Search - Sir Edward Elgar, Jeffrey Tate, London Symphony Orchestra :: Elgar: Symphonies #1 & 2, Cockaigne Overture, Sospiri; London Symphony Orchestra

A Gem!

Patrick Miller | Honolulu, Hawaii | 07/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've always felt these recordings never got thier full due in the US, mostly I suppose because of their limimted availability. I had them when they were in EMI's "British Composers" line, but then gave them up. I have been thrilled to come back to them. Yes, Barbirolli and Boult will always be important touchstones in this music, but there is still plenty of room for new ideas. And the playing of the LSO is magnificent. I'm not sure of Jeffrey Tate's current status. I hope he is still conducting regularly. This would be very near, if not at the top of my list for recordings of these works."

Achingly beautiful Elgar

Martin B. Haub | Gilbert, AZ United States | 01/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These ARE fine performances: well recorded, superbly played, expertly conducted and deeply felt. The tempi are slower than the norm, especially slower than the composers own, but in performances of this complex, detailed music, it works wonders. If you don't already know and love this music, these recordings will convert you."

Impassioned readings, but dodgy sound

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/07/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"EMI hasn't put these admirable Elgar recordings into a budget twofer because of musical inferiority. the drawback is sheerly one of name recognition. Jeffrey Tate used to guest conduct at the Boston Sym. years ago but otherwise hasn't had much recent presence in the U.S. As far as Elgar conductors go, others have established bigger names: Boult and Barbirolli from the older generation, Colin Davis (quite recently) and Andre Previn from a generation later. But Tate deserves to be up there. His approach to the First Sym. and Cockaigne -- which is almost the length of a tone poem despite its designation as an overture -- is broad and elegiac rather than overtly exciting, but the passion in both performances runs deep.



I find the sound in these two works, recorded together in 1991, badly flawed: dull, congested, lacking in detail. It takes a whole to learn to listen through the muffle. Happily, Sym. 2 and Sospiri, recorded a year earlier in 1990, are clearer. This may help to account for the sunning effect of Tate's interpretation of the symphony, which is exhilarating and unrestrained in its emotionality. The LSO plays magnificently here, making the case for a work that can seem a bit distended and shapeless. Elgar's symphonies are relentless in their earnestness, and maybe a touch of Anglophilia is needed to appreciate their cut-velvet sumptuousness. It's taken a long time for me to love them, but now I do, and although the catalog is full of accomplished recordings, this one is an exceptional bargain with impeccable musical credentials."