestra (1963), LPO Lyrita in 1966 and the broader sleepy sweep of the final 1976 EMI version. The 1944 is by my recollection the best of the four but this is not to say that there are not more fierily engaged performances: Solti being outstanding and in very good 1970s Decca sound. Solti often convinces you he is teetering on the edge emotionally whereas Boult knows where the edge is and holds a mirror over it without stepping close to the brink.

CONCLUSION

This set - superbly priced - is a solidly enjoyable addition to any Elgarian's shelf and casts a loving and cliché-shaking vision of how it was to discover Elgar on disc during the 1930s and 1950s.

Van Beinum in particular was a major discovery for me and I am so grateful to Beulah for opening that door. Similar thanks are in order for restoring the Collins Intro and Allegro. Let us also celebrate Boult's matchless performance of Sospiri also. Utterly memorable.

Reviewer

Rob Barnett

 

 

LEWIS FOREMAN's Reviews reprinted in slightly revised form from 1995/96 issues of the British Music Society newsletter.

ELGAR Falstaff, Op. 68 (1913); Introduction and Allegro, Op. 47 (1905); Serenade for Strings, Op. 20 (1892). LSO; New Symphony Orchestra Strings, Anthony Collins. Beulah 1PD15

Anthony Collins, a conductor and composer who has been sadly forgotten, and ill deserves oblivion, was for many years a stalwart of the record catalogue for his Sibelius as for his Elgar, and in both composers he was something of a pioneer.

His sympathetic and idiomatic Falstaff, recorded in 1954, was long the only version in my collection, valuable not only for its sweep as for its detail and lightness of touch. Ultimately it was relegated for its less good sound than later versions. Elgarians who have forgotten it will revisit it with pleasure in this CD transfer, and it certainly deserves its niche for Collins' understanding view of the work.

The Introduction and Allegro and even more the Serenade for Strings are worthwhile, but do not challenge the great growth in the catalogue since they first appeared in the 1950s. Unlike the van Beinum collection this is rather short value at just under 59 minutes, but if the prospect of Falstaff rekindles old memories you will not be disappointed. © Lewis Foreman

ELGAR Cockaigne, Op. 40 (1901); Cello Concerto Op. 85 (1919); Wand of Youth Suites 1 & 2, Op. 1A/B (1907/8); Elegy for strings and harp Op. 58 (1909). Anthony Pini (cello), LPO, Eduard van Beinum. Beulah 2PD15

These reissues takes one back. There was a time when the Collins Falstaff and the Pini Cello Concerto were, if not the only available versions, at least strong contenders in a small field. It was Anthony Pini's performance when on 10" LP or 78s, in the early 1950s that successfully tilted a lance at what some then felt to be the inauthentic performance of Casals. In fact it is a poised straightforward performance, though with a lot of presence on the cello which, probably because it was one of the last 78 recordings, is balanced quite forward of the orchestra.

These are, of course, examples of the celebrated Decca ffrr recordings, and even where there is intrusive surface noise the presence of the music is very good. The Cello Concerto was recorded on 14 May 1949 and 12 April 1950. The booklet quotes its issue as a 10" LP, LX 3023, but it was also on 78s (AX 416-9) and some of the surface noise here sounds remarkably like a 78. I wonder what the source was.

The surfaces of the 78s of the van Beinum First Wand of Youth Suite were heavy, and some of that is still audible despite digital processing. However, the music is vividly caught and the performance is sympathetic and goes with a swing. The second suite does not have the surfaces of the first suite (it was recorded a year later) but it also has a more shut-in acoustic.

The Elegy recorded on 13 May 1949 has a remarkably high level of surface for its date, and while it's a lovely performance, only those with long memories will want to play it frequently I fear. But nevertheless here is nearly 78 minutes of music. Good value if you are in the market for this: a splendid reminder of van Beinum as a conductor soon after the war. © Lewis Foreman

ELGAR Symphony No. 2; Gerontius Prelude; Sospiri, Op. 70. Beulah 3PD15.

This is a splendidly virile performance of the Elgar Second Symphony by the conductor who established the piece in the repertoire after the First World War. The first of, I think, five recordings by him. If you do not have it snap it up now. But for those who have the EMI reissue (on CDH 7 63134 2) with, incidentally two additional Boult reissues from 78s, this is not such good value.

1. The EMI version gave us over 77 minutes of music, Beulah only give us 66. The addition of, say, Introduction and Allegro or Chanson de Matin/Nuit, would have made this distinctive from the earlier reissue and better value.

Beulah's transfers are notably bright and very much to my taste; I would rather have some crackle than lose any of the original ambience. In this I find them marginally preferable to the EMI sound, but there is practically nothing in it. Lewis Foreman

_________________________________

TRACK LISTING

Elgar Cello Concerto A. Pini/Van Beinum/LPO 2PD15 [6.38],[4.36],[4.24],[10.41]

Elgar Cockaigne Overture Van Beinum/LPO 2PD15 [12.55]

Elgar Elegy for String Orchestra Van Beinum/LPO 2PD15 [4.30]

Elgar Falstaff - Symphonic Study Anthony Collins/LSO 1PD15 [34.09]

Elgar Introduction and Allego For String Quartet And Orchestra Anthony Collins/New SO 1PD15 [13.24]

Elgar Serenade in E Minor Anthony Collins/New SO 1PD15 [10.58]

Elgar Sospiri Adrian Boult/BBCSO 3PD15 [4.15]

Elgar Symphony No 2 Adrian Boult/BBCSO 3PD15 [16.32],[14.13],[8.03],[13.45]

Elgar The Dream Of Gerontius - Prelude Adrian Boult/BBCSO 3PD15 [9.27]

Elgar Wand of Youth Suite No 1 Van Beinum/LPO 2PD15 [19.00]

Elgar Wand of Youth Suite No 2 Van Beinum/LPO 2PD15 [16.04]

Elgar boxed set should be available from UK shops by the end of

October. Details at:

<http://homepages.eneterprise.net/beulah/music.html#1-3PD15>

Editions Audiovisuel BEULAH, publishers of videos,CDs,

stock shots, sound library, film and tape archiving.

E MAIL <beulah@enterprise.net>

WEB SITE <http://homepages.enterprise.net/beulah/>