These are four of the best Elgar performances on disc available. First, the recording is superb, with near-perfect balance and a really natural sound. Second, the playing of the BBC Symphony Orchestra is first rate. Andrew Davis's conducting of all four works is inspired, as if he had forgotten all preconceived notions and other interpretations, gone back to the scores and given us what he found there. In Cockaigne, for example, the subtle use of ritardando, sanctioned in the score, gives the music that elasticity which Elgar considered to be an ideal requisite for interpreting his works. The poetry and wit of this masterpiece emerge with renewed freshness. As for the Enigma Variations, instead of wondering why another recording was thought necessary, you'll find yourself rejoicing that such a fine performance has been preserved to be set alongside other treasured versions.
Each of the 'friends pictured within' is strongly characterised by Davis, but without exaggeration or interpretative quirks. Tempos are just right and the orchestral playing captures the authentic Elgarian sound in a manner Boult would have recognised. Similarly, in the Introductionand Allegro, how beautifully the string quartet is recorded, how magical are the gentle and so eloquent pizzicatos which punctuate the flow of the great melody. The fugue is played with real zest and enjoyment. This is music on a large scale and is played and conducted in that way, whereas the early Serenade is intimate and dewy-eyed and that's how it sounds here.