The popularity of Elgar's
Enigma Variations is reflected
by the ever-increasing number of recordings.
It is all the more important, therefore,
that an individual recording is able
to hold its own against the competitors,
some of which are of an exceedingly
high standard.
This particular version,
recorded in 1989 by David Zinman conducing
the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, is
a good but unexceptional interpretation,
giving a rather conventional and unexciting
performance of works that demand great
characterisation.
The disc commences
with a leisurely Cockaigne Overture.
Zinman's version is not as nostalgic
and slushy as many others, yet one felt
that it had gone too far in the opposite
direction. It is smooth, sophisticated,
polite, relaxed. Although there are
some lovely touches – lots of gorgeous
portamento for example, a tremendous
sound from the organ at the end and
a beautifully prominent tuba at the
first entry of the brass band, yet Zinman
stands too far back, and the performance
needs to be more emotional. This is
a very middle-of-the-road rendition,
no risks are taken and the result is
something safe and tame, neither rumbustious
nor sentimentally indulgent. Cockaigne
is a portrayal of London – the sights,
sounds, smells of the old London town
are meant to impact forcefully upon
one with this vivid picture of Elgar’s,
and this performance doesn’t paint the
rough and realistic image of London
that it should. For example, although
the brass are generally bristling and
pronounced throughout, at the entry
of the brass band, one should be able
to see the spartan, cocky brass band
parading, roistering, down the street
– this section is not meant to be pretty
and formal and elegant as Zinman makes
it (the entries in particular are far
too prescribed, starched and punctilious).
The music should reach out and grab
you, it should be tense, moving, intense,
and here it is simply not brash enough.
The performance does not have the swagger
(again, especially in the brass) that
Cockaigne demands and sounds
far too polished. Taken at a rather
pedestrian pace, the entire work comes
across as rather dirge-like, subdued
and reserved.
The Enigma is
not a huge improvement. One could argue
that we already have far too many versions
of this masterpiece, and that this particular
one is superfluous as it has nothing
more to offer, and does not stand out
from the rest. As with Cockaigne,
it is extremely well-played by the Baltimore
Symphony Orchestra, with particularly
nimble string-playing in Troyte.
Again, slightly on the slow side, this
version has its charm, yet one very
much feels that it is a conservative,
safe performance of the work, almost
slightly lame and pedestrian. The beginning
of Nimrod is marked triple pianissimo,
and this means that one should be straining
to hear it. Few conductors manage to
achieve this, and Zinman is one of those
who doesn’t. The dynamics in the BGN
variation are fairly poor, too, and
in general, Zinman does not bring out
the contrasts in the variations particularly
well. So this is a fairly routine version
of Enigma, and one that does
not justify buying if one already has
another recording. I would, for example,
highly recommend the 1970 Boult recording
with the LSO (now re-released on EMI),
which combines clarity with vivacity.
Boult has a way of performing Nimrod
sensitively yet without over-doing
it, conveying the variation’s sentiment
effectively without being over-sentimental.
His dog bark in GRS is surely the classic
version, and his percussion section
responds with vigour and energy, particularly
in EDU.
Zinman’s disc concludes
with the Serenade for Strings and
Salut d’amour. The playing here
is again of an extremely high standard
although one might wish for a little
more animation and vitality in the works
(particularly in the first two movements
of the Serenade, which come across
as lethargic and rather sluggish). There
is some nice portamento in the Salut
d’amour, but like the Serenade,
it is just too soft, gentle and elegiac,
and it seems to lack spirit.
No-one would actually
be severely disappointed by this disc
but with the plethora of recordings,
there is no particular reason why one
should choose this over a version by
Boult, Handley, or even Elgar himself
(The EMI Elgar Edition recordings).
Zinman’s disc is competent, but slightly
uninspired, with a tendency to linger
too much, and not enough life and sparkle.
This is a great shame, because Zinman
is a devoted Elgarian, and has conducted
a fair amount of Sir Edward’s works.
One felt that even the programmes notes
lacked authority and just did not come
across as very convincing. A good disc,
but by no means outstanding.
Em Marshall
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/David Zinman 
