Supposedly Colin Davis’ advocacy lends a certain legitimacy to the so-called Elgar Third Symphony, a work of dubious parentage if ever there were one. The fact is that less than half the symphony was composed by Elgar himself, while the rest was “elaborated” by Anthony Payne after a few “inspired” revelations. Whether or not Payne was actually “channeling” Elgar would be a question worthy of lengthy discussion were the work itself of sufficient interest. As it stands, it’s a highly variable composition in which the few genuinely compelling passages (i.e., the first-movement exposition and parts of the Scherzo and Adagio) are surrounded by music of plainly lesser quality.
So, do such starry names as Colin Davis and the London Symphony reveal a heretofore unperceived greatness? Not really, even though the LSO infuses the score with its own special robust (and quite Elgarian) sound. This performance does not noticeably improve on the fine Naxos version conducted by Paul Daniel, whose Bournemouth Symphony players hold their own in the face of the LSO’s grand swagger. Except in the first movement where he presses forward with impressive drive, Davis’ tempos are slower overall, making the already sleepy scherzo seem endless–this despite the beautifully hushed sounds he conjures from the strings.
Finally, LSO Live’s closely miked, glaring recorded sound loses points in favor of the relatively more spaciously cast Naxos disc. As both releases are in the budget range, price is not an issue. Ultimately, this release proves it’s going to take more than a distinguished “major label” conductorial pedigree to make much out of this symphony.
