Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op. 85/Sea Pictures, Op. 37

Track Listings

1. Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: I. Adagio-Moderato - Jacqueline du Pre

2. Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: II. Lento-Allegro molto - Jacqueline du Pre

3. Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: III. Adagio - Jacqueline du Pre

4. Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: IV. Allegro-Moderato-Allegro, ma non troppo - Jacqueline du Pre

5. Sea Pictures Op.37: I. Sea Slumber-Song - Dame Janet Baker

6. Sea Pictures Op.37: II. In Haven (Capri) - Dame Janet Baker

7. Sea Pictures Op.37: III. Sabbath Morning at Sea - Dame Janet Baker

8. Sea Pictures Op.37: IV. Where Corals Lie - Dame Janet Baker

9. Sea Pictures Op.37: V. The Swimmer - Dame Janet Baker

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The passionate reading from Jacqueline DuPré and Sir John Barbirolli is one of the classics of the catalog. [Barbirolli had played in the cello section of the Queen's Hall Orchestra when the first recording of the work was made, with the composer on the podium, in 1919.] Both the pain and the tenderness of this valedictory work are captured in full by the performance--and, fittingly, there is always gentleness in the pain, always an edge to the tenderness. The sound, while somewhat grainy, has remarkable presence and weight; and the balances are ideal. --Ted Libbey

Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op. 85/Sea Pictures, Op. 37, Music, Jacqueline du Pré, Edward Elgar, Sir John Barbirolli, Dame Janet Baker, London Symphony Orchestra, Cello Concerto, Classical, Classical Composers, Concerto, Song Cycle for Solo Voice and Orchestra, Vocal

Elgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures; Cockaigne Overture
Average customer rating:

Wonderful performances and remastering

DuPre at her best

Don't even think about buying another performance!

Sea Pictures, a life changing event, Lord Elgar, I worship thee!

The Definitive Elgar Cello Concerto

Elgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures; Cockaigne Overture

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0002VEQGG
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

Concert Overture: Cockaigne (In London Town) Op.40 - Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Adagio - Moderato - Jacqueline Du Pre
II. Lento - Allegro Molto - Jacqueline Du Pre
III. Adagio - Jacqueline Du Pre
IV. Allegro - Moderato - Allegro, Ma Non Troppo - Jacqueline Du Pre
I. Sea Slumber-Song - Janet Baker
II. In Haven (Capri) - Janet Baker
III. Sabbath Morning At Sea - Janet Baker
IV.Where Corals Lie - Janet Baker
V. The Swimmer - Janet Baker

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful performances and remastering.......2007-02-19

This legendary Du Pre recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto is certainly one of the titles I've been waiting to see in the Great Recordings of the Century. Du Pre gives a passionate reading of the concerto, capturing all the pathos in this immensely tragic work, with able support from Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra, drawing upon his expertise in this music. Barbirolli and the LSO also ably support Dame Janet Baker in her rendition of the Sea Pictures. Dame Janet sings with a light touch and a tonal beauty that befits the music, and one can hear everyone making the most of this underrated Elgar work and unearthing the many nuances in his depiction of the sea.

You'll wonder what the Cello Concerto and the Sea Pictures have in common besides boasting great performances in this disc. Well, from my reading of it, they both harbour sentiments of unpredictability in life. The Cello Concerto is laden with yearning for a lost world, a world torn apart by the First World War, and the Sea Pictures features some depictions of how the sea destroys love.

As expected, this reissue in the Great Recordings of the Century series offers the best remastering that these performances could ever deserve. They emerge as if they were clean, full and vibrant recordings that sound like they were only recorded yesterday. My only quibble is that the CD producers decided to throw in the Cockaigne Overture, which is a rather frivolous piece in relation to the deep, sober mood of the original record. I know that we must get bang for our dollars with the capacity of a CD, but the Cockaigne really spoils the mood of the other two pieces. Thankfully the listener can programme it out and get to the Concerto and the Sea Pictures.

But don't let this deter you from grabbing a copy of this legendary recording that surely deserves its coveted place in this superb EMI series.

DuPre at her best.......2007-02-19

The Elgar belongs to no other. Jackie may have been a bit high-strung, but there's more emotion in this recording that one can find in any other recording of anything in the universe.

Don't even think about buying another performance!.......2006-09-28

... unless you already have this one and want to appreciate it even more!

This is Du Pre's signature piece and she OWNS it.

And Janet Baker, knowing she is dying of cancer, sings Sea Pictures like there is literally no tomorrow.

This is one of those rare recordings where the planets perfectly align to give you music, performers, recording and MOMENT that together exceed the sum of the parts.

