# Elgar violin



## Hermastersvoice (Oct 15, 2018)

This is a work I never tuned into, now is the time. Sammon, Menuhin, Zehetmair? Which one to go for? Hugh Bean seems to have incredible credentials too. Does this piece need artistic lineage, like Gertler/ Bartok, Suk/ Dvorak, Nielsen/ Telmanyi , or a glitzy international outfit?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I have the CD of Nigel Kennedy and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vernon Handley on EMI. I'm happy with it - it also got good reviews when it came out.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

It's a hauntingly beautiful work, and deadly serious, too. I love the thing but it's so rarely performed it seems. I've played the contra part only once. It does not lack for superb recordings. The orchestration is so detailed and complex and ravishing that for me a modern recording with great sound is essential.

The Kennedy/Handley is really hard to beat. I also really enjoy the Zuckerman/Slatkin recording. The Pine/Litton excellent, too. Elgar fans of course will have the Menuhin recording led by the composer, but the sound is so dated.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Art Rock said:


> I have the CD of Nigel Kennedy and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vernon Handley on EMI. I'm happy with it - it also got good reviews when it came out.


It got a Rosette from the Penguin Guide at the time, and I have always loved this version. The sound quality on the original CD was not great that was the only downside I remember.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Elgar has a lot of works featuring the violin, and his concerto is not the best of them. That designation goes to the violin sonata.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

The Kennedy is good but there are quite a few others (it is a work I love) including the young Menuhin's (with Elgar conducting) and Takezawa's recording with Colin Davis. This last has been a big favourite for me for decades and can still be got for reasonable money but is, I think, OOP:


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Hermastersvoice said:


> This is a work I never tuned into, now is the time. Sammon, Menuhin, Zehetmair? Which one to go for? Hugh Bean seems to have incredible credentials too. Does this piece need artistic lineage, like Gertler/ Bartok, Suk/ Dvorak, Nielsen/ Telmanyi , or a glitzy international outfit?


The violinist is important, but most of all the concerto needs a conductor steeped in Elgar's idiom, which is, for me, the main attraction of Kennedy/Handley. It's also one of Heifetz's better records, due to the influence of Sargent on the podium.

I listened to a bunch of recordings last year, and found that I consistently preferred the recordings conducted by Colin Davis. There are three of them, with Hahn, Takezawa, and Znaider. The one with Hahn is probably my desert island choice, but the other two are excellent. I also like Zukerman's recording with Barenboim, and Hugh Bean's with Groves, but the latter is very hard to find. And Chung's, because she's a terrific violinist in everything, despite Solti.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Long Romantic violin concerti are one of my weak spots, but I don’t mind this too much. I’ve only heard it once, played scintallatingly by James Ehnes, one of my favorite violinists. Elgar rarely disappoints me even though his two concerti are not among my favorite works of his.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

This was never a favored work for me but, of the recordings I heard, I most enjoyed the Sammons' historic venture especially in the recording linked to W.H. Squires performance of the cello concerto.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

larold said:


> This was never a favored work for me but, of the recordings I heard, I most enjoyed the Sammons' historic venture especially in the recording linked to W.H. Squires performance of the cello concerto.


You mean this one?:


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I had the Pearl recording ... now listen on YouTube when I want to hear it.


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## mrdoc (Jan 3, 2020)

Art Rock said:


> I have the CD of Nigel Kennedy and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vernon Handley on EMI. I'm happy with it - it also got good reviews when it came out.


I have the same CD it is the best that I have heard.
I saw our Nige at a concert playing the Brahms that was a stunning performance.


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## David Phillips (Jun 26, 2017)

The new Nicola Benedetti recording of the Elgar got a five star review in 'The Times' . It is very good - her lovely covered tone reminds me of the great Mischa Elman.
In a recent interview Anne-Sophie Mutter was asked why she hadn't taken up the concerto and she said she wasn't ready for it yet. Come on, Anne-Sophie, give it a go before it's too late! (And that goes for Joshua Bell too!).


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