Enigma variations

"Vasily Petrenko's previous recordings of Elgar's first two symphonies have in general been well, if perhaps rather politely, received, with reservations regarding some lack of passion and a degree of understatement ... Petrenko's affection for the music is much in evidence in this latest release, but the competition is formidable ... I wish I could be more enthusiastic about this decently played trio of core Elgar works, but each is surpassed by a previous, better recordings".

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"BBC music choice - Recording of the month: Exceptional Elgar ... Nimrod has the grandeur of a Bruckner slow movement ... In fact Brabbins's performance as a whole is a reminder of what a masterpiece of construction Enigma truly is ... What's truly revelatory however is the way each variation seems to speak ... Recordings are excellent throughout".

Vurdering : 5/5.

"Brabbins masterminds an expansive, ideally flexible and notably unflustered reading of Elgar's In the South, one which quarries this evocative score's plentiful reserves of noble grandeur, pantheistic wonder and vulnerability ... [He] proves a comparably unhurried, affectionate and cannily observant guide through Enigma, the friends pictured within springing to life with unforced naturalness ... An enjoyable and stimulating anthology that Elgarians everywhere should try and hear".

"Vasily Petrenko directs and admirably trim, affectionate and cannily paced Enigma, free of fussy intervention and marked by superb orchestral playing ... If anything, the performance of In the South is even finer, exhibiting an emotional clout, malleability and sweep ... Only the Serenade underwhelms ... Still, the disc as a whole warrants investigation for the two main items alone".

"The Enigma, with fewer sung contributions from the conductor, is more convincing, with splendid fire in the fast variations; and in both works Davis is marvellous at bringing out the subtleties of Elgar's orchestration".