Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Symphony No 1 in A-flat Major, Op 55 (1908)
In the South (Alassio) – Concert Overture, Op 50 (1904)
English Symphony Orchestra/Kenneth Woods
rec. live, 4 June 2022 (Alassio), 3 June 2023 (symphony); Worcester Cathedral, UK
ESO Records ESO2501 [79]

The English Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1980 by William Boughton, who was acknowledged as an enthusiast for English music; he was Artistic Director until 2006. He was succeeded as principal conductor by Vernon Handley in 2007 but sadly this distinguished Elgarian died the following year.  Kenneth Woods became Artistic Director and Principal Conductor in 2013. In addition, Yehudi Menuhin, another musician closely associated with Elgar’s music, was Principal Guest Conductor between 1990 and 1999. When you factor in also that the ESO is based in Worcester and gives many of its concerts each year in the Three Choirs counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, it’s small wonder that, as Woods puts it in the booklet, he realised from his first encounter with the orchestra that Elgar’s music is in their collective blood.

It’s no accident, therefore, that the ESO has been the mainstay of the Elgar Festival which has been held in Worcester every year since 2018 as close as possible each year to Elgar’s birthday, which falls on 2 June. The two performances on this CD were given at concerts during the Festivals of 2022 and 2023. Woods makes a very important point in the booklet. He readily acknowledges that the catalogue boasts many studio recordings of both works. The aim of this CD is not to supplant those recordings (my words, not his) “but to share a memory of an occasion and a flavour of this magical place. Each is a record of a single performance that grew out of a week’s immersion in all things Elgar…” That’s a very fair point to make but, as I hope to show, these two recorded performances are not ‘merely’ souvenirs of the concerts in question.

Though it’s placed second on the CD, I think I should start with In the South. I do so not only because, chronologically, the work precedes the symphony but also because I believe that the flamboyant, sweeping confidence of the invention and orchestration of In the South was a vital precursor to the A-flat symphony. It’s one of my favourite Elgar orchestral scores, a glorious work full of confidence and colour: Richard Bratby very rightly speaks of the “breathtaking verve” of In the South. Woods launches this performance colourfully and vigorously, though in the tranquil passage that follows soon afterwards he and his players demonstrate a fine sense of poetry. The Roman legions episode (from 7:29) has dramatic weight and power. My ear was particularly caught by the ‘canto popolare’ episode (11:51-15:45). This section is delivered with finesse and I especially admired the solo contributions of violist Carl Hill and principal horn Mark Smith. Immediately after this passage, Elgar reverts to the opening music and from here to the end the mood is primarily – though not exclusively – extrovert and gloriously confident. The present performance has the appropriate panache. I very much enjoyed this colourful musical postcard from Alassio and its environs. 

Kenneth Woods also shows himself to be a fine and instinctive Elgarian in his account of the First symphony. After he and the ESO have unfolded the motto theme spaciously, I very much approve of the impetus in the main Allegro. Furthermore, though the impetus is excellent, Woods knows exactly how to ease off in the poetic episodes. He’s faithful to all of Elgar’s marked intentions and that’s a feature throughout the whole performance. The second movement has swagger a-plenty, though Woods achieves this without rushing the music off its feet; his pacing is sensible. A little later, the passage which Elgar once said should be played ‘like something you hear down by the river’ is very nicely done; the playing of the ESO is suitably light-footed. The transition to the third movement is well achieved.

It was a stroke of genius on Elgar’s part that he should have miraculously transformed the scurrying main theme of the second movement into the broad and noble melody which forms the foundation of the Adagio. The present performance mingles nobility and repose and I find it wholly convincing. Under Woods’ direction, the members of the ESO make the music sing; the performance evidences a fine sense of line from start to finish. The passage from 9:41 to the end of the movement is as beautiful as anything you’ll find in Elgar and the sensitivity of this performance is admirable; the hushed coda (from 12:19) is especially fine. The slow introduction to the finale is well done and when the main Allegro bursts forth (2:20) Woods invests the music with good energy. He keeps control over the pace in the following pages; I think that’s wise, given that the performance was given in a resonant cathedral acoustic, although I did wonder at times if the reins were a little too tightly held; should the music be a bit more impulsive? There’s a truly wonderful passage (from 6:54 in this performance) where the strings broadly sing the main theme of the movement against a rippling harp part; the passage doesn’t disappoint here. As the symphony’s peroration draws closer, there’s no doubting the ardour with which the music is played (from 10:23). When the motto theme returns in splendour (10:59) the music sounds grand but, thankfully, not grandiose. Thus ends a performance of Elgar’s first great symphony which I enjoyed very much.

I think it’s appropriate to say a word about the playing strength of the ESO. In the symphony the string section is 10/8/6/6/3, which is rather smaller than one would hear on recordings by the likes of, say, the Hallé or the LSO to take two examples at random. (For In the South the strings number 10/8/8/6/4.) It may well be there’s a practical reason for this, namely that it wasn’t possible to fit a larger string choir into the space available in Worcester Cathedral. Though the string sound may not be quite as full as one experiences on some other recordings, I can honestly say that I didn’t feel that the strings sounded underpowered. And there’s a benefit too; the rest of the orchestra – woodwind in particular – achieve good but not excessive cut-through. Incidentally, the violins are split left-right, which is entirely right in this music. Tim Burton was responsible for producing and engineering the recording and I think he’s done a good job. I am familiar with the acoustics of Worcester Cathedral; it can be a tricky place in which to balance music-making but through shrewd microphone placement, Burton has allowed us to hear all sections of the orchestra clearly and the building’s resonance has been nicely managed.

The booklet contains stylish and valuable essays about the music by Richard Bratby.

As I said at the start, I think that these performances are more than souvenirs of the concerts in question; they’re satisfying accounts of two of Elgar’s greatest orchestral scores and they’re well worth hearing. I’d very much like to hear Woods and the ESO in the Second symphony. This, I believe, is the first release on the orchestra’s own label. If so, it’s an auspicious launch. I believe a Sibelius symphony cycle is in prospect; I should be most interested to follow that series as it unfolds.

John Quinn

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