This is simply the finest Elgar overture disc available. Every performance equals or betters the competition. Froissart swaggers with unbridled pomp, Gibson raises the roof in Cockaigne’s rowdy band scenes and sustains tension effortlessly in the quieter passages, and In the South has an unrivalled sweep and impetus. Just listen to that opening: to the ebullient brass (perfectly equalized dynamically from high horns and trumpets right down through the trombones and tuba), to the strings really digging into the notes, and to the throbbing bass drum under it all (sonic mush in most other recordings). Remastering has tamed the top and deepened the bass a bit, but this issue always was a superb technical achievement, and so it remains. Incomparable! [8/24/2002]
