Elgar - Enigma Variations [Menuhin-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra] 

A nice little regular in my Blog [29th March 2012 & 12th January 2011], and each time i play it, there seems to be a new variation that bubbles to the surface, this time i found those 'forte' variations were the best, short and loud, lots of brass and timpani, many of the variations last only a minute, and it's easy to miss them if you don't pay attention, it's quite amazing how Elgar can create some of these variations that sound nothing like the original theme, very creative, there's a mood and style for everyone, an ingenious set of variations.

Yehudi Menuhin [1916-1999] was an American Violinist, but he spent much of his later years as a British citizen, he recorded this work in 1985, the front cover shows Menuhin and Lloyd Webber standing either side of a bust of Elgar [photo by Richard Holt], i love its symmetry, even the lettering adds to its centralness, also the oranges and browns create a lovely colour combination.

The variations that most inspired me were 1, 4, 7, 9, 11 & 13-14, that's roughly half of the work, and the variation that most moved me was probably 12, but i think i've talked about that one in the past quite a lot, so on this listen i was certainly affected by variation 11, it's one i don't normally mention, it's of course famous for the splashing bulldog, variation 11 is a musical depiction of GRS [George Robertson Sinclair],

Elgar - Piano Quintet [Roberts/Chilingirian String Quartet] 

Now here's a disc with a difference, this is only the second time i've played this disc, it didn't impress me the first time, but on this listening, wow what a difference!, Elgar's non Orchestral works aren't something i've ventured into, and i've been somewhat put off by his stodgy long drawn out ideas [i'm still trying to come to terms with his Violin Concerto], so it was quite a shock at how really good this music is, the skillful way in which it's constructed, and the great tunes, if i was listening blind, i would swear it was possibly a French Composer, maybe Franck comes to mind, plus as a bonus, the String Quartet was nearly as good as well, i'll be looking forward to hearing this disc again in 2013.

Bernard Roberts is English, he's now 79, he recorded this disc in 1985, one of the great things about this disc is the front cover [photo by Chris Yates], a magnificent landscape shot of trees on a hill, no doubt in winter as the trees are bare, making great silhouettes against the sky, but it's the clouds and light which really makes the picture, there's a certain creamy haze to everything, it's a gorgeous mood shot, and incidentally i went out for a walk to play this disc, and the view on the hill was not unlike this picture, but the music was even more penetrating.

It was the first movement that really grabbed me, when you hear the 'famous' music of Elgar, his Cello Concerto, and Enigma Variations, when you listen to his Piano Quintet you might think 'who is this?', sounds like someone else completely, i suppose in listening to it again, there's certainly a feeling of Brahms's Piano Quartets about it, the work is in the key of A Minor, it twists and turns, it's on the whole dark, but Elgar has some sprightly fun with it, there's fun waltzes that appear out of nowhere, the beginning is hesitant, but soon develops into a Brahmsian seriousness, and  i like the way Elgar changes direction, and plays a whimsical melody [2:15-3:17], which then develops into a full blown waltz [3:26-4:37], again all the time sounding like Brahms, then there's a superb section which could have been composed by Faure, in the vein of his Piano Quintets / Quartets [5:25-6:09], sweet and high strings, with rippling piano in the background, now that's a little melody to die for!, the first movement almost sounds like a Fantasy at times, as if it was meant to be something which would stand up all on it's own, Elgar works the themes expertly, the whimsical waltzes come back to haunt us [9:33-11:04], this time there's pizzicato strummings at the beginning, and i marvel at how Elgar can intertwine such simple ideas into something so much more profound, the Faure music comes back [11:48-12:24], this time with the piano sounding like bells, the very opening returns in sadness [13:14-13:46], what a wonderful movement of music, it was so good to 'discover' this today,  it's another work i can put in my regular listening list to enjoy.

Here's Elgar's Piano Quintet being played on YouTube.

Elgar - Enigma Variations [Previn-London Symphony Orchestra] 

Another first for my Blog, i saw this disc on Ebay, and i thought, what a lovely compilation of English works, it's also the first time i've ever listened to this disc, under Previn's hands this work sounds different, Previn has a way with individual voices, bringing out instruments that you don't normally hear, at one time i actually thought Previn was English!, he seemed to be on British Television a lot, plus he was the Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra [as on this disc], slowly i'm getting to know him and his style, it's a rewarding exercise.

Andre Previn is now 83, a native of Germany, but is more known for his American citizenship, he recorded this work in 1978, now the front cover is ingenious [photo by Richard Heeps], of a German Enigma machine, in the foreground the keys are sharp and in focus, while a lovely artistic blur happens in the background, it's a great visual for the music on the inside.

