Edward Elgar (1857-1934): Symphony No. 1 in A flat, Op.55
Edward Elgar (1857-1934): Symphony No. 2 in E flat, Op.63

To cut to the chase, this release can be recommended without reserve. Sir Mark Elder has created a deserved reputation as a top conductor, of a wide range of music, including a super series of releases with this orchestra of early 20th century English music. Since his appointment in 2000 Elder has presided over a magnificent renaissance of the orchestra. He will stand down at the end of this 2023-2024 season.

Meanwhile, the Hallé Orchestra has many links with Edward Elgar, they played the premiere of the Symphony No. 1, and have released an enviable and classic series of Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Delius etc. under Sir John Barbirolli from the 1950's onward as well as those with Elder. Add to this the excellent recording, and there is not much to really question.

However, some additional pointers are useful, for these same forces have released previous versions of these two symphonies some 20 years ago approximately, and it might be asked which to prefer, and if one already owns the earlier versions, is it worth investing in these new ones also?

The new ones are both live performances (No. 1 recorded under COVID restrictions), and they have the frisson generated by that, with the applause at the end confirming our own emotional journey. The 2003 release of the second symphony contains Mark Elder reading the poem (by Shelley) that provides the initial inspiration for the symphony, the new live version does not. I think this inclusion is interesting, but not essential. The quote used by Elgar is short, and easily read in the accompanying booklet. It certainly does provide a pointer to the essentially melancholy nature of the work.

It is easy to misunderstand Elgar as just the composer of the Pomp and Circumstance marches, with the Land of Hope and Glory tune so familiar to British audiences. Given he was basically a self-taught composer with no formal music education (his father was a piano tuner) the complex orchestral textures and sophisticated orchestration he creates are truly amazing. In the most common pictures shown, the composer appears to be the epitome of a somewhat stuffy Edwardian figure. But that is to miss the Elgarian traits of disquiet, and subtle reflection. These elements were given full expression after the First World War, with works such as his famous Cello Concerto. However, both these symphonies were written prior to that tragic period, and the darker notes are more subtly displayed, a factor I look for in the best performances.

Firstly, it is worth mentioning that the two symphonies, although separated by 2-3 years, have significantly different impacts on the listener and present different challenges to the conductor and orchestra.

The First Symphony (along with his Enigma Variations) was a great success almost immediately, and has remained consistently popular, with a growing popularity to non-English orchestras and conductors than many of the works of Elgar's contemporaries. The work has a confident flow, great melodies, emotional depth, complex textures and a wonderfully positive ending with blazing brass restating the original opening theme. Overall, the emotional impact is magisterial, and I find Elder's performance displays that triumphantly.

I grew up learning these symphonies from the Sir Georg Solti recordings, and they famously are generally faster than most others available nowadays. Solti was expressly attempting to be close to the timings Elgar himself used in the earliest recordings. Thus, Elder's opening treading theme is slower than I was used to and left me initially hesitant, but by the time the theme returns at the end, the emotional impact is quite overwhelming, and I became convinced of the approach.

What I love about Elder's conducting is its natural balance, enabling the music to really shine, for example in the real climaxes without having say the brass override everything else. Instead, it emerges in the orchestral textures clearly and thrillingly and the result is an enormously satisfying whole. The 2nd and 3rd movements are played without a break, to great effect, while the final movement starts after a clear break, to enable to audience to take another breath in.

The Second Symphony itself is a rather different work, and while it also had a fairly good initial reception, it has since seen less recording than its predecessor. It is a much more restless and tragic work than the First, its ending much more subdued. Overall, the arc of the Second symphony is basically downwards in tone to its subdued ending, the First overall is upwards to its triumphant conclusion. In addition, the Second starts with tremendous energy, again unlike the First. It is no accident the Second symphony really hit home with audiences only after the tragedy of the First World War.

Completed in 1911, it was dedicated to the memory of King Edward VII, who had died in 1910. Consequently, the slow movement Larghetto was often thought to be in remembrance of the late King but was in fact based on musical notes written in 1904, in memory of his close friend Alfred Rodewald. As such the tone of this slow movement grows to be very tragic in character, in the First symphony the equivalent movement is more tender, sad still, but not quite so deeply grief stricken. The Scherzo is unsettled, again a melancholy tinge, while the finale ends in quiet mystery. The quote from the Shelley poem Invocation makes the intended outlook clear.

As the symphony proceeds, the emphasis gradually moves from the Spirit of Delight, to the fact that it comes 'rarely'.

The main challenges I have heard in performances of this symphony are how to manage the fluctuation ebb and flows of the tempos (particularly in the 1st movement), and how to massage this downward trajectory to maintain attention and engagement in the audience. Elder manages both these expertly, again tracing the overall architecture to maintain audience involvement, with excellent recording (as there is throughout this release), and inspired playing. It is particularly useful to hear these two symphonies in one release, with the conductor's vision seen over both works. Even if you already own the previous (studio-based) releases from the same forces, I encourage all Elgar aficionados to listen to this new release and bask in the conductor's and orchestra's accomplished and sensitive readings. It has been a joy to listen to.