Elgar: Froissart Overture, Op. 19

“Elder, an inspired Elgarian who has a special relationship with this music” The Independent

“…Elder maintains a tension and sense of belief that The Music Makers very seldom receives. Beautifully balanced and superbly paced, this deeply sympathetic and intensely-felt reading is perhaps the most convincing I have ever heard. The couplings, especially an unusually cogent and exciting Froissart, are a delight to hear.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2005 *****

“The centrepiece is The Music Makers, here given a performance that is above all refined, with the full-ranging recording bringing out the subtlety of Elgar's orchestration.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2005

“As digital Falstaffs go, Sir Andrew Davis's 1995 account with the BBC SO remains arguably the front-runner. If both Elgar himself and Barbirolli impart the greater vulnerability and compassion to the illimitably moving closing pages, the irresistible symphonic current coursing through Davis's meticulously observant conception provides ample compensation. The figure. Rodney Macann as the Watergnome tends to steal the show, his dark, incisive bass very characterful. Ann Howard is wonderfully menacing as the Witch, while the fluttering vibrato of Phyllis Cannan as the Foreign Princess adds to the exotic image (in Act 2, when most of the characters are dressed in white, she stands out in a crimson gown). The three Woodsprites are lively, and incidental characters are well taken.
Mark Elder draws warm incisive playing from the orchestra, adding to the dramatic impact and underpinning the moving final scene, when the Prince kisses Rusalka, knowing it will mean his death.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“We can safely add [Robert Cohen's] name to a familiar rollcall, Du Pre (EMI) and Isserlis (Virgin) probably topmost. We can certainly add Mackerras's to a select group of pre-eminent Enigmas: it is really special ...Elgar's immaculately judged textures are sifted with scrupulous care and illumination ... The brass couldn't be riper, and the organ wells up nicely in this impressively full and immediate Decca recording. No question, a star-turn among current Enigmas” Gramophone Magazine

“there is plenty to admire, especially in Davis's account of the First Symphony. His approach to Elgar seems more reflective than before, wistful almost now, and that quality suffuses his account of the First in a haunting way” The Guardian, 1st April 2010 ****

“They are superb performances, with plenty of electricity and sense of occasion, well deserving the enthusiastic audience applause. The sublime and tragic Larghetto of No. 2 in particular is wonderfully well-paced...[Froissart] receives a sterling performance.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2010 ****

“…James Judd… gives Elgar's early overture an enhanced sense of seriousness and nobility that gives an individual slant to what is undoubtedly a highly competitive performance. The ensuing programme of miniatures makes for attractive listening, expounded with affection and a fine sense of Elgarian style. Above all Judd seems to understand the mercurial fluidity of rhythm and tempo that gives Elgar's music its distinctive life.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2006 ****

“Dr Sinclair’s bulldog Dan really barks for once; I have rarely heard this little bit of musical depiction so well handled. Basil Nevison and Lady Mary Lygon could be more moodily atmospheric, but Boughton secures fine playing in the finale and the result is most exciting...all the essential points in Elgar’s magnificent scoring come through loud and clear.” MusicWeb International, August 2012