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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Elgar: Violin Concerto & Introduction and Allegro
“This remains Nigel Kennedy’s finest achievement on record, arguably even finer than the long line of versions with star international soloists from either outside or within Britain. With Vernon Handley as guide it is a truly inspired and inspiring performance and the recording is outstandingly faithful and atmospheric.” Penguin Guide | 
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| |  | Elgar: Violin & Cello Concertos
Sir Adrian Boult conducts the London Philharmonic and BBC Symphony orchestras with soloists Alfredo Campoli and Pablo Casals in Elgar’s two great string concertos. |
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| |  | Elgar: Violin Concerto
The long-awaited and much anticipated recording by Tasmin Little of Elgar’s Violin Concerto will be released this November, 100 years after the work’s first performance. In concert Tasmin Little is closely associated with this concerto, having celebrated the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Edward Elgar with performances of it on a major tour to Southeast Asia and Australia in 2007; she has also performed the concerto extensively in London: at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, and with the Philharmonia Orchestra in the Royal Festival Hall. What makes this recording especially interesting is that she has included the cadenza used in the work’s first recording, made in 1916 with Marie Hall. For that occasion, Elgar, amongst other things, added harps to counter the sonic limitations of the acoustic recording process. For those used to hearing the standard version, also included, the result makes for fascinating listening, and the recording will prove a valuable addition to the Elgar discography. The 1916 version of the cadenza has been tracked separately. Tasmin Little: ‘I have waited a long time to record the Elgar Concerto, a work that I have been playing for twenty years and one which is so close to my heart. In the inspirational Andrew Davis and the RSNO’s commitment, I found exactly the right partnership for this monumental work.’ The Violin Concerto is complemented by another piece for violin and orchestra, the charming Interlude from The Crown of India, as well as the rarely recorded but imposing Polonia, an inventive and colourful work incorporating much Polish melodic material. This was commissioned by the Polish conductor Emil Młynarski in 1915 and dedicated to Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the pianist-composer and, later, Prime Minister of Poland. Since coming to prominence as a finalist in the string section of the 1982 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, Tasmin Little has enjoyed an international career, making more than twenty recordings. Highly imaginative in her approach to classical music, she received the 2008 Classic FM / Gramophone Award for Audience Innovation in London for the project ‘The Naked Violin’. Whilst she has made superb recordings of the great popular violin concertos, including those by Bruch, Brahms, and Sibelius, she has made a speciality of recording and performing less familiar repertoire, especially neglected British works. On Chandos, she has released a recording of Finzi’s Violin Concerto to tremendous critical acclaim (CHAN9888). Sir Andrew Davis is famous for his performances of British music in general, and of the music of Elgar in particular. Last year he had great success with the premiere recording of Elgar’s The Crown of India on Chandos (CHAN10570(2)). Chandos also has a long association with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Over the last thirty years the label, in partnership with the RSNO, has produced a string of award winning CDs, notable among much else for their sound quality. This new CD, recorded in five-channel surround sound, continues that tradition. “If ever a violin concerto deserved the feminine touch, it is Elgar’s...[Little] knows just how to make her violin sing, subtly swelling and fading through the solo part’s lyrical lines as Elgar penetrates the mysteries and wonder of the feminine soul...[She] is tender, velvet, winsome, always beguiling, never de trop, with complete mastery of the pianissimo caress .” The Times, 12th November 2010 **** “Little...finds an element of wit in the fast-moving figuration [of the finale], leading to a more tender treatment of the lyrical contrasting sections.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2010 “This may have been a bumper year for this work...but Little brings a profoundly idiomatic nostalgia to this secretive, yearning, wistful yet passionate music. The extras make it an Elgarian must-have” Sunday Times, 28th November 2010 *** “Little and Davis steer a near-perfect path between the English stoicism and continental passion that lies at the heart of this glorious score. Positioned naturally against the orchestra, Little shares the concerto's surging emotional narrative equally with her accompanists, without the slightest hint of virtuoso ostentation.” Classic FM Magazine, January 2011 ***** “She takes the opening Allegro boldly, and with plenty of confident ardour...Far more than was possible in the early recordings, there is scrupulous balance, with and sometimes within Elgar's rich but always lucid orchestration (he was, after all, a violinist himself) ensuring that the performance does as full justice to the sound as any on record.” International Record Review, December 2010 | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: Violin Concerto
