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In the Forum: Musical Discussions
In the Thread: Performance of a week.

Post Subject: Elgar 2nd Symphony - Vernon HandleyPosted by JANDL100 on: 8/8/2009

Although I am a Brit and have been an avid fan of classical including British music (RVW is my fave) for several decades, I just haven't been able to appreciate what the hell Elgar was on about in his 2 symphonies. (I've loved his '3rd' as completed by Anthony Payne since I first heard it).

I've also generally had a fairly passionate dislike for the conducting skills of the recently deceased Vernon Handley.

But every know and then, if only to try and keep an open mind, I have another listen.

This time around, I followed the advice of some music critics and bought the Elgar 2 conducted by Handley on EMI. Well, maybe two wrongs do make a right!
In this case, this is certainly the situation for me. Something, just a smidgeon, captivated me from the start, although the other 99% was still unintelligible to me! I have now listened to this recording about 8 or 9 times in the course of a few days - and I am now totally bowled over by the music. Fantastic. What were seemingly disjointed chords now coalesce into a magnificent whole. And what great sound quality too - oh, that brass! My love of Vaughan Williams' symphonic (and other) works is undimmed - but Elgar's 2nd symphony is fast approaching their exalted level in my view. I must now try other versions - I have also just bought Handley's Elgar 1, perhaps that will work some magic on me, too!

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