Elgar in Eastern Europe

[eschiss1]

About this, is Venezia (1973) the record label or place where Rozhdestvenski made a 1973 (one supposes) recording of that symphony?

[chriskh]

Bizarrely, Venezia seems to be  Russian label

[Double-A]

I think it is correct to consider Elgar an unsung composer anywhere outside the Anglo-Saxon world, not just in Eastern Europe.

I don't think that is correct at all, although Elgar is only known here from a handful of works. But the Enigma Variations are pretty common concert fare, and have been for decades. Other works perhaps not so much, although my irregular but not infrequent concert visits in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Sweden have had me listening to a couple of Violin Concertos, one Dream of Gerontius, and at least three stints of In the South. And that from someone who isn't much of an Elgar fan.

This puts him on a level with Bruch:  The famous violin concerto, rarely Kol Nidrei and nothing else.  Hence unsung.

[Ilja]

My point here was that for the Elgar fan, there is probably more to be had than the rather random selection I mentioned. I think Hadrianus is right in that reputation-wise he's roughly in Sibelius territory in most countries; but clearly played more often than, say, Nielsen or Glazunov. Heard a Cockaigne overture played unexpectedly well by an ambitious amateur orchestra only last week.

[JimL]

And the Scottish Fantasy, Double A.

[Christopher]

And the Scottish Fantasy, Double A.

You just stole my thunder there!

And maybe now also the lovely Adagio Appassionata (Op.57), which is increasingly being played on (urgh..) Classicfm and elsewhere - not my radio station of choice either but we slightly diverted into "what makes them famous".

Anyway, as Alan would say, back to Elgar in Albania ...