Following success in the 2009 Classic FM Gramophone Awards the Hallé and Sir Mark Elder return to the music of Elgar, coupling the much loved Violin Concerto with the Prelude to the lesser known oratorio The Kingdom and Elgar’s own arrangement of highlights from The Dream of Gerontius. A stunning new interpretation of Elgar’s masterpiece from one of the world’s most dynamic violinists. The performance is alive with passion and dynamism, yet imbued with the beautiful poetry for which Elder’s interpretations of Elgar have been acclaimed. Part of a planned trilogy of oratorios about the Apostles (which he never completed) was written in 1905 when Elgar underwent some spiritual crisis which shook his religious faith and he was also physically unwell. The music leaves an impression of lyrical tenderness and deep sadness. Elgar responded to demands, particularly from the conductor Henry Wood, for extracts from Gerontius which could be performed as concert pieces, in the manner of Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Elgar’s solemn and elevating Prelude was an obvious choice for this treatment and, like Wagner, he then went to the end of the work and the point at which Gerontius’s guardian angel (mezzo-soprano) sings seraphically of how she will accompany him "o'er the penal waters" of Purgatory, bearing him “softly and gently” in her arms. When he worked on this arrangement at the end of 1900, Elgar removed the chorus lines and made the vocal part optional and he conducted it for orchestra only at Bradford on 16 February 1901. Four days later Wood conducted the first London performance (the first music by Elgar that he conducted) but included the vocal part, as on this recording. Thomas Zehetmair is one of the most significant violinists of his generation. He enjoys a successful international career thrilling audiences and critics with his abilities as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor and has been the recipient of many international recording awards. “…[the Hallé’s] form under Mark Elder is rock solid, splendiferous in ensemble and tone; I’d rather listen to them play English music than any other orchestra in the world.” The Times “a towering performance of Elgar’s Violin Concerto with Thomas Zehetmair, a soloist of fierce intelligence. Unlocking the work’s volcanic emotions …he certainly found the reflective tenderness. He and Elder’s taut yet flexible orchestra were at one in the visionary poetry of the finale, making this a performance of exceptional detail – happily one that will appear on the orchestra’s own CD label.” The Sunday Telegraph “Coote’s performance is a marvel … and perfectly nuanced throughout” The Guardian “...[an] exceptional recording of the work, Zehetmair's playing is...passionate and openly expressive.” The Guardian, 25th February 2010 ***** “risk-taking and passionately intense” The Telegraph, 26th March 2010 **** “Zehetmair...is able to marry impassioned purpose with appreciation of Elgar's complexity...Mark Elder's direction is stunning...there's a warm glow about the Hallé sound that adds an extra strand of specialness.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2010 ***** “Zehetmair and Elder scrupulously observe Elgar’s copious expression marks, the soloist’s expansive phrasing enhanced by judicious portamento and exquisite filigree decoration. Elder’s understanding of tempo variegation in this music is now second nature to him...he shows again that he and the Hallé have few rivals in this music.” Sunday Times, 18th April 2010 **** “...this latest version blows the others...out of the water..Zehetmair's reading is one of greater intimacy, whilst its intensity holds you in an iron grip from first note to last...In the slow movement Zehetmair and Elder are quietly moving, with the kind of unhistrionic approach that allows the music's latent beauty to flower” Gramophone Magazine, August 2010 “This is a fascinating document for Elgar-lovers, but Little's performance, wistful, poetic and powerful, with sympathetic accompaniment from Davis and the RSNO, demands attention in its own right.” The Observer, 7th November 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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(Recorded 1983 & 1984) ‘Kennedy’s recording of the Concerto is not to be missed. The violinist amazes with his total command. In alliance with a conductor second to none as an Elgar interpreter, Kennedy produces a reading to match any in imagination and technical mastery.’ (The Gramophone) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: Violin Concerto
“Astonishingly, in the case of the first two movements at least, this release, recorded during the week following a live concert at Birmingham's Symphony Hall in July 1997, fully re-creates the heady excitement of that memorable event.
