Elgar - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 - Lyrita: SRCD221 - 2 CDs

In 1968, when Sir Adrian Boult recorded the two Elgar Symphonies for Lyrita, he wrote an open letter to Gramophone, couched diplomatically but reflecting his fury that at the sessions his recording... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Release Date: 30th Apr 2007
Catalogue No: SRCD221
Label: Lyrita
Length: 99 minutes

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September 2011

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Elgar: Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55

Work length48:33

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Adrian Boult
Recorded: January 1968
Recording Venue: Walthamstow Assembly Hall, United Kingdom

I. Andante. Nobilmente e semplice - Allegro

Track length18:28

II. Allegro molto

Track length7:14

III. Adagio

Track length10:27

IV. Lento - Allegro

Track length12:24

Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 63

Work length51:12

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Adrian Boult

I. Allegro vivace e nobilmente

Track length16:31

II. Larghetto

Track length13:17

III. Rondo, Presto

Track length8:26

IV. Moderato e maestoso

Track length12:58

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Recorded 1968

2 CDs for the price of 1

Reviews

2010

In 1968, when Sir Adrian Boult recorded the two Elgar Symphonies for Lyrita, he wrote an open letter to Gramophone, couched diplomatically but reflecting his fury that at the sessions his recording manager had forced him on technical grounds to have all the violins on the left instead of his usual habit of dividing them between the two sections. That said, and 40 years on, the comparisons with Boult's other recordings of the Elgar symphonies demonstrate very clearly how fine they are, arguably the finest versions he ever recorded.
Compared with the EMI versions recorded less than five years later, they are tauter, the ensemble noticeably crisper. The recording is brighter and clearer in this transfer. The difference is particularly marked in No 2 which, as Elgar said, was a work which Boult was the first conductor to make a success after the disappointing reception given at its premiere. The comparison is closer with the mono recording of No 2, which Boult recorded with the BBC SO in 1945, a superb performance but which is still marginally outshone by the Lyrita version.

September 2007

…40 years on the comparisons with Boult's other recordings of the Elgar symphonies demonstrate very clearly how fine they are, arguably the finest versions he ever recorded.

Offer,Elgar - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2

2 CDs

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