The catalogue already lists a supremely enjoyable‚ super­budget live version of Elgar’s A flat Symphony under Sir Colin Davis (part of a charity concert from May 1985 with the BBC SO). However‚ this thrillingly combustible LSO Live newcomer belongs to a different league altogether‚ easily holding its own in the most exalted company. Davis’s is a patient‚ noble conception‚ yet lacking absolutely nothing in thrusting drama‚ fresh­faced character and tender poetry. Certainly‚ Sir Colin steers a marvellously confident course through the epic first movement‚ the music­making always comprehensive in its emotional scope and hitting genuine heights in the development (try from the Grandioso marking at fig 28‚ 11'01"). The Scherzo is another great success‚ the glinting‚ defiant swagger of the outer portions counterbalanced by the delectable grace and point these eloquent players lavish on the Trio. My sole interpretative quibble surrounds Davis’s inorganic slackening of tempo during the sublime transition into the slow movement; go to Barbirolli’s unforgettable 1956 Hallé account or Boult’s less tidy‚ but wonderfully cogent 1949 reading (now happily reissued on Testament) to hear how it should be done. As for the great Adagio itself‚ Davis’s intensely devotional approach works beautifully‚ though for this particular listener that elusive tingle­factor could have been higher. The finale‚ however‚ positively surges with purposeful bite‚ fire and sinew (how the LSO’s lower strings really tuck into their superb counterpoint from fig 127‚ 5'59")‚ while the glorious closing pages really do raise the roof‚ Elgar’s stringendo marking at fig 150 (12'13") bringing one last‚ tremendous burst of energy from all involved. Tony Faulkner’s expertly balanced sound has not quite the bloom that the EMI and Decca engineers achieved for Boult and Solti on their classic analogue versions‚ but‚ a couple of moments of slight strain apart‚ it amply conveys the tingling electricity and physical impact of a special event (Elgar’s distinctive bass­drum writing is especially well captured and the understandably enthusiastic applause has been retained). Excellent presentation too. For just a fiver‚ one to snap up without further ado – and here’s to Nos 2 and 3 due later this year!