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SOMM Recordings

Elgar from the Archives, Vol. 3

$37.99

Details

Composer
Edward Elgar
Artist
Heather Harper, Helen Watts, William Herbert, Gordon Clinton, Croydon Philharmonic Society, BBC Symp
Format
CD
Label
SOMM Recordings
Released
May 15, 2026
Catalog #
ARIADNE 5048-2
UPC
758871504829

About

The third volume in the series Elgar from the Archives from SOMM Recordings includes two historic recordings conducted by Sir Adrian Boult: the oratorio The Kingdom, Op. 51 and the ever-popular Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma,' Op. 36. These variations form an interesting comparison to the two acoustic versions from the well-received Vol 1 in this series [ARIADNE 5046], one conducted by the composer in 1920, the other by Sir Henry Wood in 1924. Again, these recordings are remastered by audio engineer Lani Spahr, whose work on Elgar from the Archives Vol 1 James Jolly, Editor in Chief of Gramophone Magazine, described as "astounding," adding that "thanks to Siva Oke's SOMM label, Spahr has an outlet for his truly revelatory work." Inspired by the remarks of one of his school teachers that the Apostles were poor men, young men, perhaps "no cleverer than some of you here," Elgar conceived the idea of a work depicting the Apostles as ordinary men reacting to extraordinary events. He envisioned a trilogy of oratorios consisting of The Apostles, Op. 49, The Kingdom, and an unrealized work, The Last Judgement. He made initial sketches for The Kingdom as early as 1882, when he was still serving as organist at St George's Church in Worcester. Following an orchestral Prelude, which introduces the main musical themes and sets the mood of the work, the oratorio is in five parts, each played without a break: I. In the Upper Room; II. At the Beautiful Gate; III. Pentecost; IV. The Sign of Healing; and V. The Upper Room. The Kingdom is written for four soloists, choir, and large orchestra-featuring, in this recording, Heather Harper, soprano (The Blessed Virgin); Helen Watts, contralto (Mary Magdalene); William Herbert, tenor (St. John); and Gordon Clinton, baritone (St. Peter), with the Croydon Philharmonic Society and BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. This programme on 29 May, 1957 at the Royal Festival Hall was part of the centenary celebrations for Elgar's birth. Boult admired The Kingdom above all the other major choral works of Elgar, and his complete understanding of and identification with the work is shown in his expert pacing and observation of dynamics. On 29th February, 1940, about ten weeks before Nazi forces invaded The Netherlands, Boult conducted the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra in a concert broadcast from Hilversum by the Dutch public broadcasting association. The program concluded with Elgar's Enigma Variations, the work that helped to establish Elgar's growing reputation internationally. In a programme note, Elgar wrote, "This work, commenced in a spirit of humour & continued in deep seriousness, contains sketches of the composer's friends." This Dutch performance is one of Boult's finest interpretations of the work, and it has more than stood the test of it's 86 years.

