Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E flat; Sospiri; Elegy

On this CD:

1. Sospiri for strings, harp & organ, Op.70
Composed by Edward Elgar
Performed by New Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Sir John Barbirolli

2. Elegy for string orchestra, Op.58
Composed by Edward Elgar
Performed by New Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Sir John Barbirolli

3. Symphony No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 63
Composed by Edward Elgar
Performed by Halle Orchestra
Conducted by Sir John Barbirolli

Tracks:

Piano Concerto In G Major: Adagio
Xerxes: Largo
Suite No.3 In D Major: Air
Adagio In G Minor
Le Erinnyes: Invocation
Elegy Op .58
Peer Gynt: Solveigs Lied
Notturno Op.70, No.1
Symphony No. 9 In E Minor: Largo
Concierto De Aranjuez: Adagio
Romance No. 2 In G Major Op. 50

Tracks:

Orfeo ed Euridice: Dance Of The Blessed Spirits
La Vierge: Dernier Sommeil Da La Vierge
Letzter Fruhling Op. 34, No. 2
Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
Symphony No. 5 In C Sharp Minor: Adagietto
Adagio For Strings
Sospiri Op. 70
Poeme Op. 25

Product Description

Classical music is hot. In fact, it is probably the biggest story of the l990s in the recording industry. Classical crossover hits like Nigel Kennedy's recording of Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons', Henryk Gorecki's 'Symphony no. 3', the Gregorian Chant album by the monks of Silo, and Michael Nyman's score for the Jane Campion film 'The Piano' - to name just a few - have broken out of classical music's traditional bounds and hit the pop charts. Suddenly, a classical recording that sells 10,000 units is no longer pushing the envelope; today's top classical releases are reaching sales heights formerly reserved for pop icons like Madonna and the Rolling Stones. This stunning turnaround in classical music's marketing power did not come out of nowhere, though. Celestial Harmonies helped set the stage for it with its Adagio (Complete Edition) (19908-2) series. Since 1981, long before the current interest in classical music began, Celestial Harmonies' compilations have been used worldwide for relaxation, meditation and even music therapy. And in a stunning reversal of music industry rules, absolutely no advertising or promotion was needed to achieve substantial sales figures. And while the rest of the classical world scurries around looking for the next big hit, Celestial Harmonies has released an updated digital version of an already proven winner: The Adagio series, a total of seven double-CDs. With sales of over 300,000 units in the past decade, the reason for the series' success is no mystery. As modern life has become increasingly complex and stressful, listeners have turned to music as a source of relief - especially the timeless, contemplative sounds of classical music. It seems that as the pace of our lives gets progressively faster, the music that many listeners are seeking is increasingly slow. The Adagio series, presents over seventeen hours of the world's finest slow music, making it the largest such collection anywhere. Adagio I includes the famous 'Air' from

Customer Reviews:

Excellent digital recording.......2003-03-18

I realize that classical music is something were there is a range of conesuirship, and I represent perhaps the lowest tier of appreciators. In my wholly uniformed opinion, "Adagio I" is an excellent classic music collection, containing well-executed pieces ranging from a few instruments to full orchestral ensembles, representing a variety of composers. The digital recording is remarkable, and an unexpectedly full sound comes from the CD. The 2 1/2 length is nice, split onto two disks.

Customer Reviews:

Super collection of Elgar's major works.......2004-06-28

Most compilations of composers works usually only feature, at best, maybe one or two works in recordings that are of outstanding quality, especially if different artists are featured. Such is absolutely not the case with this collection, one of the finest of its sort ever issued.

This box makes a perfect one stop shopping choice for the major, most-well-known works the British composer Sir Edward Elgar. The title is misleading though. The box, on 8 CDs at an incredible price, contains both Orchestral AND Choral works.
Since Amazon does not list the contents, I will :

Symphony Nos. 1 & 2 -- LPO , Solti
Serenade for strings - ASMF , Marriner
Intro and Allegro - ECO , Britten
Cello Concerto - Webber , RPO , Menuhin
Enigma Var. -- CSO , Colti
Cockaigne Over -- LPO , Solti
Violin Con -- Chung , LPO , Solti
Falstaff -- Montreal , Dutoit
Dream of Gerontius -- LSO , Britten
Sea Pictures -- RPO , Mackerras
In the South -- LPO , Solti
Pomp and Circumstance -- LPO , Solti
Imperial MArch -- Band of Grebadier Guards , Bashford
Sospri -- ASMF , Marriner
Elegy -- ASMF , Marriner
Wand of Youth -- Welsh NO , Mackerras
Starlight Express -- Welsh NO , Mackerras
Dream Children -- Welsh NO , Mackerras

Look up almost any of the individual works and you should be able to find these recordings in their individual issues, many with several 5 start ratings.

