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SOMM Recordings

Elgar from America, Vol. 1 / New York Philharmonic Symphony, NBC Symphony

$20.99

Details

Composer
ELGAR, EDWARD
Artist
Piatigorsky, Toscanini, Barbirolli
Format
CD
Label
SOMM Recordings
Released
May 17, 2019
Catalog #
ARIADNE 5005
UPC
748871500525

About

SOMM RECORDINGS is delighted to announce the release of Elgar from America, Volume I featuring historic recordings by a legendary cellist, two American orchestras and a trio of the 20th century’s greatest conductors. The results offer a fascinating transatlantic perspective on a titan of British music and includes two masterpieces and a symphonic study which Elgar considered his best orchestral piece.

Elgar visited America annually from 1905-07 and again in 1911 where his music found articulate champions and a place in the country’s affections, the trio of his Pomp and Circumstance March in D an essential, long-established part of ceremonies accompanying America’s graduation tradition. The featured recordings date from the 1940s and have been restored and remastered by the multi-award-winning audio restoration engineer Lani Spahr, who also provides informative booklet notes.

The Enigma Variations were, by far, America’s favourite Elgar work in the first decade of the last century. The “fleet, error-free performance” by the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini in New York’s Radio City Studio on November 5, 1949 appears here on album for the first time. New in any form is Artur Rodzin´ski’s never-before released October 10, 1943 Carnegie Hall account of Falstaff Symphonic Study in C minor with the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra.

Cellist Gregor Piatigorsky joined the NYP-SO under John Barbirolli for a November 10, 1940 Carnegie Hall performance of the Cello Concerto. Piatigorsky never recorded the work commercially and this is the only known existing recording of him playing the piece. Lani Spahr’s previous restorations of historic Elgar recordings for SOMM Recordings include Elgar Rediscovered and the four-disc set Elgar Remastered which featured recordings from the composer’s own collection and was hailed by Audiophilia as “a fascinating achievement which will have you wishing for more”.

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REVIEW:

Elgar enthusiasts will find it intriguing, not least because it offers performances by some performers who one does not normally associate with Elgar’s music. This particular Toscanini performance of ‘Enigma’ is new to CD and Rodzinski’s Falstaff has never been issued commercially in any format. It’s also healthy and stimulating to hear performances from outside the English performing tradition. There is some surface noise at times but in general Lani Spahr’s transfers seem to me to have been extremely successful. There is applause after each work but otherwise the audiences are commendably quiet.

– MusicWeb International

Tracklist 25 tracks

  1. 1 Theme: Andante 01:16
    Track
    1
    Title
    Theme: Andante
    Duration
    01:16
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  2. 2 Variation 1: C. A. E. (The Composer's Wife) — 01:37
    Track
    2
    Title
    Variation 1: C. A. E. (The Composer's Wife) —
    Duration
    01:37
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  3. 3 Variation 2: H. D. S-P. (Hew David Steuart-Powell) — 00:42
    Track
    3
    Title
    Variation 2: H. D. S-P. (Hew David Steuart-Powell) —
    Duration
    00:42
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  4. 4 Variation 3: R. B. T. (Richard Baxter Townshend) — 01:18
    Track
    4
    Title
    Variation 3: R. B. T. (Richard Baxter Townshend) —
    Duration
    01:18
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  5. 5 Variation 4: W. M. B. (William Meath Baker) — 00:27
    Track
    5
    Title
    Variation 4: W. M. B. (William Meath Baker) —
    Duration
    00:27
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  6. 6 Variation 5: R. P. A. (Richard Penrose Arnold) — 01:40
    Track
    6
    Title
    Variation 5: R. P. A. (Richard Penrose Arnold) —
    Duration
    01:40
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  7. 7 Variation 6: Ysobel (Isabel Fitton) — 01:14
    Track
    7
    Title
    Variation 6: Ysobel (Isabel Fitton) —
    Duration
    01:14
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  8. 8 Variation 7: Troyte (Troyte Griffith) 00:58
    Track
    8
    Title
    Variation 7: Troyte (Troyte Griffith)
    Duration
    00:58
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  9. 9 Variation 8: W. N. (Winifred Norbury) — 01:24
    Track
    9
    Title
    Variation 8: W. N. (Winifred Norbury) —
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  10. 10 Variation 9: Nimrod (A. J. Jaeger) — 02:54
    Track
    10
    Title
    Variation 9: Nimrod (A. J. Jaeger) —
    Duration
    02:54
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  11. 11 Variation 10: Intermezzo: Dorabella (Dora Penny) — 02:27
    Track
    11
    Title
    Variation 10: Intermezzo: Dorabella (Dora Penny) —
    Duration
    02:27
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  12. 12 Variation 11: G. R. S. (George Robertson Sinclair) 00:53
    Track
    12
    Title
    Variation 11: G. R. S. (George Robertson Sinclair)
    Duration
    00:53
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  13. 13 Variation 12: B. G. N. (Basil G. Nevinson) — 02:14
    Track
    13
    Title
    Variation 12: B. G. N. (Basil G. Nevinson) —
    Duration
    02:14
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  14. 14 Variation 13: Romanza: *** (Lady Mary Lygon) — 02:25
    Track
    14
    Title
    Variation 13: Romanza: *** (Lady Mary Lygon) —
    Duration
    02:25
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  15. 15 Variation 14: Finale: E. D. U. (The Composer) 05:10
    Track
    15
    Title
    Variation 14: Finale: E. D. U. (The Composer)
    Duration
    05:10
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    NBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Arturo Toscanini
  16. 16 I. Adagio - Moderato 06:50
    Track
    16
    Title
    I. Adagio - Moderato
    Duration
    06:50
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Gregor Piatigorsky
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    John Barbirolli
  17. 17 II. Lento - Allegro molto 04:40
    Track
    17
    Title
    II. Lento - Allegro molto
    Duration
    04:40
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Gregor Piatigorsky
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    John Barbirolli
  18. 18 III. Adagio 04:32
    Track
    18
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    04:32
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Gregor Piatigorsky
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    John Barbirolli
  19. 19 IV. Allegro - Moderato - Allegro ma non troppo 10:06
    Track
    19
    Title
    IV. Allegro - Moderato - Allegro ma non troppo
    Duration
    10:06
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Gregor Piatigorsky
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    John Barbirolli
  20. 20 Falstaff and Prince Henry: Allegro - 03:00
    Track
    20
    Title
    Falstaff and Prince Henry: Allegro -
    Duration
    03:00
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Artur Rodziński
  21. 21 Eastcheap. The Robbery at Gadshill. The Boar's Head Again. Revelry and Sleep 10:04
    Track
    21
    Title
    Eastcheap. The Robbery at Gadshill. The Boar's Head Again. Revelry and Sleep
    Duration
    10:04
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Artur Rodziński
  22. 22 Dream Interlude 02:22
    Track
    22
    Title
    Dream Interlude
    Duration
    02:22
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Artur Rodziński
  23. 23 Falstaff's March. The Return through Gloucestershire. The New King and the Hurried Ride to London. 01:38
    Track
    23
    Title
    Falstaff's March. The Return through Gloucestershire. The New King and the Hurried Ride to London.
    Duration
    01:38
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Artur Rodziński
  24. 24 Interlude: In Shallow's Orchard 01:49
    Track
    24
    Title
    Interlude: In Shallow's Orchard
    Duration
    01:49
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Artur Rodziński
  25. 25 King Henry V's Progress: The Repudiation of Falstaff and His Death 07:05
    Track
    25
    Title
    King Henry V's Progress: The Repudiation of Falstaff and His Death
    Duration
    07:05
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Artur Rodziński