This CD takes us on the proverbial journey from “darkness to light”. Starting with Elgar’s gloomy Cello Concerto (the lugubrious first movement has me envisioning Byron’s Manfred dragging a cello through the Alps) and ending with the composer’s bright and bristling Pomp and Circumstance marches. To his credit, cellist Paul Watkins doesn’t endeavor to turn the piece into a sob story (as others have done), but instead infuses his part with a certain alacrity, allied with what the Brits would probably call “dignified repose”. Conductor Andrew Davis is of like mind as he keeps the tempo moving and timbres light, resulting in a reading that’s engaging, even if it doesn’t reach the depths explored by Jacqueline Du Pré and Yo Yo Ma.
Davis leads well-executed performances of Elgar’s poignant Introduction and Allegro and gentle Elegy, which in this program act as a transition between the dour and delightful. The mood immediately lifts once the marches begin, with the BBC Philharmonic vibrant and spirited under Davis’ direction. It’s only when you compare these readings to Solti’s, or especially Menuhin’s (newly re-released on Erato, coupled with his cracking performances of Elgar’s symphonies) that you find the verve and swagger missing from Davis’ renditions.
Chandos provides its house-standard recording, which conveys the sense of a large, reverberant acoustic that’s somewhat lacking in finer details. If you want these particular Elgar works on one program, you won’t be harmed by this “sombre-to-sunny” journey.