I won't elaborate on any of the specific recordings, just take my word for that there isn't a dud in the box.

Tracks:

Pomp And Circumstance March No. 4: Pomp And Circumstance March No.4
Sospiri
Chanson de matin
Chanson de nuit
Symphony No. 1: Andante: Nobilmente e semplice
Dream Children: Allegretto piacevole
Introduction And Allegro For Strings
Enigam Variations: Introduction
Ysobel
Troyte
W.N.
Nimrod
Elegy
Cello Concerto: Adagio - Moderato
Salut d'amour
In The South (Alassio)
Serenade For Strings: Allegro piacevole
Larghetto
Allegretto
POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE MARCH NO. 1: Pomp And Circumstance March No.1
Lux Aeterna

Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E flat; Sospiri; Elegy

Average customer rating:

Elgar personalized, passionate and devotional
Superlative Elgar From Barbirolli
An Outstanding Elgar CD

Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E flat; Sospiri; Elegy

Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Elgar: Symphony No.1, etc.

ASIN: B00000DOCU
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

Sospiri, Op.70 - New Philharmonia Orchestra
Elegy, Op.58 - New Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Allegro Vivace E Nobilmente - Halle Orchestra
II. Larghetto - Halle Orchestra
III. Rondo (Presto) - Halle Orchestra
IV. Moderato E Maestoso - Halle Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Elgar personalized, passionate and devotional.......2007-02-18

Sir John Barbirolli began his conducting career in 1927, being called in as an emergency replacement to conduct this symphony, Elgar's Symphony No. 2. For that reason and others, the opus was always special to Barbirolli and he conducted it many times over his career. The notes to this issue suggest Barbirolli's 43-year contractual agreement with EMI began as an outcome of that first performance.

Anyone who knows Sir John's work knows he is deliberate on the podium. Just about every recording he ever made, including that famous "Eroica" from 1967 that Brits still cling to, is constructed of deliberate tempi that allow the listener to hear every nuance of the score and scoring.

And so it is here in this recording of his beloved Elgar 2nd Symphony. His pace is slower than most other conductors, something that, ironically, endeared him to Americans and chilled him with the Penguin Guide authors, who have complained about Barbirolli tampering with tempi in this recording since its arrival.

Americans, on the other hand, seem to love his work. As American Record Guide stated in its most recent overview of English symphonies, "If you like slow tempos, it goes to the top of the list." It should be noted ARG
graded the Barbirolli stereo recording (an earlier mono version from 1954 is still available through EMI) at the top of its list of recommended recordings.

The stately tempi are apparent from the opening bars of that magisterial first subject in the opening movement, where Barbirolli leisurely, but dramatically, brings the Halle players into your living room. The conductor likes to speed up and slow down the action occasionally, which is what the Penguin Guide authors complain about. I find this adds warmth, rubato and charge to the music, which can be manic and italicized under the baton of a lesser conductor like Barenboim.

I think the larghetto is clearly the heart of Barbirolli's performance. Listen for the brass chorale with descending string motif in the middle of the movement, followed soon by wind counterpoint against brass and strings that comprise the emotional center. Here Barbirolli caress Elgar's notes, briniging to life all the feelings inherent in the score and, perhaps, the composer's current vision.

While Elgar denied it, many continue to believe the symphony represents anticipated doom from the Great War that was expected to devastate the continent. But just as Ralph Vaughan Williams denied any war link to his violent Symphony No. 4 -- and a listener is advised to accept that -- you should accept the composer's notion that this opus represents a less complex but more emotional musical landscape than his popular Symphony No. 1.

Barbirolli is careful to project the composer's mixed emotions; note how he moves almost seemelessly out of the adagio and into the rondo before going headlong into its jolly and more rapid rhythms. Sir John is clearly a devotee of the music and his individual ideas about it form his singular drama and passion that's always sympathetic to the world inside Elgar's head and heart.