Sea Pictures, a life changing event, Lord Elgar, I worship thee!.......2006-01-01

Hello my name is Marcus. You may remember me from such films as the Flintsto... well I'll save my Troy McKlure impersonation for later. Right now its all about Elgar. Or should I say "SIR" Edward Elgar.

The rules for entry into my own "Immortal Composers Club" are insanely strict. I myself a music instructor, composer recording artist have not even been allowed in the club officially as a member yet. I'm like an apprentice to these masters. Or dare I say I am a "padawan learner" still learning.

The Yoda master of the club is of course J.S. Bach, the Obi-Wan of the club, easily Elgar. Myself a practitioner of the archaic non-commercial art of "Art Song" have been moved to tears a few times by both Elgars Sea Pictures and the flawless mezzo performance on this awesome recording. Everything on the CD is of course great but in my opinion the Sea Pictures is one of the greatest art song cycles in human history.

Myself just completing my first modern art song cycle called " Harmonious Haiku " (which you can check out with any basic Google search,) can greatly appreciate the unfortunately to unappreciated form of Art Song.

Sea Pictures is one of my favorites of the Genre. Forget the movies, forget drug store fiction, put on some Sea Pictures, close your eyes and experience what song writing could have been if not for the L. A. Record companies and the well I can't say "Fab" but you know, those four guys with the hair.

Elgar is how a real Englishman makes music! Ride on Brother! Ride on!

Thank you,
Your friend in great music
~ MarcusUnlimited :)

The Definitive Elgar Cello Concerto.......2005-05-04

This performance is hands down the single best recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto. Other accounts are good -- Tortelier, Navarra, Yo-Yo Ma -- but only one stereo reading was good enough to replace the composer's own historical recording with Beatrice Harrison and that is this one by Jacqueline du Pre. Sir John Barbirolli and the Halle Orchestra accompany the cellist in this definitive 1965 performance, which for all intents and purposes, launched her career. Du Pre's playing has the quality and delivery of a great singer, so it is only fitting that the Concerto be coupled with another legendary performance -- Janet Baker's "Sea Pictures" again with JB and the lads from Manchester. This CD has been available for years as a full-price title, but it is great to see it now at midline in the "GROTC" series. In fact, for more in depth reviews of these performances, including one from esteemed music critic David Hurwitz, you should consult this reissue's predecessor.

Elgar: Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures; Jacqueline Du Pre

Average customer rating:

A piece of music and the woman who owned it
Now that's what I call songwriting! Art songwriting that is!
Elgar ... Cello Concerto + Sea Pictures.
At Last !
Legendary Stuff

Elgar: Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures; Jacqueline Du Pre
Jacqueline Du Pre , Dame Janet Baker , Edward Elgar , Sir John Barbirolli , and London Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000002RX7
Release Date: 1997-09-16

Tracks:

Cello Concert E Minor, Op 85: I: Adagio Moderato
Cello Concert E Minor, Op 85: II: Lento Allegro Molto
Cello Concert E Minor, Op 85: III: Adagio
Cello Concert E Minor, Op 85: IV: Allegro Moderato Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: I: Sea Slumber Song
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: II: In Haven
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: III: Sabbath Morning At Sea
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: IV: Where Corals Lie
Sea Pictures, Op. 37: V: The Swimmer

Amazon.com essential recording

This is rightly regarded as the finest recording of Elgar's attractive and elegiac Cello Concerto. It's held in almost irrationally high esteem in the UK, largely because of the universal affection for Jacqueline Du Pré, the wife of Daniel Barenboim, whose early death from multiple sclerosis cut short what would have been a stellar career. This disc is equally noteworthy for Janet Baker's magnificent singing of the Sea Pictures, the composer's only orchestral song cycle. It's not Elgar's fault if the tune of the last song sounds like an excessively inflated version of "Hello, Dolly!" A classic then, even if neither work is a raging masterpiece. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

A piece of music and the woman who owned it.......2007-06-06

When I say Jacqueline DuPre owned the Elgar Cello Concerto, I mean that once you have heard it by her, it will be hard to find another musician who plays it in the same way. It may be that the quiet sad strains of this piece so echoed the sad life which Du Pre experienced that it became part of her soul. All I know is that once you know her story and hear her playing the Concerto, it is hard to hear anyone playing it again without thinking of her.

Now that's what I call songwriting! Art songwriting that is!.......2006-02-10

This recording may have ruined me. Sea Pictures is what songwriting could be. It is so funny to hear all the recent awards given out at the grammies.

The people they hold in high esteem as musicians is laughable at best.

Elgar is excellence personified. This recording glows with his enigmatic prowess.

Janet Baker is perfect. The whole album is great but Sea Pictures is an amazing, soundscape, imagination opening, mind altering, life changing experience.

