Andrew Davis reviews
Raymond Yiu: The World Was Once All Miracle, etc
Massenet: Thaïs
Elgar: The Music Makers; The Spirit of England
Finzi: Cello Concerto; Eclogue; Nocturne (New Year Music); Grand Fantasia and Toccata
Goossens: Symphony No. 2; Phantasy Concerto
Bliss: The Enchantress, etc
Andrew Davis conducts Elgar's Falstaff and Orchestral Songs
Andrew Davis’s Falstaff brought at least one thing into focus for me: years after I first heard it I’m still waiting for a light to go on. This profusely inventive late score is so full of brilliant, colourful, atmospheric music that by rights it ought to be a masterpiece. And yet, even after a performance as vivid and authoritative as this one, I still can’t see the whole for the parts. Overall there’s something bafflingly elusive about it. Above all there’s that bizarre ending: definitely not a bang, and barely even a whimper.
Sir Andrew Davis's interpretation of Vaughan Williams's Sinfonia Antartica 'gathers scale and momentum'
Vaughan Williams’s Piano Concerto still has a daunting reputation – its percussive chromatic runs completely overwhelmed its dedicatee Harriet Cohen. The late Joseph Cooper prepared this two-piano edition, for which the composer added extra bars and a serene closing cadenza, with a striking final fade well suited to Louis Lortie’s expansive yet nuanced approach. Either he or Hélène Mercier could probably polish off the original by themselves, but their partnership develops its intensity without strain, particularly attractive in rich SACD sound.