Edward William Elgar

Few are aware that Sir Edward Elgar was an organist in his youth and that he composed two major pieces for his instrument, Vesper Voluntaries and a large, lyrical Sonata for Organ in G major which is on a par with the great works of the repertory flourishing in France and Germany at the approach of the 20th century.

Two brilliant and cheerful works, an Imperial March and the first of the Pomp and Circumstances marches, extol ‘A Land of hope and glory’. Chanson de nuit, Chanson de matin and Nimrod, three beautiful organ transcriptions nicely illustrate the composer’s musical expression, always seductive and beautiful.

To mark Libor Pešek’s eightieth birthday, Supraphon presents a representative selection of large orchestral recordings he made from 1981 to 1989. Compositions by Josef Suk, who has occupied a privileged position in Pešek’s career, are featured alongside paramount Impressionist pieces – Debussy’s La mer and Ravel’s Suites from the ballet Daphnis et Chloé. Pešek’s recording of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 and Suk’s lesser-known suite Under the Apple Tree are being released on CD for the very first time.

The album also includes recordings of two concertos – Elgar’s Cello Concerto, with Michaela Fukačová, and Scriabin’s Piano Concerto, with Garrick Ohlsson. Within the illustrious career of Libor Pešek, a great and groundbreaking figure among Czech conductors, the period documented on this CD represents one of his peaks, the time of his most intensive collaboration with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, preceding his assuming the post of music director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. These digitally remastered recordings bear witness to Pešek’s remarkably nuanced work with the orchestral sound and sense for the great lines of Romantic orchestral scores. A living portrait of a major Czech conductor.

As the present principal conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sakari Oramo has chosen works by Edward Elgar, a composer whose music he has been a fervent advocate of since his tenure at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Oramo’s commitment to Elgar has been rewarded with a medal of honour from the British Elgar Society.

Oramo has already led the RSPO through a series of high-profile projects which has recently included a very successful tour of Japan. Oramo will be making his debut performance as Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the last night of the Proms.

All three works presented here have a melancholic tinge with Symphony No. 2 being dedicated to the memory of King Edward VII, accompanied by two smaller string works: Elegy and Sospiri (‘sighs’).

Back in 1920, having heard the young Adrian Boult conduct the Second Symphony, Sir Edward Elgar was certain: ‘My reputation in the future is safe in your hands. It was a wonderful series of sounds. Bless you!’ How right Elgar was, as this treasury confirms: the first set to unite all of Boult’s recordings for EMI of a composer he conducted and recorded throughout his long career. We can thereby hear four different versions of the Enigma Variations, recorded between 1936 and 1970, and marvel at their clear-sighted consistency as much as changing nuances of expression over the years.

The oldest recording in this collection, being Sir Adrian’s first of his long association with Elgar, that of the orchestration of the Chopin: Funeral March from his Piano Sonata No. 2, commissioned by the Gramophone Company, was attended by the composer and his daughter.

About a tenth of the total collection is available on CD for the first time in this box set.

This set is part of our series of releases marking 30 years since the conductor’s passing.

After having established her reputation for all time by singing ‘The Angel’ in Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius with Sir John Barbirolli in 1964, Dame Janet Baker became the mezzo-soprano of choice for numerous conductors, bringing to each performance her incisive musicality, clear diction and natural warmth of tone that endeared her to audiences all over the world. Her range was enormous - from Monteverdi through to 20th century composers, particularly Britten.

EMI is fortunate that it was able to capture so much of her unimpeachable artistic legacy and, although many classic recordings have been available on CD before, nearly 25% of the collection is new to this medium including her Monteverdi and Scarlatti with Leppard, two concerts of duets with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and many of her recordings of English and French songs. Indeed this collection is a fitting tribute to a remarkable talent who will shortly celebrate her 80th birthday.

Originally planned as an 85th birthday tribute, this set documents over 3 decades of exceptional artistry by the Sir Colin Davis, one of the musical pillars of the Philips label (now part of Decca Classics), who died Sunday 14th April 2013. He was a musician of incomparable integrity and class.

After signing to Philips exclusively in the mid-1960s, over more than three decades he then produced work for the label of the highest quality and range:-

• the first (and still greatest) Berlioz cycle

• pioneering Tippett,

• superb Haydn and Mozart,

• plus top-ranking Sibelius, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Dvorak and Britten, and much else.

His many recording orchestras included the English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony, BBC Symphony, Royal Opera House, Royal Concertgebouw, Boston Symphony, Bavarian Radio and Dresden Staatskapelle, as well as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics.

His great Philips collaborators on disc include Stephen Kovacevich, Kiri Te Kanawa, Jon Vickers, José Carreras, Jessye Norman, Arthur Grumiaux and Claudio Arrau.

An extraordinary number of his recordings have achieved legendary status and are enduring staples of the catalogue. This set balances all his most important musical spheres as well as many of his most important artistic relationships with soloists, orchestras and opera houses around the world.

The booklet notes are in English, French and German with an excellent appreciation of his work for Philips by Jeremy Hayes.

Sir Adrian Boult conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the five Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Dream Children 1&2, The Wand of Youth Suite No. 1 and the Nursery Suite. ‘Sir Adrian Boult – the incomparable Elgarian’.