Search - Alan Opie, Barry Banks, Emily Birsan :: Sir Edward Elgar: King Olaf

After having recorded Elgars The Dream of Gerontius (Recording of the Month in BBC Music), Sir Andrew Davis turns to two of the composers most popular early choral works: Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf and The Banner of Saint George. The recording, made soon after a successful performance, features the same excellent Bergen Philharmonic and outstanding vocal forces: the imposing baritone Alan Opie, the high, incisive tenor Barry Banks, singing fearlessly in some quite challenging passages, and the American soprano Emily Birsan, who sang with radiant delicacy (The Daily Telegraph). These two works shaped Elgars later reputation as a leading orchestrator and most popular British composer of his time.