Desert Island: Ravel Piano Concerto and Elgar Symphony

[Alison]

Please choose one of each.

What decisions these would be:

For now I'll go for Ravel in G and the Elgar Second.

How about you ?

Mention of recordings to sway opinion gladly received.

[Mr Pee]

I'd also plump for the G Major concerto, and having just this afternoon listened to Mark Elder's recording of Elgar 1, I would have to choose that. What a symphony- the slow movement in particular. It never fails to move me very deeply.

Mind you, tomorrow I'll probably listen to Elgar 2 and choose that instead.....

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I'd also choose the G major concerto, preferably in Pascal Rogé's recording with Charles Dutoit and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra.

The Elgar would have to be the First - there are so many great recordings to choose from, but I'd probably return to Barbirolli.

[Brassbandmaestro]

I would choose the Elgar 1st. Definetly with Barbirolli. I would have Zimmerman and Boulez with the Ravel PC in G

[Roehre]

If the choice is between Ravel's G-major concerto and Elgar's 2nd, it wpuld be elgar.
But I have to concur with the other MBoarders who prefer Elgar's 1st in stead.

[johnb]

Please choose one of each

That's impossible! I love both Ravel Piano Concertos and both of the Elgar Symphonies.

[ahinton]

That's impossible! I love both Ravel Piano Concertos and both of the Elgar Symphonies.

I love all three of Elgar's symphonies! - but, if forced to make such a Desert Islandic choice, it would have to be Ravel's Left Hand Concerto and Elgar's Second Symphony; Ravel's G major concerto never fails to disappoint me, even when played by Argerich (who plays it far too often when she should be playing other things) and, if anything, it proves the point tht one should never try to compose more than one piano concerto at a time - and I say so as someone who holds Ravel in very high regard indeed.

[Alison]

One Ravel Concerto and one Elgar Symphony please, Roehre !

I didnt make it very clear in truth ...

The works just seem so evenly matched. Would anyone seriously prefer Elgar's Third
to the First or Second ??

[johnb]

I love all three of Elgar's symphonies!

Ah, you are including "The Sketches for Symphony No. 3 Elaborated by Anthony Payne"!

[Petrushka]

The choice for the Ravel concerto is much, much easier than the Elgar. Definitely the G Major concerto for me. Astonished to see that I only have one recording on my shelves: Argerich/LSO/Abbado but that will do me. As for the Elgar, the very first recording of one of the symphonies I bought was No 1 with the LPO and Sir Georg Solti back in April 1975. I've heard very many since but for that mythical desert island I'll have that.