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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Sym No.2 in E flat, Op.63: Allegro Vivace E Nobilmente |
| 2. Sym No.2 in E flat, Op.63: Larghetto |
| 3. Sym No.2 in E flat, Op.63: Rondo |
| 4. Sym No.2 in E flat, Op.63: Moderato E Maestoso |
Product Description
Performer(s): BBC Philharmonic/Downes
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I was flicking through a recent issue of Gramophone, waiting for a train, and happened to notice a survey of Elgar's Second with a handful of shortlisted recordings. Elder was there; so was Thomson. I think Elgar himself, but the top magician was Boult (Lyrita). Maybe Downes but I really don't remember seeing this Naxos disc shortlisted and from personal experience I wouldn't be surprised at the omission.
Sorry to rain on the 5-Stars parade. I don't do many Elgar reviews on Amazon but one thing I have said and will continue to say is that you have to find an Elgar interpreter who goes from the heart to the heart. This version of No.2 put me off the symphony for ages. Nothing in it to make one believe in the music as equal to anything by the great european composers.
It was Mark Elder on the radio that first quickened my pulse, made me hear some of the poetry behind the apparent bombast, so for a digital recording I'd stand behind Gramophone's inclusion of his Halle recording in their shortlist. I didn't see Barbirolli's name there and that won't do at all. Vast though the first movement was in 1964, Sir John's last recording is the most emotionally engaging you are ever likely to hear. I think his long experience of Mahler really helped. The Barbirolli 2nd has been reissued with his overweight Philharmonia No.1 of the same period on an EMI twofer, but you can still find the single disc coupled with moving accounts of Sospiri and Elegy.
Elgar: Symphony no.2
Edward Elgar, Symphony No. 2, Introduction and Allegro
Sorry to rain on the 5-Stars parade. I don't do many Elgar reviews on Amazon but one thing I have said and will continue to say is that you have to find an Elgar interpreter who goes from the heart to the heart. This version of No.2 put me off the symphony for ages. Nothing in it to make one believe in the music as equal to anything by the great european composers.
It was Mark Elder on the radio that first quickened my pulse, made me hear some of the poetry behind the apparent bombast, so for a digital recording I'd stand behind Gramophone's inclusion of his Halle recording in their shortlist. I didn't see Barbirolli's name there and that won't do at all. Vast though the first movement was in 1964, Sir John's last recording is the most emotionally engaging you are ever likely to hear. I think his long experience of Mahler really helped. The Barbirolli 2nd has been reissued with his overweight Philharmonia No.1 of the same period on an EMI twofer, but you can still find the single disc coupled with moving accounts of Sospiri and Elegy.
Elgar: Symphony no.2
Edward Elgar, Symphony No. 2, Introduction and Allegro
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
I just finished listening to this disc and had to write a review. I have owned it for a few years - already loved it. On hearing it again, after a good few months, I feel astounded at the amazing imagination of Elgar's composition and orchestration - inspired and inspiring! A wonderful performance and recording - a billion pounds worth of music for next-to-nothing. The symphony is so full of ever-changing emotions, never far from a vast, enthralling climax or an outburst of uninhibited, exuberant joy. It evokes an England gone forever, it seems. This is one of my favourite CDs without a doubt. I strongly recommend all of Naxos' Elgar Cds.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Even though this is a very cheap disc to buy, the quality is absolutely top rank. Sir Edward Downes is a fine interpreter of Elgar and he is working with an orchestra that know and admire him, recording in a venue where he is completely at home. The difficulty I have often felt with the opening of the first movement of this symphony is to get the rushing "Spirit of Delight" theme sufficiently weighty but NOT weighed down. Energy and richness have to go hand in hand and this is a difficult thing to bring off. Barbirolli and Boult both moved towards the heavy side of interpretation in their last recordings, and it is generally assumed that their earlier interpretations are their better interpretations. The trouble is that the sound quality is mono and often not very alluring.
But what we have here on this Naxos disc is something that is very like Boult is his prime: energetic AND weighty, with the gentler moments of all the movement conducted with an "inner" contemplative quality that eschews the so-called "public mourning/public celebration" approach. The recording quality is very natural and unforced, with very vivid percussion. An all together satisfying performance, though I have a slight quibble with the balance of the oboe and cor anglais in the mourning thredony of the second movement, which seems to my ears to be too distant and not as well played as on some other recordings. That said this is an excellent disc and should belong in the collection of anyone who values Elgar's music.
But what we have here on this Naxos disc is something that is very like Boult is his prime: energetic AND weighty, with the gentler moments of all the movement conducted with an "inner" contemplative quality that eschews the so-called "public mourning/public celebration" approach. The recording quality is very natural and unforced, with very vivid percussion. An all together satisfying performance, though I have a slight quibble with the balance of the oboe and cor anglais in the mourning thredony of the second movement, which seems to my ears to be too distant and not as well played as on some other recordings. That said this is an excellent disc and should belong in the collection of anyone who values Elgar's music.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Naxos hit the mark again with Elgars no.2
This disc represents yet another of many fine recordings by budget disc label Naxos, although this one does reach a particularly high mark: - I would say almost faultless, and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Robert Marsland
Simply the best from a great conductor who will be missed
A brilliant performance from conductor Downes who committed suicide last week. The power, passion and emotion flow through this early digital recording that is available for a... Read more
Published on 28 July 2009 by Justin Lusty
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