BaL 17.01.26 - Elgar: Cello concerto

[Pulcinella]

15.00
Building a Library: David Owen Norris surveys recordings of Elgar's Cello Concerto and picks his favourite.

Edward Elgar composed his contemplative and elegiac Cello Concerto in E minor in the aftermath of the First World War. It was premiered in 1919 with soloist Beatrice Harrison, with whom Elgar made two recordings of the work. Since then, every great cellist of their day has made a recording, from Pablo Cassals and Jacqueline Du Pre to Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

Presto listing of currently available recordings here:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/4683--elgar-cello-concerto-in-e-minor-op-85/browse

The concerto has featured twice on BBC MM CDs.
Volume 1, Number 11: Colin Carr/BBC Philharmonic/Yan Pascal Tortelier (Symphony Hall, Birmingham: 9 October 1992)
Volume 27, Number 12: Jukian Lloyd Webber/BBC Philharmonic/Yan Pascal Tortelier (Bridgewater Hall, Manchester: 22 May 1997)

Top choice:
Jacqueline du Pre (cello), BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Barbirolli (cond.)
Live in Prague, 1966
Testament SBT1388

[Darloboy]

Oh no, it’s the return of the DON!

Previous BaL recommendations:

Jerrold Northrop Moore (April 1991): Lloyd Webber/Menuhin + also recommended: Tortelier/Groves + Harrison/Elgar + Isserlis/Hickox

Richard Morrison (Feb 04): du Pré/Barbirolli + Mork/Rattle as modern recording choice + Ma/Previn as alternative mid-price choice

Helen Wallace (Jun 14): Mork/Rattle + Wispelwey/van Steen as recommendation on single disc + du Pré/Barbirolli as historic recommendation

[pastoralguy]

I hate to be pedantic but shouldn’t that be 17/1/26? Thanks.

[Pulcinella]

I hate to be pedantic but shouldn’t that be 17/1/26? Thanks.

Oops.
Pedantry welcomed.
Changed!

[pastoralguy]

Oops.
Pedantry welcomed.
Changed!

[Barbirollians]

I recall the Helen Wallace BAL it sounded like she wanted to choose du pre/ Barbirolli but felt she shouldn't.

It seems absurd that this coming back every 10 years for a BAL .

[pastoralguy]

Apart from the obvious du Pre/ Barbirolli recording, my favourite is a budget cd of the concerto played by Felix Schmidt with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. Very fine playing indeed.

And of course Alicia Weilerstein is exceptional in both her cd and video recordings. Bear in mind that Daniel Barenboim was so impressed with her playing that he was prepared to conduct a work he’d sworn never to conduct again after the death of his late wife.

[smittims]

En Garde! In my experience David Owen Norris (though in other ways a fine pianist and an entertaininhg broadcaster) is notorious for his odd preferences, so I shan't be surprised if he chooses a recording by an unknown cellist on an obscure label purely because of one aspect of the performance.

Two interpreters stand out for me (well, maybe three) . Harrison/Elgar is my favourite,especially in its recent 'accidental stereo' version by Lani Spahr. Then Tortelier, whom I prefer to any subsequent interpreter for his understanding of the score, and also Anthony Pini, whose fine early Lp with Eduard van Beinum should always be mentioned.

I have find memories of seeing Jackie play the work in concert, but I have to say I think her interrpetation of it, although a thrilling musical and spiritual experience, is too wayward to be a general recommendation.

[Roger Webb]

I recall the Helen Wallace BAL it sounded like she wanted to choose du pre/ Barbirolli but felt she shouldn't.

It seems absurd that this coming back every 10 years for a BAL .

Jerrold Northrop Moore showed no such reticence in his BaL. I remember his opening remarks on the lines of "I won't be recommending Jackie DuPré, so look away now if you're a fan!". I can't remember all his reasons, but he mentioned her '...oily tone'.

The DuPré (Barbirolli, not Barenboim) was the first I got to know, but soon discovered Tortelier/Boult (after hearing him perform it live), and this is the version that will go on now.

