Elgar: From the Archives Vol. 2

SOMM Recordings’ new series “Elgar from the Archives” explores Edward Elgar’s music through rare archival recordings, not only by well-known British performers but also by lesser-known yet equally meritorious international conductors and soloists. Volume 2 of the series features historic live performances of Sir Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61 with Tibor Varga and the Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 with André Navarra. Lani Spahr—whose work as a mastering recording engineer for historical reissues has been acclaimed by Gramophone magazine among others—has once again expertly handled the audio restoration of these performances. The Royal Philharmonic Society of London commissioned the Violin Concerto from Elgar in 1909. Composed within a year of his first symphony, it is one of his longest orchestral works and has a reputation for being one of the most difficult pieces in the violin repertoire. He dedicated it to the celebrated violin master of his day, Fritz Kreisler, who gave its premiere in 1910 under Elgar’s baton. The Hungarian violinist Tibor Varga (1921–2003) was 6 years old when he first performed in public and went on to become one of the most significant soloists of his generation. This recording from 1957 was made with the Dutch composer and conductor Jan Koetsier and the Bamberg Symphony. After the First World War, Lady Elgar noted that her husband’s compositions had changed. His four-movement Cello Concerto, completed in 1919, is barely longer than the first movement of his Violin Concerto, and it is a contemplative, elegiac work with a heart-rending Adagio in the third movement. The renowned cellist André Navarra (1911–1988) finished his studies at the Paris Conservatoire at the age of fifteen and was later mentored by Pablo Casals. He undertook extensive tours in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Soviet Union. His recording here with the German conductor Fritz Rieger and the Munich Philharmonic dates from 1956.