Boult's Scottish Elgar Second, Plus Reups

The young Adrian Boult was one of the first proponents of Sir Edward Elgar's Second Symphony. After Boult conducted a 1920 performance, Elgar wrote to him, "I feel that my reputation in the future is safe in your hands."

Boult was the first to record the symphony, save for Elgar himself, and went on to set down his interpretation another four times - three more than any other conductor.

Elgar and Boult at a 1932 recording session

Today we have the least known of Sir Adrian's five recordings, but not perhaps the least. It was made for the small and short-lived Scottish company Waverley in 1963, and tends to get lost among Boult's earlier and later EMI recordings, and even his 1957 effort for Pye.

The Waverley, set down in September 1963 in Glasgow Concert Hall, is a worthy contender, well played and truthfully recorded. I agree with Gramophone reviewer Trevor Harvey, who wrote that it main flaw is the underpowered strings. That's not an unusual fault with provincial ensembles - Harvey noted that the playing of the Hallé for Barbirolli in his Pye recording was no better, and even the London Philharmonic in Boult's 1957 recording was none too glamorous sounding. The Gramphone review is included in the download.

But I don't mean to make too much of this; it's a fine performance of a grand symphony. I transferred this symphony many years ago, but it has never appeared here. I've revisited the files and improved the sound for this post.

Reuploads

Let's stay with the music of English composers for today's two reuploads, which comprise Vaughan Williams' Mass, and the Mass and Symphony No. 5 of Edmund Rubbra. As usual, the links below take you to the original posts.

Vaughan Williams and Rubbra - Masses. The Vaughan Williams Mass is relatively familiar, not so the Mass setting of Edmund Rubbra (1901-86), whose music is too little known. Here we have 1953 recordings by the Fleet Street Choir under T.E. Lawrence, who premiered a number of important works.

Rubbra - Symphony No. 5. The composer wrote 11 symphonies in all; this was the first to be recorded. It is a typically passionate performance led by Sir John Barbirolli with the Hallé Orchestra. The recording sessions were in December 1950.

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