Listening to the Sea Pictures is a cinematic experience that no movie could ever capture.

Long live Elgar, long live the King!

Thank you for your work. I hope you can hear that, where ever you are!

Next to the throne of God perhaps. Surrounded by the likes of J.S. Bach, Caccini, and...

Thank you Lord Elgar!

Your young apprentice, Marcus "Harmonious Haiku" Unlimited

Elgar ... Cello Concerto + Sea Pictures........2003-12-18

Incredible ... incredible. You get the classic 'Cello Concerto in E minor' of Elgar, with du Pré (cello) and Barbirolli conducting the London Symphony Orchestra + 'Sea Pictures,' (also Elgar, of course) with Dame Janet Baker as mezzo-soprano.

While those two works are classics (certainly the concerto), they are also treated with utter care and respect by certainly one of the best conductors ever, and may I say legendary du Pré? and the superb Dame Janet Baker. Couldn't go wrong, you would almost say; and it didn't.

And so EMI Classics has this wonderful CD to offer, at a most friendly price. I believe Penguin Guide showered it with rosettes, proof that you almost can't go wrong.

As for the works under review, the concerto can be described most efficiently if I say it's 'sad'; and the song cycle Sea Pictures is just powerful.

At Last !.......2002-03-16

... It's the Elgar Sea Pictures part I want to talk about here ! I've been looking for this recording for a long time, but it was discontinued I was told. This is just a great masterpiece magnificently interpretated by Janet Baker, who devoted part of her carreer to make English Music better known. And Coupled with Dupré, you have to buy it !

Legendary Stuff.......2002-03-15

Writing a review for this album is a bit like preaching to the converted, but for those unfamiliar with Jacqueline Du Pré and Dame Janet Baker, these selections are legendary among their output. Conductor John Barbirolli ties the two performances together with the usual warmth and vigor. The Elgar Cello Concerto speaks a much different language than the composer's grand Violin Concerto. While the Violin Concerto exudes a bold, magical quality, the Cello Concerto is a prolonged and severe lament. What Du Pré brings to her performance here is a kind of sad ecstasy. As David Hurwitz once wrote, it gives most English folk "the weepies," as it is universally considered among the signature performances of her youthful heyday. This recording in part explains why the Cello Concerto is somewhat better known than the amazing (and don't forget grand) Violin Concerto. The excellent film Hillary and Jackie has helped its status quite a bit as well. Any single performance that can lift a work to such heights has to be worth hearing, right? The Sea Pictures are comprised of rather pungent lyrical poems, including one sweet number written by Elgar's wife, and another that chronicles the plight of a seafarer who is saddened that he can't spend Sunday on land in church. These poems, coming as they do from a distinctly Victorian sensibility, may bring a quizzical smirk to many faces. The music once again lifts them to another level, and Baker is an important part of that. So, for those unfamiliar with these works, here is a great place to start.

Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op. 85/Sea Pictures, Op. 37

Average customer rating:

Channeling Elgar
Not The Only Way

Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto In E Minor, Op. 85/Sea Pictures, Op. 37

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000002RO0
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: I. Adagio-Moderato - Jacqueline du Pre
Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: II. Lento-Allegro molto - Jacqueline du Pre
Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: III. Adagio - Jacqueline du Pre
Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: IV. Allegro-Moderato-Allegro, ma non troppo - Jacqueline du Pre
Sea Pictures Op.37: I. Sea Slumber-Song - Dame Janet Baker
Sea Pictures Op.37: II. In Haven (Capri) - Dame Janet Baker
Sea Pictures Op.37: III. Sabbath Morning at Sea - Dame Janet Baker
Sea Pictures Op.37: IV. Where Corals Lie - Dame Janet Baker
Sea Pictures Op.37: V. The Swimmer - Dame Janet Baker

Amazon.com

The passionate reading from Jacqueline DuPré and Sir John Barbirolli is one of the classics of the catalog. [Barbirolli had played in the cello section of the Queen's Hall Orchestra when the first recording of the work was made, with the composer on the podium, in 1919.] Both the pain and the tenderness of this valedictory work are captured in full by the performance--and, fittingly, there is always gentleness in the pain, always an edge to the tenderness. The sound, while somewhat grainy, has remarkable presence and weight; and the balances are ideal. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Channeling Elgar.......2005-07-21

This 1997 EMI re-release features the 1965 recording of the cello concerto, performed by a twenty-year-old prodigy and conducted by a cellist who performed in the orchestra in 1919 when the composer conducted the premiere. The music reflects Elgar's great melancholy depression brought on by World War One, of which he wrote "Everything good & nice & clean & fresh & sweet is far away, never to return". We don't have the benefit of a recording of the premiere, but I can't imagine it surpasses the beauty of this rendition. