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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Elgar: Symphony No. 2
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’). | 
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| |  | Elgar: Symphony No. 2 & Enigma Variations
Elgar: | Symphony No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 63 Royal Festival Hall, London, 13 February 1975 Enigma Variations, Op. 36 Royal Festival Hall, London, 25 September 1979 |
Solti recorded Elgar’s Symphony No.2 (along with the Cockaigne Overture) on audio around the same time as the Royal Festival Hall performance, to great acclaim. Solti’s recordings were always the recommended version of each work he performed – he had a deep understanding of the repertoire. This DVD is the first audiovisual recording to feature Solti performing Elgar 2, and has never been released before. The Second Symphony is also a record of the first concert Solti conducted as the London Philharmonic’s Chief Conductor in 1975. James Mallinson, one of Solti’s record producers, commented that his audio recordings of the two Elgar symphonies are probably two of his finest recordings due to his open and fresh approach. Solti’s quote at the time of broadcasting the Enigma Variations: “I love Elgar, and for me the Enigma Variations is his masterpiece.” 1DVD Sound format: LCPM mono Picture format: 4:3 Running time: 84’ Subtitles: n/a Menu languages: English Booklet languages: E/F/G Region code: 0 Territory Restrictions: None “It is, quite simply, a codument to treasure, with the LPO...galvanised to thrilling effect by Solti's prodigiously energetic presence on the podium...Both the picture quality and full-blooded (mono) sound are perfectly acceptable...The direction, too, is mercifully undistracting throughout. Most rewarding - and a genuine tonic to boot.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2011 “A highlight of the new ICA Classics Legacy series, Solti's LPO Elgar remains fresh, the passionate vigour of his Second Symphony balanced by one of the most loving Enigma Variations on disc.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 ***** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2 & Sospiri
Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) was England's greatest composer since the death of Henry Purcell in 1695. He was a relatively late developer, with his first major symphonic work, the Enigma Variations (1898-99), being produced when he was already in his forties. Elgar wrote two very fine symphonies that unerringly captured the zeitgeist of Edwardian England; both are included in this set in superb performances by Bernard Haitink. The first disc ends with two additional Elgar pieces performed by the late lamented Richard Hickox. “Magnificent Elgar from Haitink, masterfully balancing long-range sweep and fine orchestral detail, and finding ferocious brilliance in the First Symphony's Scherzo. Boult's Cockaigne is a coruscating bonus.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 **** “conductor and orchestra seem alert to every nuance of Elgar's wonderful scoring. They make the most of the stranger and more remote regions of this great work, resulting in a performance that is full of interest as well as beautifully played and very well paced by Haitink.” International Record Review, May 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: Concert Allegro
That brilliant keyboard player Iain Farrington – pianist and organist – features as pianist in his own revelatory version of Elgar’s Concert Allegro for piano, in a version for piano and orchestra recorded with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by George Vass. Written in 1901, the Concert Allegro was long forgotten until it was rediscovered and performed in 1969. Written for Fanny Davies as a ‘Concerto (without orchestra)’, Elgar is reported to have considered recasting it as a work for piano and orchestra, and in realising this intention Iain Farrington has given us music not only brilliant and powerful in its piano writing but also emphasising the broad second tune. Iain Farrington playing his transcription of Elgar’s Second Symphony for piano solo is a triumph, brilliantly conceived and powerfully executed. World premiere recordings: recorded at Lighthouse, Poole, Dorset, 28th July 2010 & Potton Hall, Suffolk, 3rd & 4th August 2010 “Farrington's idealized versions is quite superb and his performance... really holds up the work as a significant addition to the repertoire...one can have little doubt that the piano arrangement [of Symphony No. 2] works most viably on its own terms, not just as a homage or academic exercise but as a satisfying symphonic experience.” International Record Review, March 2011 “Farrington makes the most of several trademark Elgarian flourishes and sweeping themes, much enhanced by some majestic playing from the Bournemouth players. His formidable pianism comes to the fore in his impressive reduction of the emotional second symphony...exquisite insights into the mind of a giant of English music.” The Observer, 20th February 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
“Barbirolli's way with Elgar's symphonies is different from Boult's - more supple and, in the Second, strikingly melancholic and bleak.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2010 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar conducts Elgar
Elgar: | Symphony No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 63 Recorded 1st April and 15th July, 1927 in Queen’s Hall, London London Symphony Orchestra Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 Recorded 23rd March and 13th June, 1928 in Kingsway Hall, London Beatrice Harrison (cello) New Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 63 (Rondo) (to cue 116); first take |
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"Elgar’s Second Symphony blossoms in the hands of Richard Hickox and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales"
Classic FM Magazine ‘Disc of the Month’ “The performance itself is consistently impressive. At its heart is a grave, sensitive account of the slow movement… Opening the programme is a surging, ebullient rendition of Elgar's Italian travelogue In the South, where the SACDs depiction of the deep-pile writing for bass drum is seriously impressive.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2005 **** | | | (also available to download from $11.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 63
'A radical version that sweeps away preconceived notions about the work.
The headiness of Davis’s approach is matched by the lushness of the
LSO’s playing and a sumptuous recording.' The Guardian “Larger than life, but capturing every mood with humanity and tenderness.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2005 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: Symphony No. 2 & Sea Pictures
“A sensitive and clear performance which evokes the heyday of Sir John Barbirolli.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2005 “Handley's is the most satisfying modern version of a work which has been much recorded over the years. What Handley conveys superbly is the sense of Elgarian ebb and flow, building climaxes like a master and drawing excellent, spontaneous-sounding playing” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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