Composer: Edward William Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams
Orchestra: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Conductor: Sir Colin Davis
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: BR Klassik
Catalogue: 900705
Release: 2010
Size: 285 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Elgar: Enigma Variations, Op. 36
01. Introduction
02. C. A. E. (the Composer’s Wife) –
03. H. D. S. P. (Hew David Steuart-Powell)
04. R. B. T. (Richard Baxter Townshend) –
05. W. M. B. (William Meath Baker) –
06. R. P. A. (Richard Penrose Arnold)
07. Ysobel (Isabel Fitton) –
08. Troyte (Troyte Griffith) –
09. W. N. – (Winifred Norbury)
10. Nimrod (a. J. Jaeger) –
11. Intermezzo. Dorabella (Dora Penny) –
12. G. R. S. (George Robertson Sinclair) –
13. B. G. N. (Basil G. Nevinson) –
14. Romanza. (Lady Mary Lygon) –
15. Finale. E. D. U. (the Composer)
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 6 in E minor
16. I. Allegro
17. II. Moderato
18. III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
19. IV. Epilogue. Moderato
Sir Colin Davis, the “quiet star” on the list of the top international conductors, assumed his position as Chief Conductor of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in the autumn of 1983. He enriched the repertoire of the orchestra, inter alia, with works from the late British romantic era, as documented by the two recorded compositions by Sir Edward Elgar and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” number today among the most important symphonic works ever to emerge from England. Friends and other persons in the composer’s inner circle are concealed behind the mysterious abbreviations in the titles of the individual variations, all of whom Elgar portrays in musical terms.
With its acerbic musical utterance and its experimental treatment of both harmony and sound, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Symphony No. 6 (completed in 1947) attests to the horrors of the recently ended war, marking, however, concurrently a phase of new beginnings and turning away from established conventions.
Sir Colin Davis left an indelible imprint for nine years long on the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.
Elgar’s “Enigma Variations”, one of the most popular works from the late romantic era in Great Britain.
Colin Davis, a self-proclaimed unpretentious conductor, took the helm of Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundunks in 1983, succeeding Rafael Kubelik and the tragically deceased Kirill Kondrashin. This BR Klassik album features a recording of Elgar’s Enigma Variations made in the same year Davis took over the orchestra, demonstrating from the get-go the conductor’s broadening of the orchestra’s repertoire to include English composers and others. Even though Davis had only just begun working with the orchestra, his insistence on precision and the eventual transformation that it brought to the orchestra can already be heard. Davis draws out a remarkable warmth from the strings and a simple clarity from the winds. He allows the music to speak for itself rather than imposing unnecessary emotional emphasis. The result is a thoroughly moving, passionate reading of Enigma. Jump ahead four years to 1987 and Davis’ work with the orchestra is truly apparent in their recording of the Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 6. The sometimes aggressive symphony is executed with the utmost precision, brilliant dynamic contrasts, and unfettered control of tempo. As either an introduction to these two great English works or to Davis’ early work with Rundfunks, this album is an exceptional choice.