London
Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Sir Adrian Boult
Recorded 1949
Issued as 6 HMV 78s, D.B.21024 - D.B.21029
Duration 48'01"
Download ID: 94259, 416184
Play
sample movement:
When
a conductor of Boult's standing and abilities has something to
say to the world, and he is given Elgar's First Symphony and the
London Philharmonic to do it with, you know something amazing is going
to come out of it. In his first recording after leaving the BBC, Boult
brings his huge authority to bear in a performance which set the standard
for many years before superior recording technology left this masterpiece
behind. Hear it again in superb sound in another brand new Pristine Audio
restoration.
Elgar - Symphony No. 1
Sir Edward Elgar's Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55 was written in 1907–1908, and dedicated to "Hans Richter, Mus. Doc., true artist and true friend." It was premiered on 3 December 1908 in Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England, with Hans Richter conducting the Hallé Orchestra. It is the only frequently-performed symphony whose main key is A flat major.
The symphony is scored for three flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes and English horn, two clarinets and bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (including snare drum, bass drum and cymbals), 2 harps, and strings.
It is in four movements:
I. Andante. Nobilmente e semplice
II. Allegro molto
III. Adagio
IV. Lento — Allegro
While Elgar never explicitly stated a programme for the symphony, it has been suggested that the work was inspired by the death of General Charles George Gordon: its "Eroica" character parallels the similar Beethoven symphony which was, according to the story, originally dedicated to Napoleon. In 1899 Elgar wrote to his friend A. J. Jaeger (the "Nimrod" of the Enigma Variations) that he intended someday to write a work dedicated to the military hero: "the thing possesses me, but I cannot write it down yet."
The symphony is in a cyclic form: the incomplete "nobilmente" theme from the first movement returns in the finale for a complete grandioso statement after various transformations throughout the work. Unlike thematic transformations in the work of other composers who used cyclic form, such as Mahler and Liszt, Elgar does not use the theme so much as a source of motivic material for the rest of the work, but as a mood; it transforms whatever it touches, and returns triumphantly at the close. The first movement contrasts the "nobilmente" theme in A-flat with anxious "Allegro" music in D minor.
A close look at the score will reveal what is not obvious to the ear: that the melodic line of the first eight-bar semiquaver (8th note) passage of the first violin part in the second movement is the same as the melodic line of the first thirteen bars of the third movement (excepting bar 7 of the third movement where the top A is omitted and the shape is very slightly modified), despite their contrasting tempi and different keys.
Critical reaction to the symphony at first was mixed. Hans Richter, the symphony's dedicatee, extravagantly praised it at a rehearsal in 1908: "[it is] the greatest symphony of modern times, written by the greatest modern composer — and not only in this country." On the other hand, some reviewers criticized it for slack structure and an overabundance of themes. In spite of this, it caused a sensation at its first performance and received more than one hundred repeat performances during its first year, and has maintained a place in the standard orchestral repertory ever since.
REVIEW
OF ELGAR: Symphony #1
(London Philharmonic, Boult) (1949)
In
a letter shortly after the completion of the 1st Symphony,
Elgar wrote that the symphony had no programme beyond "a
wide experience of human life with a great charity (love)
and a 'massive' hope in the future". A 'massive' hope
in the future? This six years before the greatest disaster
in the history of Western Civilization was about to strike?
The First World War in 1914 began the long decline of Western
Civilization which continues accelerating to this day. The
symphony itself gives the lie to Elgar's words.
The
motto theme with which the symphony begins is not confident
or heroic, but is the pathetic twin of "The Land of Hope
and Glory". Even when fleshed out in full orchestra and
forte, it is more dogged than triumphant. The allegro theme
of the first movement is not joyous (like that of its 2nd
Symphony counterpart or of King Hal's theme in Falstaff),
but rather a "keep on trucking" kind of a theme.
The scherzo is spiky rather than joyous; the slow movement
limps beautifully looking for something, but does not always
find it. Even the motto theme at the end, though very noble,
has to have a lot of wind (both literally and figuratively)
blown into its sails. Don't mistake me; this is a great and
very beautiful work, but it is a darker work than most conductors
realize and Elgar stuffs it with no end of little themes and
delicious orchestration to keep it afloat and cheerful. Therein
lies the trap for most conductors-too much beauty and lingering
over details can sink the work.
Sir
Adrian Boult understands Elgar as no other conductor (except
the composer himself). He knows (as Elgar did in his recordings)
that there is so much detail in the music that the conductor
must emphasise the line and keep moving forward-always forward.
I found this recording absolutely true, always cogent. Each
note is pregnant with the next-the score has never seemed
so tight to me. There was no lingering over details, no getting
hijacked by a violin or harp melody, but oh so much beauty.
The end nobilmente was very fortissimo and very triumphant.
I compared this 1949 recording with the 1976 EMI and found
the latter, sad to say, rather dull by comparison. I snuck
a listen to the Elgar 1930 and found that very good interpretively,
but the EMI sound could not begin to compare with the reprocessed
sound on this recording.
Perhaps
I will not be believed, but the sound of this Pristine Audio
Direct reprocessing is so thrilling that I prefer it to most
of my stereo recordings of the Elgar 1st Symphony. The blazing
fortissmos without harshness, the sweetness of the solo instruments
and the overall clarity have given me real joy. This is the
one I'll return to.
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