I became a fan of Elgar’s music when I listened carefully to his Violin Concerto. And my connection with him was cemented when I came to love his Cello Concerto, as well.
Today I have for you Elgar’s Symphony number 1, and also a shorter work titled “In the South”
Elgar: Symphony No. 1 & In the South
Elgar:
Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55
In the South (Alassio), Op. 50
Performed by the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano conductin.
Antonio Pappano, who studied piano and conducting, first attracted the attention of Daniel Barenboim, becoming his assistant at the Bayreuth Festival. After working in Barcelona and Frankfurt, he made his debut at Den Norske Opera in Oslo in 1987, becoming music director there in 1990.
From 1992 to 2002 Pappano was music director of La Monnaie, the Belgian Royal Opera House. In 2002, he was named music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, his current contract there running to 2017.
Pappano has also been principal guest conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and in 2005 became music director of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
The Guardian write recently:
“…Pappano approaches Symphony No 1 and In the South as what they are – important works in the European late-Romantic tradition.”
Here is a recording of the Elgar Symphony #1:
