Composer: Edward Elgar
Orchestra: BBC Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Edward Gardner
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Size: 1.02 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Symphony No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 63
01. I. Allegro vivace e nobilmente
02. II. Larghetto
03. III. Rondo
04. IV. Moderato e maestoso
Serenade in E Minor, Op. 20
05. I. Allegro piacevole
06. II. Larghetto
07. III. Allegretto
Following a highly-praised recording of Symphony No. 1 last year, Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony present here an electrifying interpretation of Elgar’s Symphony No. 2, with the addition of one of his most performed works: the Serenade for Strings.
Having now become experts in British repertoire with highly lauded series of Walton and Britten, they reveal all the aspects of Elgar’s masterpiece in this surround sound recording. Symphony No. 2 is richly orchestrated and skilfully constructed, drawing on hugely varied resources of harmony, rhythm and melody, and making considerable use of thematic transformation as a unifying technique.
While the Symphony No.2 is one of the greatest products of Elgar’s maturity, the Serenade in E minor for Strings is perhaps the most charming product of his youth. In this three-movement piece dominated by a deeply passionate Larghetto, the strings of the BBC Symphony superbly encapsulate all the emotions offered by this graceful work: tender, lyrical and intense.