Top 10 Elgar recordings
Gramophone
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Elgar's lyrical side conjures up tranquil pastoral beauty; his pomposity and ebullience remind us of the British bulldog – one with teeth
Cello Concerto
Jacqueline du Pré vc London Symphony Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli
'In principle her espressivo may be too freely romantic, but the slow movement and epilogue remain supreme in their intensity, conveying in whispered pianissimos of daring delicacy an inner communion, while the bravura of the brilliant passages remains astonishing from an artist still only 20...'
Violin Concerto and Violin Sonata
Renaud Capuçon vn Stephen Hough pf London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
'Capuçon’s interpretation is undoubtedly an exceptional one in its affection and sympathy for the long, plangent lines of Elgar’s score; it is also a reading intensified by the empathetic support and élan of Rattle and the LSO...'
Pomp and Circumstance Marches
BBC Philharmonic / Sir Andrew Davis
'What a joy to hear No 1’s indestructible trio melody unfold with such heartwarming naturalness and spontaneity – and how perceptively Davis quarries the dark undertow of the magnificently defiant No 3...'
Symphony 2
London Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Adrian Boult
'It is a record to make one give thanks that Sir Adrian, for a while prevented by illness from completing his project of re-recording the Elgar symphonies, then returned to the studio at his most inspired...'
Enigma Variations
London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Adrian Boult
'Plenty of Enigma recordings have been added to the catalogue since 1970 when this Boult recording was made, but none has surpassed it in authority and fidelity...'
Dream of Gerontius
Paul Groves (Gerontius), Alice Coote (Angel), Bryn Terfel (Priest/Angel of the Agony) Hallé, Hallé Choir, Hallé Youth Choir / Sir Mark Elder
'It is, by a mile, the best-sounding Gerontius we have had, handsome in its depth and breadth with great spatial perspectives and a wonderful sense of how the score is layered...'
The Apostles
Sols; Hallé & Hallé Youth Choir & Hallé Choir / Sir Mark Elder
'Not only does Elder obtain playing and singing of the utmost accomplishment and sensitivity, his hugely penetrating interpretation evinces an idiomatic pliancy, sure dramatic instinct and iron grip (the magnificent final climax to ‘The Ascension’ has a giant inevitability about it), as well as scrupulous fidelity to both the letter and spirit of the score...'
Piano Quintet
Garrick Ohlsson pf Takács Quartet
'Ohlsson and the Takács are to be congratulated for the warmth of their interpretation and for their ability to encompass the challenging range of Elgar’s complex moods...'
Sea Pictures
Janet Baker mez London Symphony Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli
'Until this recording, Sea Pictures had tended to be under-prized even among Elgarians; but the passion, intensity and sheer beauty of this performance with each of the five songs sharply distinct rebutted any idea that—in reflection of verse of varying quality—it had anything of sub-standard Elgar in it...'
Symphony No 1
Staatskapelle Berlin / Daniel Barenboim
'There isn’t a tempo, a turn of phrase or a rubato anywhere that I would take issue with. More importantly, the whole feels thoroughly integrated and gloriously spontaneous. This is up there, you’ll have gathered, with the very finest that the gramophone has yet given us of this great – and finally, I hope, universally celebrated – symphony...'
