This compilation gets
off to an excellent start. The first
disc opens with a virtuoso performance
of the overture In the South.
This is a muscular, taut, no-nonsense,
crisp performance with tremendous panache
in the LPO brass. Slatkin resists the
tendency to dwell too lovingly on some
of the quieter sections, as other conductors
are prone to do, although at one point
the performance does almost grind to
a halt! Personally, I much prefer performances
where the music is pushed along rather
than being subjected to an almost microscopic
examination. The coda here is particularly
successful and is driven along to a
compelling and satisfying conclusion.
This is highly recommended. The remainder
of the disc is devoted to the First
Symphony. I have always admired Slatkin's
versions of the first and second symphonies
(not the third!) and those who have
heard and been impressed with his live
performances will not be disappointed.
Slatkin takes an even-handed approach,
perfectly paced, unlike Colin Davis
in his LSO Live recording, who takes
the opening of the symphony too slowly.
Slatkin gives an energetic, vibrant
and dynamic rendition, and although
one could possibly criticise the third
movement for being slightly too exaggerated
and overblown (more Mahlerian than Elgarian,
and the music really doesn't demand
that kind of treatment here), as a whole,
this is a powerful and moving performance.
When we remember that Elgar himself
took about 47 minutes for this work
and yet other conductors such as Sinopoli
and Tate take well over 60, we can understand
that there is a certain amount of leeway
to the amount of time the symphony can
take. The score indicates about 51 minutes
and Slatkin takes just over 52.
The second disc contains
the Second Symphony followed by the
Serenade for Strings and Salut
d’amour. Although there are a dozen
other versions of the Second Symphony
that are similarly characterised and
receive equally sympathetic performances,
this is still an impressive rendition.
To my mind, the climax of the second
movement is not quite overwhelming enough
and is eclipsed by Colin Davis’ live
performance with the LSO (LSO Live).
The rest of the symphony, however, is
sensitive, masterly, suitably intense
and most proficiently played. So, overall
the performances
of both
symphonies are
excellent, and certainly
will not disappoint
Elgar lovers.
The Serenade is elegantly played
but the second movement is a little
on the slow side. Slatkin's version
of Salut d’amour is utterly charming
and a most welcome conclusion to the
disc.
The third disc contains
the two earlier overtures, Froissart
and Cockaigne, as well as
the Enigma Variations. Froissart
was written in 1890 and was Elgar’s
only substantial work for full orchestra
until 1899, the year of the Enigma
Variations and Elgar’s subsequent
catapulting to national and international
recognition. This nine-year gap includes
some excellent choral and orchestral
works, written for the major music festivals
such as Leeds and Birmingham. Many theories
have been put forward as to why Elgar
did not tackle any other purely orchestral
work in this period. However, the fact
remains that Froissart, despite
its early gestation (although the composer
was 33 when it was written), does contain
some very characteristic Elgarian touches.
Some of these are brilliantly encapsulated
in this performance but unfortunately,
taken as a whole, it is not a particularly
inspired interpretation. Slatkin rarely
seems to get the tempo consistently
right and the result is a hotchpotch
of different sections which never seem
to come together as one overall conception.
Cockaigne is far more successful
and is an excellently characterised
performance. I have serious reservations
with Slatkin’s reading of the ensuing
Enigma Variations. It gets off
to a bad start, being much too slow
and lugubrious for my liking. Variation
II (H. D. S-P) is far too measured
and restrained. The performance doesn’t
truly come alive until Variation VII
(Troyte) with the timpani and
brass beautifully captured. Although
the pianopianissimo at the beginning
of Nimrod is conscientiously
observed, Elgar’s tempo markings are
not. With crotchet equalling 52, we
should get to the end of bar 17 at one
minute. Slatkin gets there in two minutes
exactly and the whole movement takes
5’ instead of 2’ 52" in Elgar’s
own performance. Can this be the slowest
Nimrod since Bernstein? The entire
performance comes across as far too
reserved and non-committed, and falls
far below, for example, the exquisite
1970 Boult recording, or Handley on
EMI, which I would recommend instead.
On the final disc we
have a coupling of the two string concertos
with accompaniment from the St. Louis
Symphony Orchestra (SLSO), rather than
the London Philharmonic as on the other
three discs. Pinchas Zukerman first
recorded the Elgar concerto in 1976
under Barenboim and this later RCA recording
was made in 1993. It is very uncommon
for a recording of an Elgar concerto
to have no participants from the United
Kingdom – one tends to find a foreign
conductor and soloist but with an English
orchestra. However, in this case the
SLSO under their then principal conductor
make a compelling contribution to this
disc. Zukerman, on the other hand, produces
a rather distant performance with little
insight into the ‘soul’ and character
of the music. His detachment is easily
illustrated if one follows the score
and takes note of Elgar’s meticulous
dynamic markings. Zukerman makes very
little distinction between ppp and
f in some passages. This is well
illustrated in the first movement where
there is the sudden diminuendo from
f to ppp two bars before
19. This diminuendo is barely observed
and unless these subtle nuances are
scrupulously followed, the music can
easily lose its passion and intensity,
ending up sounding simply ‘matter of
fact’. It should be remembered that
this score is prefaced by a quotation
in Spanish "aqui esta encerrada
el alma de ….". This quotation
is usually translated as "here
is enshrined the soul of…" However,
an equally good translation might be
"here is imprisoned the soul of…"
A point few commentators take note of,
I think the latter gives a completely
different slant to Elgar’s intentions
and seems to be the translation favoured
by Zukerman! The same observations apply
to the second and final movements during
which, although well played, the performance
as a whole never takes flight as it
should. There are many other better
performances than this on disc. I would
personally recommend the – as far as
I’m concerned – unrivalled Sammons recording
on Pearl above all others (and similarly
with the Delius violin concerto, of
which Sammons’ version is simply unsurpassable)
but realise that historical recordings
are not to everyone’s taste. Otherwise,
Kennedy under either Rattle or Handley,
or Menhuin under Boult can be trusted
to give outstanding renditions, as would
be expected.
Janos Starker is not
a well-known exponent of the Elgar cello
concerto but he gives us a measured,
straight-forward, unsentimental approach
to the work. It is technically secure
but at times the sound seems rather
lean. He goes for rather conservative
tempi in the second movement and achieves
a stark nobility in the fourth movement.
The SLSO under Slatkin give an alert,
sympathetic and unobtrusive accompaniment.
So, all in all, this
is a bit of a mixed bag and it is difficult
to give the set a wholehearted recommendation.
Whilst the performances of the two concertos
are not top-rate, they will certainly
not disappoint. However, one would be
hard-pressed to be able to tolerate
repeated hearings of the, at times dirge-like,
Enigma Variations. It may be, although,
that the potential purchaser has already
obtained a satisfactory version of the
Variations and is now looking to explore
Elgar's orchestral music further. Since
this collection contains top ranking
versions of the two symphonies and is
excellent value for money, it can be
recommended. However, the competition
is very strong in this sector and there
are alternative, and equally good collections
available such as those by Previn, Handley,
Andrew Davis and Elgar himself (the
EMI Elgar Editions) which I would also
highly commend.
Em Marshall
Leonard Slatkin, London Philharmonic Orchestra
(Discs 1-3), St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (Disc
4), Janos Starker (cello), Pinchas Zukerman (violin)