On this disc i must make a special mention of the Butterworth piece, it's a gem, 'The Banks Of Green Willow' is so perfectly English, and yet at under 6 minutes is so slight a piece, but what an unsuspecting heart punch he gives on so small a canvas, the Elgar work is filled with individual touches from Previn, he makes the orchestra sound as if it's a chamber unit, the woodwind especially come to the fore, and there's things that i've never heard before in this work, i'm very impressed with Previn, the variations i enjoyed the most were the Theme, and Variations 1, 4, 6-7 & 9, and here's a little synopsis of each
Theme - usually the Theme is just that, an introduction to the real work, and that's the Variations that grow out of it, of course it's a strange theme, not a famous piece chosen by Elgar, but rather something original, the tune doesn't show itself at it's very best as the theme, and some of the Variations upstage it, it's a solemn affair.
Variation 1 [CAE = Caroline Alice Elgar], the Composers Wife is probably given a more clearer idea of the theme in her Variation, much more noble, there's a lovely coda-esque ending to it [1:37-1:52]. 
Variation 4 [WMB = William Meath Baker], a loud and brusque Variation, i love the chattering woodwinds [0:12-1:20], Previn gets the jolty dance rhythm right.
Variation 6 [Ysobel = Isabel Fitton], an endearing Variation, cosy and sweet, again the woodwinds are lovely, and especially the clarinet [possibly bass clarinet], there's a infectious bubble at [0:32+], and carries on throughout the rest of the piece, a lovely little additive from Elgar.
Variation 7 [Troyte = Troyte Griffith], straight afterward we have a bouncy and galloping variation, superb use of the timpani, the music rises and falls, quicksilver string work soars all over the place, like dashes of lightening, and lots of thunder, and of course this Variation refers to a thunderstorm.
Variation 9 [Nimrod = AJ Jaeger], and of course the most famous of all the Variations, a piece that starts off quiet and serene, but grows in confidence to a supreme climax, it can take your breath away on a good day.

Here's a link to Emily Cheng Mei Kwan playing the timpani solo on Variation 7 [Troyte] on YouTube, you get a better feel for those solos.

Elgar - Violin Concerto [Hahn/Davis-London Symphony Orchestra] 

Here's something a bit different for me, a work that i find hard to assimilate, i love the Enigma Variations and the Cello Concerto, but the Violin Concerto is a bit of a tough nut to crack, long outer movements that are more Symphonic than Concerto, Elgar seems to have a lack of 'structural tunes', rather he gives us sprawling ideas splashed on a large canvas, it's a bit hard to pinpoint signposts along the way, two other works that i find equally impenetrable are Britten's Cello Symphony, and Bax's Cello Concerto, that being said, i don't find the same about the middle movement Andante, it seems fairly accessible, and today i plumbed its depths, i hope this is the beginning of a great thaw for this work for me.

Hilary Hahn is American, she's now 32, slowly she's taking us through a journey of the major Violin Concertos, but with each disc she throws in a less well known Concerto, she's also giving us some Chamber Music too, i hope she records the Brahms and Beethoven Sonatas, she recorded this work in 2003, the front cover photo [by Kasskara] is nice, being boxed into a wallpapered corner.

Here's Tasmin Little playing the middle movement Andante on YouTube, with Andrew Davis conducting.

Elgar - Enigma Variations [Menuhin-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]

My favourite version of Elgar's Enigma Variations, and another disc i played early last year [12th January 2011], Elgar's short little vignettes of his friends really hits home with his ingenious theme, Elgar seems to visit every possibility of throwing this original theme around, and creates a delightful 14 visual pictures, it's easy to have your favourites [Nimrod for most people], but the trick of really listening to music is to find new things to hear in the most unexpected places.

Yehudi Menuhin is American i guess, but lived here for the last part of his life, it almost seems that he's British by birth, he was born in 1916, and dies in 1999, he made this recording in 1985, the front cover photograph is superb [by Richard Holt], a picture of a bust of Elgar himself, with Menuhin and Lloyd Webber either side, wood panelling in the background, with a lovely use of light to show the woodwork contours, i just love the symmetry of it all, a great pic.

One after another, i just loved these variations, especially the Theme, 1, 4, 7, 9-11 & 13-14, it'a hard to pick a winner, variations have a great tendency to build on each other, therefore the previous variation anticipates the next, and you're forever stuck in a wonderful present, while enjoying the glow of the variation before, and the next variation that is appearing on the horizon, i guess i just loved the opening variation, that of Elgar's Wife,

Elgar - Cello Concerto [Kirshbaum/Gibson- The Scottish National Orchestra]

Here's an Elgar Cello Concerto i had on disc, i sell discs, and this is one that i'm in two minds on, should i sell it or should i keep it?, the solution of course is to 'give it a spin', and see what i think, it also has an interesting Walton coupling, my 'touchstone' Elgar Cello Concerto recording is the Lloyd-Webber / Menuhin, and this recording is consistently slower in every movement, and especially where Kirshbaum is playing solo, he seems to dwell on his own beauty, a bit narcissistic, the final movement suffers the most, must be 15% slower.

Ralph Kirshbaum is American, now 65 years old, he made this recording way back in 1979, must be one of the early digital discs made by Chandos as the DDD era only started about then, the front booklet cover shows a very dark picture, skillfully lit, and it's only the highlights that create the picture [photo by Clive Barda].

It was the short second movement Allegro Molto i liked the best, i'm not entirely sure where the second movement starts officially, but on this recording the indexing starts with the cello playing deep bass pizzicato notes over an orchestral bass string drone [0:00-0:19], the cello is caught superbly on the recording, with a nice acoustic twang, Kirshbaum caresses the phrases, after a short solo cadenza, the cello moves into frantic playing mode, interspersed with a more lyrical and languid playing, right at the end the cello finishes things off with a choice pizzicato finale [5:10-5:14], a nice foil for the following Adagio, i think the final analysis is to listen to it some more!.

Here's Seeli Toivio playing the second movement on YouTube.