From every conceivable point of view – authority, panache, intelligence, intuitive poetry, tonal beauty and emotional maturity – Kennedy surpasses his 1985 Gramophone Award-winning EMI Eminence recording (now on Classics for Pleasure). The first movement is a magnificent achievement all round, with tension levels extraordinarily high for a studio project. Rattle launches the proceedings in exemplary fashion, his direction passionate, ideally flexible and texturally lucid (the antiphonally divided violins help). The CBSO, too, is on top form. But it's Kennedy who rivets the attention from his commanding initial entry onwards. There's no hiding in this of all scores and Kennedy penetrates to the very essence of 'the soul enshrined within' in his melting presentation of the 'Windflower' theme – Elgar's dolce semplice realised to tear-spilling perfection. The slow movement is almost as fine. Only the finale oddly dissatisfies. Not in terms of technical address or co-ordination (both of which are stunning); rather, for all the supreme accomplishment on show, the results aren't terribly moving. Despite any lingering doubts about this last movement we're still left with an enormously stimulating and well-engineered display.
The fill-up is a provocative account of TheLark Ascending, which Kennedy (whose tone is ravishing) and Rattle spin out to 17 and a half minutes.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: Violin Concerto & Enigma Variations
Diapason d'Or Award “a passing of the musical baton from one generation to the next if ever there was one, and a very moving one at that. Elgar's reading is an aptly broad, reflective one, while Menuhin's playing still astonishes for its technical ease and maturity of insight.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2012 “Elgar's conducting for Menuhin in the Violin Concerto's opening orchestral tutti is magnificent, as is his solicitous, attentive accompaniment throughout the work. Menuhin's youthful, wonderfully intuitive musicianship in fact needed little 'instruction', and the success of the recording may be judged from the fact that there have been few periods in the years since it was first issued when it hasn't been available in some shape or form. Beatrice Harrison first studied the Cello Concerto for an abridged, pre-electric recording with Elgar conducting. So impressed was the composer then that he insisted that she should be the soloist whenever he conducted the work again. Their authoritative performance is deeply felt and highly expressive, but it has a quality of nobility and stoicism which comes as a refreshing change from some overindulgent modern performances.
Since the original matrices were destroyed, EMI's engineers had to return to the 1957 tape for this transfer; although the 1957 engineers did not quite capture all the body of the originals there's an impressive clarity in the transfer, now brightened a little more for CD. The 1970s transfer of the Harrison/Elgar Cello Concerto was impressively managed, and this reissue has given still more presence to the sound without any sense of falsification.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61
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| |  | Elgar: Violin Concerto, Salut d'Amour & Offertoire
Staatskapelle Weimar, Stefan Solyom Featuring Catherine Manoukian on violin, Berlin Classics is proud to present this live new recording of Elgar’s Violin Concerto, coupled with Salut d’Amour and Offertoire. Catherine Manoukian has performed on an international stage across many North American and Canadian concert platforms and has recorded and released five CDs to critical acclaim. “Manoukian's account of the Elgar [Concerto] is brimful of expressive fibre, acumen and intrepid character. Moreoever, she distils no want of wistful tenderness or fragrant poetry when the music demands it...Manoukian is watchfully partnered by Stefan Solyom and his beautifully prepared Weimar band (which can boast a particularly eloquent viola section)...her playing evinces both passion and grace in abundance. Well worth checking out.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2013 “What is ‘special’ about this version? To my ear it is the total unity of vision between soloist, orchestra and podium...Manoukian is completely on top of this work which is demanding both in its length and virtuosity. Throughout, this is a vibrantly passionate performance but one that does not sacrifice beauty of tone. At the same time, she does not exaggerate the music’s high Romanticism...a potent and exciting team. More please.” MusicWeb International, April 2013 |
| | | Scheduled for release on 24 June 2013. Order it now and we will deliver it as soon as it is available. |
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| |  | Yehudi Menuhin, Vol. 51926, 1948
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