While a poor performance led by the conductor may have resulted in audiences sitting like "stuck pigs" when this music was first played, no audience member would sit still for long while this performance was ongoing. This recording says a lot about both Elgar's and Barbirolli's English roots and spirit and the way they merged to create a very special rumination through the symphony.

The Halle Orchestra plays exceptionally here, as does the New Philharmonia in the shorter pieces, and the recording is pretty good for being more than 40 years old. An occasional spotlighted instrument does nothing to diminish the recording or the impact of the performance. This will probably always be considered de rigeur in this music for people that accept Sir John's rigors as labor of British love.

Superlative Elgar From Barbirolli.......2005-05-09

Elgar's 2nd Symphony (1910-11) is, to my ears, not only the composer's finest work, but arguably the greatest of ALL English symphonies. This very expressive, deeply thoughtful, and well-recorded performance was done by Barbirolli in the mid-1960's with his beloved Halle Orchestra. Barbirolli opts for fairly broad tempos that allow many details to stand out more fully than the norm (e.g., I have never heard the harp part so clearly before). The result is one of the most majestic and moving performances on disc.

This is my favorite stereo Elgar 2nd. I prefer it to Barbirolli's earlier mono recording and to all but one of Boult's 5 recordings. The three Elgar 2nds that would go with me to the proverbial "desert island" are this Barbirolli, the 1957 Boult/London Philharmonic (in early stereo on an out of print Nixa CD that needs re-issue), and the composer's 1927 recording with the London Symphony (in surprisingly good sound, best heard on a 5-LP box set from EMI called "Images of Elgar," which includes a fascinating rehearsal segment where Elgar explains some of the rhythmic niceties of the 3rd movement).

Where Boult scores over Barbirolli is in rhythmic precision (especially in the Larghetto), his seamless tempo transitions in the first movement, and the extraordinary pounding ostinato of the Rondo's episode where Elgar's fantasy of being buried "a yard beneath the street" recalls Tennyson's words "The hoofs of the horses beat, Beat into my scalp and brain." Boult is a bit closer to Elgar on these points, although the composer is consistently the fastest of the three conductors (no doubt motivated by the dictates of 4 minute 78 rpm sides). This was Boult at his very finest - in fact, it's my single favorite performance by him of ANYTHING outside of his near-definitive Vaughan Williams recordings (see my review of his stereo EMI set). However, neither Elgar nor Boult is as compellingly moving as Barbirolli in the climax of the Adagio (where the conductor can be heard urging on the Halle's strings), or in the 4th movement, where Barbirolli best captures the music's elegaic sense of the sun setting on both the Edwardian era and the British Empire.

Barbirolli's wonderful performance has my highest recommendation for a stereo Elgar 2nd, along with the currently unavailable 1957 Boult (Nixa). But be sure to give the composer's own version a try as well, if you can find it.

Jeff Lipscomb

An Outstanding Elgar CD.......2000-12-02

Definitive performances of music that exemplifies the best of Elgar. The symphony was written to express Elgar's and the nation's grief on the death of Edward, Queen Victoria's successor; no monarch could ask for a better memorial. The two short pieces, "Sospiri" and "Elegy" fit well emotionally with the symphony.

Average customer rating:

Chill Classics

Manufacturer: Golden Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Tracks:

Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 II: Romance
Romance in C major, Op. 40 - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
From Holberg's Time, Suite in the Ancient Style, Op. 40: Andante ... - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Arlenne -- Suite No. 1 III: Adagietto - Munich Symphony Orchestra
Nocturnes, Op. 37: Nocturne in G minor, Op. 37/1 - Peter Schmalfuss
Symphony in G major II: Larghetto
From: Suite Espa, Op. 47: Granada - Irina Kircher
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 II: Adagio un poco mosso - Slovak Philharmonic,
Kol Nidrei -- Adagio for violoncello and orchestra, Op. 47
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 III: Poco allegretto

Tracks:

Concerto in C minor for piano and orchestra No. 2, Op. 18 II: Adagio S - Yuri A. Rozum
Crisantemi, Andante mesto, Op. 70 - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Serenade No. 10 in B flat major, K. 361 "Gran Partita" IV: Adagio - Lajos Lencses, , , , ,
Whispering Woods - Peter Schmalfuss
Sospiri, Adagio, Op. 70 - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 II: Larghetto
String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11 II: Andante cantabile
Prdes, Book 1 No. 8: La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin - Peter Schmalfuss
Symphony No. 5 II: Adagietto - Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana

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