Search - Edward Elgar, David Zinman, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra :: Sir Edward Elgar: Symphony No.1/Pomp and Circumstance Marches No.1 & No.2

David Zinman, miracle worker!

danielinyaracuy | San Felipe, Yaracuy Venezuela | 03/18/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Elgar is a difficult composer to evaluate fairly. He has charming music, great taste, but something seems missing. Here we do not get any clue as to how great a creator Elgar was, but we do hear through Mr. Zinamn direction that he is a composer worthwhile keeping in touch with. The beginning of the first symphony teases us; but we never reach the satisfaction that was promised in the first measures. Yes, it is a pleasant and elegiac piece, with its good moment. But if you want some bite you should look elsewhere like in the cello concerto or the Enigma Variations. The question is why do I come back to this symphony regularly? I think Mr. Zinman did achieve something here: he shows us that if the work is a restful piece, perhaps nearing blandness at times, it still has enough grandeur and complexity to hold our interest. As good as it gets for this piece. Mr. Zinman actually outdoes himself in the accompanying work: the over heard and over used Pomp and Circumstances. By eschewing easy effects and pomposity he restores some dignity to the March No. 1, in the process making us realize that we could listen to it at more important occasions than Junior High Graduations.... After all it was written for an Empire Glories and not as a self esteem booster, though perhaps that later use is more commendable than the extolling of Colonial might......"

A Fine Interpretation of Elgar's 1st Symphony

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 08/29/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am sure that this fine Telarc recording was one of those which gained favorable attention for Maestro Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Certainly the quality of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's performance is as fine as any you'd expect from a great American or European orchestra. Zinman gives a fine reading of Elgar's scores; both he and his orchestra give a warm, vibrant performance as splendid as any I have heard from Andre Previn and his British orchestras. Again, Telarc has to be commended for its excellent sound quality, easily rivalling its more expensive European competition."