Search - Edward Elgar, John Eliot Gardiner, Wiener Philharmoniker :: Elgar: Enigma Variations

Good, but not the best.

Brett A. Kniess | Madison, WI | 07/13/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"An all Elgar disk featuring some of his greatest works, nothing could be better; unfortunately this disk is good, but just misses the mark of great.



The good aspects of the disk are as follows: Terrific and full-bodied performances by the Vienna Philharmonic. A very cohesive and warm string section with an exhuberant and dramatic brass section. John Eliot Gardiner also gets high marks for interpretation: Very expressive, never langoring on slow music or whizzing past any music needlessly. In fact, this is probably the darkest sounding Elgar I have ever heard, very close to Brahms indeed. The inclusion of three other works with the Variations, not just filler, but good smaller works brings this CD to about 70 minutes.



How this disk just misses the five star is thus: The recording seems to overly favor the string section first, then the brass (both very well performed), but the poor woodwinds (which Elgar writes a lot for, adds dramatic tension with, and gives his music a brighter, sometimes pastoral feeling) is hardly audible, the exception being exposed sections. For instance the Finale of Enigma, there are great woodwind flourishes and off-beat interactions, but is totally outweighed by the strings (not just here, but throughout the CD) which in my humble opinion contributes to the dark sound (Brahms-ish vs. Holst-ish). Second, the very end of the Finale in Enigma there is a great part for FULL organ, but here it is inaudible. And lastly, the In the South overture, while good, just can't beat the exciting competition of Alexander Gibson on Chandos.



All in all, this recording is excellently played, just weighed down by a heavy, dark sound and some missing intricacies. If you are interested in owning Enigma you can't go wrong with this CD, the music is beautiful and exciting, just minor details that I don't believe should have been overlooked."

Gardiner's Vivid Reexamination Of Elgar

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 04/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sir John Eliot Gardiner makes a very persuasive case for placing Elgar as a composer in classic Central European Romantic mode in these excellent performances of Elgar's orchestral and chamber works, ending with a brilliant performance of Elgar's Enigma Variations. Gardiner's interpretations are certainly radical reinterpretations of Elgar's music; here he emphasizes how these scores pay homage to contemporaries - and artistic mentors - such as Brahms and Dvorak, among others, in his choice of tempi and the lush, warm performances he obtains from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. I doubt I have heard the Enigma Variations sound so much like a work composed by Brahms before. The sound quality is quite superb, filled with the ample warmth one might expect from recordings made in the Vienna Philharmonic's concert hall. Without question this is yet another successful Deutsche Grammophon collaboration between Gardiner and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra."

Great performance; great recording

L. E Johnson | Raleigh, NC United States | 02/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These Enigma Variations are as good as any I've ever heard, and better than most. That dark, fullbodied sound really helps. The Alassio overture is indeed Straussian, and that's no drawback. The great Sospiri, one of the most beautiful works I know, doesn't match Hurst's or Barbirolli's versions precisely because the sound is too big, with an overabundance of strings. But Gardiner's version is still a wonderful experience. Try his Chabrier disc, also with the VPO--it's fine also."