Tracklist 23 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 Prelude: Allegro maestoso 08:34
    Track
    1
    Title
    Prelude: Allegro maestoso
    Duration
    08:34
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    BBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  3. 2 Part I: In the Upper Room 18:26
    Track
    2
    Title
    Part I: In the Upper Room
    Duration
    18:26
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Heather Harper, Helen Watts, William Herbert, Gordon Clinton
    Ensemble
    Croydon Philharmonic Society, BBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  4. 3 Part II: At the Beautiful Gate (The Morn of the Pentecost) 05:38
    Track
    3
    Title
    Part II: At the Beautiful Gate (The Morn of the Pentecost)
    Duration
    05:38
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Heather Harper, Helen Watts, William Herbert, Gordon Clinton
    Ensemble
    Croydon Philharmonic Society, BBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  5. 4 Part III: Pentecost (In the Upper Room) 07:23
    Track
    4
    Title
    Part III: Pentecost (In the Upper Room)
    Duration
    07:23
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Heather Harper, Helen Watts, William Herbert, Gordon Clinton
    Ensemble
    Croydon Philharmonic Society, BBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  6. 5 Part IIIa: In Solomon's Porch 17:35
    Track
    5
    Title
    Part IIIa: In Solomon's Porch
    Duration
    17:35
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Heather Harper, Helen Watts, William Herbert, Gordon Clinton
    Ensemble
    Croydon Philharmonic Society, BBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  7. Disc 2
  8. 1 Part IV: The Sign of Healing (At the Beautiful Gate) 09:38
    Track
    1
    Title
    Part IV: The Sign of Healing (At the Beautiful Gate)
    Duration
    09:38
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Heather Harper, Helen Watts, William Herbert, Gordon Clinton
    Ensemble
    Croydon Philharmonic Society, BBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  9. 2 Part IVa: The Arrest 10:45
    Track
    2
    Title
    Part IVa: The Arrest
    Duration
    10:45
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Heather Harper, Helen Watts, William Herbert, Gordon Clinton
    Ensemble
    Croydon Philharmonic Society, BBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  10. 3 Part V: The Upper Room (In Fellowship) 19:13
    Track
    3
    Title
    Part V: The Upper Room (In Fellowship)
    Duration
    19:13
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Performer
    Heather Harper, Helen Watts, William Herbert, Gordon Clinton
    Ensemble
    Croydon Philharmonic Society, BBC Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  11. 4 Theme: Andante 01:15
    Track
    4
    Title
    Theme: Andante
    Duration
    01:15
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  12. 5 Variation 1: C. A. E. (The Composer's Wife) - 01:48
    Track
    5
    Title
    Variation 1: C. A. E. (The Composer's Wife) -
    Duration
    01:48
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  13. 6 Variation 2: H. D. S-P. (Hew David Steuart-Powell) - 00:44
    Track
    6
    Title
    Variation 2: H. D. S-P. (Hew David Steuart-Powell) -
    Duration
    00:44
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  14. 7 Variation 3: R. B. T. (Richard Baxter Townshend) - 01:27
    Track
    7
    Title
    Variation 3: R. B. T. (Richard Baxter Townshend) -
    Duration
    01:27
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  15. 8 Variation 4: W. M. B. (William Meath Baker) - 00:26
    Track
    8
    Title
    Variation 4: W. M. B. (William Meath Baker) -
    Duration
    00:26
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  16. 9 Variation 5: R. P. A. (Richard Penrose Arnold) - 01:51
    Track
    9
    Title
    Variation 5: R. P. A. (Richard Penrose Arnold) -
    Duration
    01:51
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  17. 10 Variation 6: Ysobel (Isabel Fitton) - 01:14
    Track
    10
    Title
    Variation 6: Ysobel (Isabel Fitton) -
    Duration
    01:14
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  18. 11 Variation 7: Troyte (Troyte Griffith) 00:54
    Track
    11
    Title
    Variation 7: Troyte (Troyte Griffith)
    Duration
    00:54
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  19. 12 Variation 8: W. N. (Winifred Norbury) - 01:47
    Track
    12
    Title
    Variation 8: W. N. (Winifred Norbury) -
    Duration
    01:47
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  20. 13 Variation 9: Nimrod (A. J. Jaeger) - 04:12
    Track
    13
    Title
    Variation 9: Nimrod (A. J. Jaeger) -
    Duration
    04:12
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  21. 14 Variation 10: Intermezzo: Dorabella (Dora Penny) - 02:36
    Track
    14
    Title
    Variation 10: Intermezzo: Dorabella (Dora Penny) -
    Duration
    02:36
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  22. 15 Variation 11: G. R. S. (George Robertson Sinclair) 00:53
    Track
    15
    Title
    Variation 11: G. R. S. (George Robertson Sinclair)
    Duration
    00:53
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  23. 16 Variation 12: B. G. N. (Basil G. Nevinson) - 02:17
    Track
    16
    Title
    Variation 12: B. G. N. (Basil G. Nevinson) -
    Duration
    02:17
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  24. 17 Variation 13: Romanza: *** (Lady Mary Lygon) - 02:40
    Track
    17
    Title
    Variation 13: Romanza: *** (Lady Mary Lygon) -
    Duration
    02:40
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult
  25. 18 Variation 14: Finale: E. D. U. (The Composer) 05:37
    Track
    18
    Title
    Variation 14: Finale: E. D. U. (The Composer)
    Duration
    05:37
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Concertgebouw Orchestra
    Conductor
    Adrian Boult