Elgar: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2/Froissart Overture

Recorded in 2007 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, these performances were part of an Elgar cycle that Andrew Davis conducted with the Philharmonia to mark the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth. Davis has made studio recordings of both symphonies with the BBC Symphony Orchestra for Warner Classics, and those are now available at budget price. At first sight that might make these recordings surplus to requirements. However, there is plenty to admire, especially in Davis's account of the First Symphony. His approach to Elgar seems more reflective than before, wistful almost now, and that quality suffuses his account of the First in a haunting way, with the closeup recording catching the refinement of the Philharmonia's playing perfectly. The Second Symphony, however, does not reveal its secrets as convincingly.