COMPOSERS: Elgar
LABELS: Philips Duo
WORKS: Symphony No.1; Symphony No. 2; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 2; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 3; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 5; Cockaigne Overture
PERFORMER: LSO, RPO/André Previn
CATALOGUE NO: 454 250-2 (1986-94)
Previn’s Elgar is rather too middle-of-the-road for its own good. There are plenty of fine things here, such as the well-sustained Adagio of the First Symphony or the fiery Scherzo of the Second. But there are also missed opportunities in both works: the tentative Allegros of the First’s outer movements, or the matter-of -fact final pages of the Second Symphony, which really lack the required sunset glow. The playing is satisfactory throughout, though neither orchestra plays together at all times – nor do the recordings possess optimum clarity. Stephen Maddock
Elgar: Symphony No.1; Symphony No. 2; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 2; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 3; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4; Pomp and Circumstance March No. 5; Cockaigne Overture
Previn’s Elgar is rather too middle-of-the-road for its own good. There are plenty of fine things here, such as the well-sustained Adagio of the First Symphony or the fiery Scherzo of the Second. But there are also missed opportunities in both works: the tentative Allegros of the First’s outer movements, or the matter-of -fact final pages of the Second Symphony, which really lack the required sunset glow. The playing is satisfactory throughout, though neither orchestra plays together at all times – nor do the recordings possess optimum clarity. Stephen Maddock
Our rating
3
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:38 pm