Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth - Barry Wordsworth Conducts Elgar (2012)

Newcomers to classical music will find that this album of Edward Elgar's most popular orchestral works is a helpful introduction to his music, though experienced listeners will likely have their own favorite recordings. By far the best known are the five Pomp and Circumstance Marches, of which No. 1 is famous in Great Britain as the patriotic song, "Land of Hope and Glory," and familiar in the United States from graduation ceremonies. These marches are characteristic of Elgar's bold public style, as is the colorful and jaunty Cockaigne Overture, and they are memorable for their "big tunes," for which he prided himself. But a subtler side of Elgar emerges in the Enigma Variations, which is a masterpiece of brilliant orchestral writing and inventive musical portraiture, with each thinly disguised variation representing a friend or associate, and the finale representing Elgar himself. Though these were deciphered soon after the work's premiere, the source of Elgar's original theme remains a mystery. Barry Wordsworth and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra deliver solid performances in clear and vibrant stereo, and the sound quality is quite high for a budget CD.