Colin Davis recorded the two Berlioz overtures for RCA, and those performances are quite similar to these live versions, except that the studio edition has better sound and this newer rendition of Béatrice et Bénédict is a touch more spirited. But for most listeners, it’s the Elgar that matters, and here the differences between this inspired reading and Davis’ dreary LSO recording are quite marked. Not only is he notably quicker overall, but the performance has a directness and energy entirely lacking in Davis’ fussy, mannered remake. The playing of the Dresden orchestra, strings especially, also roundly outclasses that of the LSO, thereby putting to rest all of that nationalistic nonsense about a special, indigenous “Elgar sound”. Music is music, and great orchestral playing is universal. The sound is a bit reverberant, which clouds the climaxes now and then, but never to the point that it masks the excellence of the performance. If you want Davis at his best in this music, then here is the disc to get.
