Gustav Styger <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Elgar's love of riddles also came through quite strongly in the last
>movement, it seemed to me almost like a musical labyrinth at one stage,
>with seemingly dead-ends and glimpses of the main themes.  All-in-all a
>wonderful work and I am at the moment searching for a recording.  Any
>recommendations

My favorite is the unheralded recording with soloist Igor Oistrakh and
the Moscow Symphony.  The Russian bite is really quite striking in the
outer movements.  The Perlman is a good modern recording, but the Menuhin
with Elgar conducting remains the best performance, sonics notwithstanding.

I just learned from Leo Botstein's new compendium ("Edward Elgar and His
World") that it was Kreisler, the man who premiered the concerto, that
got Elgar to put in the heart-stopping high notes in the 20th bar of the
slow movement.  This great contribution ranks with that of Jaeger, who
persuaded the composer to extend the conclusion of the Enigma variations
to seal it as an all-time masterwork.

>What would rank as your most memorable concert experiences for 2007?

Premiere of the Rouse Requiem in L.A., and Puccini's "La Rondine" at
the San Francisco Opera, bewitchingly sung by Angela Gheorghiu.  BTW,
the latter may show up at a theater near you.

Jeff Dunn
[log in to unmask]
Alameda, CA

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