Edward Elgar was one of the first composers to take recording seriously, and his discs are an invaluable source of performance style. The electrical recordings of the late 1920s are also glorious interpretations which reveal him as a passionate and intense conductor. This latest set takes the story deeper by remastering unused takes from major recordings. Lani Spahr is the technical genius behind the project, and explains in daunting detail the “accidental stereo” created by the microphones. There are many versions of parts of the Cello Concerto and other smaller works, while the sheer impact of the First Symphony in all its cleaned-up detail is overwhelming. Most touching of all is a piano and cello slow movement in which the accompanist is George V’s sister, Princess Victoria.
