Although it took him until he was nearly half a century into his career to get around to recording
Elgar,
Colin Davis got busy making up for lost time at the turn of the millennium. In 2002, he released recordings of all three of
Elgar's symphonies with the
London Symphony Orchestra, then in 2005 he released a recording of the First with the
Staatskapelle Dresden coupled with a pair of Berlioz overtures. And, amazingly enough, although
Davis'
London First was quite fine, his
Dresden First was tremendous. Because while
Davis clearly knows and loves the work, bringing out its strength, its nobility, and its passion in both performances, the
London Orchestra musicians respond like players who know the work backwards, forwards, inside out, and sideways and have grown complacent in their affection, but the
Dresden players respond like they were only just learning to know and love the work and couldn't wait to tear into it. The sculpted beauty of the
Staatskapelle's strings, the pure colors of their winds, the polished strength of their brass, the muscular attack of their percussion, and the brilliant warmth of their ensemble stands comparison with the best orchestras in Europe and they bring it all to bear on
Elgar's First. While longtime
Elgar fans may still hold to their
Boult and
Barbirolli recordings and newer
Elgar fans may hold to their
Previn and
Mackerras recordings, fans who really love
Elgar's music will be thrilled to hear a first-class recording by a non-English orchestra. The Berlioz overtures are an odd but entertaining fill-up, and
Davis, a canny old Berlioz conductor, makes them sing and shine. Hänssler's live sound is clean, lush, and full.