Renaud Capuçon in Elgar

The premier of Edward Elgar's one and only violin concerto took place in 1910, with Elgar conducting Fritz Kreisler and the LSO. Despite its 1910 date, the work is firmly anchored in the 19^th century. Weighing in at around 50 minutes, it can often seem over-long, a feature of so many works at the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th. But it contains much genial and affectionate music, and I've always had a soft spot for it.

I bought the new recording with Renaud Capuçon and the LSO, with Simon Rattle conducting, and I am mightily impressed. Capuçon's elegant and sophisticated playing turns out to suit the work like a glove. I've never been an admirer of Rattle, but here he ensures that the violin and orchestra conduct a true dialogue; here the concerto is really a concerto for violin and orchestra. And, to cap it all, the recording (Erato) is extremely fine, with an exemplary balance between orchestra and solo violin. I listened to the recording with my full attention engaged throughout. I've always been an admirer of Capuçon's violin playing, but here he rises to even greater heights in my estimation since he appears to be at one with Elgar's sentimental and long-breathing music. Three stars, and my grateful thanks to all concerned for bringing this concerto to life. In future, whenever I want to listen to Elgar's concerto, this is the first of my twenty-three recordings of the work I will turn to.

The current CD also contains a recording of the late sonata for violin and piano by Elgar, a melancholy work that I must have listened to many times, but rarely remember having done so. Renaud Capuçon is joined by Stephen Hough, and the performance would seem to me to be the best since 1918. All praise to the recording engineers. Balancing a violin and piano for a recording would appear to be difficult; either the violin is recorded too close, with a distant piano, or more often a giant piano too close with a violin almost inaudible when playing pianissimo. Not here. Violin and piano are recorded as equals. The playing is also wonderful, with both musicians entering into the spirit of Elgar's work. I am running out of stars.