Elgar: Symphony No. 2 & In the South

Approfondimenti

While not as fast and light as the composer's own recording, Richard Hickox and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales recording of Elgar's Second Symphony may still be too fast and light for some tastes. Of course, since Hickox's approach is clearly modeled on Elgar's, it certainly defensible. But even if the composer did conduct it that way, is it really appropriate? After all, when Elgar recorded the Second fast and light in 1924 his music was passé and as he rushes through transitions and pushes through quiet passages, one gets the sense he was faintly embarrassed by it. But Hickox's performance is nearly as fast and surely as light as Elgar's and one cannot help wondering if Hickox, too, is faintly embarrassed by the music. Part of the problem is that the BBC Wales is not quite up to the work. The strings sound too slight, the winds too watery, and the brass too timid. But the more important part of the problem is that Hickox, like Elgar, rushes through the transitions in the opening Allegro vivace e nobilmente and the coda of the closing Moderato e maestoso, and pushes through the climaxes of the central Larghetto and the opening of the following Rondo. While this is certainly defensible and to some listeners possibly attractive, for listeners who recall the noble Boult or the passionate Barbirolli recordings, Hickox's may seem altogether too fast and light. Chandos' super audio CD sound is clean, but a bit too distant.
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