There’s a good bit to enjoy in this loving but (very) occasionally sluggish Enigma Variations. Colin Davis pays a great deal of attention to dynamics, especially piano, resulting for example in a wonderfully shimmering portrait of Mrs. Elgar, and one of the most hushed and haunting openings that Nimrod has yet received. At the other end of the dynamic spectrum, the brass and timpani project thrillingly in Troyte, as well as in the finale (“EDU”), despite the lack of the organ in the final pages. But there are also moments when Davis’ tendency toward mannered phrasing gets the better of him. The clarinet quotations of Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage seem to take forever, and the portrait of GRS’s bulldog Dan hasn’t a shred of humor or rambunctious gruffness.
Part of the problem lies in the engineering. Despite a wide dynamic range and rich bass, the very dry acoustic breaks the phrasing up into detached bits with dead air between them. I can very easily understand Davis’ interpretation coming across as more flowing in a warmer, more resonant space. You can hear this quite clearly in the Introduction and Allegro, where the wiry strings really don’t do justice to Davis’ passionate conducting. Finally, 47 minutes for a CD is really no bargain, even at mid or budget price. So what started off as a largely positive review has ended equivocally. In the final analysis the lovely and interesting bits fail to add up to a satisfying whole, especially given the excellence of the competition.