[LMcD]

I recall the Helen Wallace BAL it sounded like she wanted to choose du pre/ Barbirolli but felt she shouldn't.

It seems absurd that this coming back every 10 years for a BAL .

I'm not sure whether any other work has been reviewed 4 times, but there must be many fine cello concertos that are still awaiting, and fully deserve, a first appearance on BaL.

[Pulcinella]

I'm not sure whether any other work has been reviewed 4 times, but there must be many fine cello concertos that are still awaiting, and fully deserve, a first appearance on BaL.

I wonder in part if it is a fairly late substitute.
The website had no entry for a long time, and dates 17 and 24 got confused for the JSB programme at one point.

[Pulcinella]

Apart from the two BBC MM CDs and the classic du Pré/Barbirolli, the others on the shelves here are
Lynn Harrell/Cleveland Orchestra/Maazel
Steven Isserlis/LSO/Hickox
Maria Kliegel/RPO/Halász
Pau Tortelier/LPO/Boult
Paul Watkins/BBCSO/Bělohlávek (Proms 2007)
Alisa Weilerstein/Staatskpelle Berlin/Barenboim

Not a piece that's aired too often here though, as my partner finds it too emotional (personal associations with the du Pré recording).

[Roger Webb]

.........personal associations with the du Pré recording....

My association with this recording is that it was probably my all-time best seller.....particularly at Christmas. I even remember the number of the first issue on CD....CDC 747 329-2. Until, true to form, EMI changed the packaging with a cardboard outer slip case - crucially with a different serial number than that used to order it. All my records, including the masterbags behind the counter, had the original number, now redundant. That this happened just before Xmas compounded the company's stupidity! For the first year in living memory this disc fell out of the charts!

Later EMI re-released the title without the confusing sleeve....but created yet another new serial number, thereby adding a further layer of confusion - oh, and they didn't bother to link previous serial numbers on their computer.....and refused to accept 'faulties' submitted under previous numbers!

We all know what EMI stands for!!!

[cloughie]

My association with this recording is that it was probably my all-time best seller.....particularly at Christmas. I even remember the number of the first issue on CD....CDC 747 329-2. Until, true to form, EMI changed the packaging with a cardboard outer slip case - crucially with a different serial number than that used to order it. All my records, including the masterbags behind the counter, had the original number, now redundant. That this happened just before Xmas compounded the company's stupidity! For the first year in living memory this disc fell out of the charts!

Later EMI re-released the title without the confusing sleeve....but created yet another new serial number, thereby adding a further layer of confusion - oh, and they didn't bother to link previous serial numbers on their computer.....and refused to accept 'faulties' submitted under previous numbers!

We all know what EMI stands for!!!

No doubt you Warnered them where it would all end!

[LHC]

My association with this recording is that it was probably my all-time best seller.....particularly at Christmas. I even remember the number of the first issue on CD....CDC 747 329-2. Until, true to form, EMI changed the packaging with a cardboard outer slip case - crucially with a different serial number than that used to order it. All my records, including the masterbags behind the counter, had the original number, now redundant. That this happened just before Xmas compounded the company's stupidity! For the first year in living memory this disc fell out of the charts!

Later EMI re-released the title without the confusing sleeve....but created yet another new serial number, thereby adding a further layer of confusion - oh, and they didn't bother to link previous serial numbers on their computer.....and refused to accept 'faulties' submitted under previous numbers!

We all know what EMI stands for!!!

CDC 747 329-2 is indelibly stamped in my brain as well from my record shop days as a result of the amount of times we had to reorder it from EMI (and not just in ones or twos, but dozens in each reorder). It was the most reliable seller in our stock despite all the other available recordings of the Elgar.

What a stupid decision to re-release it with a different serial number and then not link them. As you say though, that sort of idiocy was par for the course for EMI.

I've got the du Pre on CD and SACD as well as Clein/Handley and Capucon/Pappano.