Search - Elgar, Boult, London Phil Orch :: Symphony 2

Boult's last word on Elgar 2

Mr. Ian A. Macfarlane | Fife, Scotland | 05/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Elgar's Second Symphony, a least as fine as his first if not finer, was not an immediate success. In 1918, Adrian Boult conducted it for the Royal Philharmonic Society in a landmark performance which changed all that. Elgar was there and recognised - and was grateful - for the achievement of the young conductor. This is the last of Boult's five commercial recordings of the work, and it is absolutely lovely. The sense of architecture and climax is surer even than in the famous (very fiery!) 1944 recording with Boult's BBC orchestra, the sound is as opulent (but still clear and detailed) as anyone could wish, and the whole thing is supremely satisfying. The 'Cockaigne' which completes the disc is full of life and colour - dedicated by the composer as it is to 'my friends in orchestras' (a touching tribute to the people who, after all, play the music and let its beauty sound), it is played by the LPO with real affection and brio. This is a fine CD which can be recommended without reservation."

Elgar's greatest symphonic work superbly-rendered by Boult

chefdevergue | Spokane, WA United States | 05/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those who know Elgar only from his Pomp & Circumstance Marches, and associated him with bombastic Edwardian complacency, I would suggest two works in particular that will change your perceptions --- his Violin Concerto and his 2nd Symphony, both of them sprawling, reflective works replete with densely textured thematic development. Both are pieces that are hard to appreciate in one sitting. I have to approach the 2nd Symphony much in the same way that I approach the symphonies of Nielsen --- repeated listenings bunched together over a few days, in order to draw out all of the subtle complexities of the work. Any Edwardian bombast you may detect is only window dressing --- look past it and you find as sophisticated a symphonic work as has been written in the 20th century.And who better to render it than Boult, who had a lifetime's experience with the work. This particular recording came in late 1975 - early 1976, Boult's 87th year, but it unlike some of the other recordings he made late in life (Holst's Planets in 1977, for example), there is none of the listlessness of an old man, maybe just going through the motions. Boult is in fine form here --- like the previous reviewer stated, it was his last word on Elgar, and it was most eloquently stated."