An introduction to Elgar

From All Music Guide: Many discs intended to serve as an introduction to a particular composer’s works offer only single movements of larger works, leaving the listener somewhat unfulfilled and wanting more. Not so with the Chandos line of “intro” CDs, which actually does a better job of introducing a composer by providing all of the movements of a few larger pieces. The liner notes provide a modest amount of information about the Elgar and the works heard here, but they fail to make any mention of the performers themselves.

The Cello Concerto, played here by Ralph Kirshbaum, sadly fails to impress. The opening of the first movement is so saturated with overindulgent rubato and rhythmic license that at times it’s virtually impossible to decipher what the notated rhythm actually is. The second movement, Allegro molto, is performed so slowly that the bow stroke is almost completely in the string. There are also a surprising number of missed notes for a cellist of Kirshbaum’s standing, notably in the flourish leading to the fourth movement. The Enigma Variations, by contrast, performed by the Scottish National Orchestra, is quite satisfactory as an introductory recording to the work. However, Jacqueline du Pré’s recording of the cello concerto remains the gold standard.