CD Review
Elgar: Symphony No. 1, Staatskapelle Berlin / Daniel Barenboim
- Composer
- Elgar
- Artist
- Staatskapelle Berlin / Daniel Barenboim
- Label
- Decca
- Catalogue
- 478 9353
- Reviewed by
- Matthew Swan
Barenboim and his Staatskapelle Berlin have enjoyed tremendous success on disc in recent years with their recordings of Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Symphony No. 2. It’s the second time Barenboim has made a traversal of Elgar’s major orchestral works (first time round with the LPO for CBS in the 1970s, now mostly available in box sets), but here he has an orchestra with a lean, muscular sound, and they’re not afraid of using it. Barenboim wants Elgar not to be forever prefixed as “the English composer, Elgar.” It’s as though the mention of his nationality is somehow an apology for perceived notions of politeness, a stiff upper lip and a lack of expressed emotion for anything but the countryside. He presents Elgar in the context of Brahms, Bruckner and Wagner, moving between high drama and tender repose with tempo and dynamic changes to match.
This could be said to be a recording of extremes, for example, the speed at the opening of the Scherzo is testament to Barenboim’s faith in his string players. The end of that movement is so beautifully slow it feels as though it might fall apart, until the attacca into that swoony Adagio picks it up again. The triumphant return of the main theme in the fourth movement is exactly that, having gained some extra weight and sounding weathered since its grandiose introduction in the first movement.
Elgar insisted (in 1905) that the symphony without a programme is the highest accomplishment in art. Debatable, yes, but it’s with this attitude that Barenboim and the Staatskapelle go through this symphony, allowing it be abstract and just letting the score speak. Of course, this would count for much less if the recorded sound wasn’t so rich and convincing. Recorded at the Philharmonie by mostly Teldex engineers, there’s fantastic definition in the winds and brass particularly.
I was fortunate enough to be at the Philharmonie for these recording sessions with producer Andrew Keener. Ever the diplomat, he calmly suggested re-doing a section that Barenboim had thought to be okay. After glancing back over the score, Barenboim muttered to the orchestra, in German, “Let’s do it again, just in case he’s right!” Another triumph for Decca in this series, which promises more of the same in the future.
A note on this page
Originally published by Matthew Swan, recovered from mmmusic's own archive and reproduced here as the critic wrote it.
Questions about this recording
Is this Barenboim's first recording of Elgar's Symphony No. 1?
No, he first recorded a traversal of Elgar's major orchestral works with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for CBS in the 1970s, mostly available now in box sets. This Decca recording with the Staatskapelle Berlin is his second time through the work decades later.
Where was this recorded?
Live at Berlin's Philharmonie, with producer Andrew Keener, engineered mostly by Teldex, credited in the review for particularly strong definition in the winds and brass.
How does this fit into Barenboim's wider Elgar series with the Staatskapelle Berlin?
It follows earlier recordings in the same series of Elgar's Cello Concerto and Symphony No. 2, both singled out as previous successes for the pairing.
Is this recording still available to buy?
Yes, Decca's catalogue number 478 9353 remains findable through classical retailers. We don't run an in-house shop, so we link out to Amazon and Discogs below.
