5. Elgar Cello Concerto played by Jacqueline du Pre
With the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
Welcome back! The #5 installment in the 50 greatest classical recordings of all time is another truly historic recording. We arrive at Sir Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto played by cellist Jacqueline du Pre with the London Symphony Orchestra led by Sir John Barbirolli. Also included on this recording is Elgar’s Sea Pictures sung by Dame Janet Baker, once again with the London Symphony Orchestra led by Sir John Barbirolli. The Sea Pictures included here is one of the very best versions you can find, but in this review I will be focusing on the cello concerto.
The Composer
Sir Edward Elgar was born in Broadheath, Worcestershire, England in 1857. Almost completely self-taught, Elgar spent the first forty-two years a relative unknown. In England at the time, Elgar did not fit the role of a great composer. He was from a rural part of the country rather than one of the cities, he was not an eccentric type (indeed he was a devout Roman Catholic), and he had no musical connections that would have made his road easier. If you had seen Sir Edward in those days you would have noticed a distinguished-looking country gentleman, tall with a thick moustache, and piercing eyes. It was said that you could easily read Elgar’s mood from his eyes, and he carried himself with dignity.
But beginning in 1899, Elgar experienced several successes one after another which brought him not only national but international acclaim. His first big success was the Enigma Variations, followed by The Dream of Gerontius, Sea Pictures, Pomp and Circumstance Marches (no doubt you are familiar with from your high school or college commencement exercises), In the South, Introduction and Allegro for Strings, the First Symphony, the Violin Concerto, the Second Symphony, Falstaff, and a series of chamber works.
Cello Concerto
By the time Elgar began work on his Cello Concerto, he had established himself as one of the most famous of all English composers. But this was now 1918, and England was already four years into the Great War. In 1917 Elgar and his beloved wife Alice moved to a cottage in Sussex in the south of England to find some quiet amid the war, and because Elgar felt he did all his best composing while being close to nature. In fall 2018, his wife Alice commented in her diary that Edward was working on, “wonderful new music, real wood sounds & other lament which should be in a war symphony”. It was almost certainly the cello concerto Elgar was working on at the time, not a war symphony. The work was given its premiere about a year later in October 1919 in London with Elgar himself conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. Another year later his beloved wife Alice died, and Elgar composed very little of significance after her death.
The concerto itself is in four movements rather than the traditional three, a structure that followed Brahms’ pioneering four movement second piano concerto. But in this case, Elgar uses the four movements to depict contrasting moods. The opening statement transitions to a Moderato theme which is brooding and full of anguish. It is followed by an Allegro Molto that finds the cello soloist faced with the most demanding and virtuoso passages that moves continuously. The third movement Adagio is essentially a song for cello, while the final movement moves from Allegro to Moderato again, and finally Allegro, ma non troppo. While there is an undeniable autumnal feeling to the work, and the main themes that recur throughout are somewhat wistful and melancholy, there are also playful and energetic passages. The movements are fairly concise, and the bold and dramatic opening statement on solo cello returns again changed in the scherzo, and then returns again toward the end of the finale before the headlong dash to the end.
The Recording
To the recording at hand, the concerto was recorded by EMI (now Warner Music) in August 1965 at Kingsway Hall in London (Kingsway Hall, one of the greatest recording venues in the world for classical music, was sadly demolished in 1998). It is a very good sounding recording for its age, and it caught the London Symphony Orchestra during one of the very finest periods in their history. One of the interesting facts about this recording is that 19 year-old John Barbirolli himself played in the cello section of the LSO under Elgar himself when the work was premiered in 1919. It is known Barbirolli had a deep connection to the work.
But it is Jacqueline du Pre that makes this recording so special. She plays this piece like no other cellist ever has, or possibly ever will. Sadly, du Pre’s career was cut short by multiple sclerosis, and she died at the age of 42. Perhaps knowing her tragic story, we listen with different ears to her playing. Or perhaps du Pre just had a special affinity for the piece. In any case, what we hear is playing of true emotional depth and breathtaking virtuosity. This recording brought du Pre international recognition, and it has remained the benchmark ever since. Barbirolli and the LSO provide full and idiomatic accompaniment.
Some say this is Elgar’s masterpiece, and perhaps it is. However, I truly love Elgar’s First and Second symphonies as well. In my opinion, Elgar is one of the most underappreciated composers in classical music. As a side note, several years ago I was able to hear the Elgar cello concerto in person played by Yo-Yo Ma with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit, which was an unforgettable experience. Even with the talented Ma on cello, he still couldn’t quite reach the intensity level of du Pre on this recording.
In the next two installments, we will turn to recordings of some traditional Holiday mainstays that also make the top 50 list. See you then!
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Kennedy, Michael (1972). Elgar: Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures. EMI Liner Notes.
Macdonald, Hugh (2016). Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Opus 85. Boston Symphony Orchestra Program Notes, Week 4, 2016-2017 Season. Pp. 39-45.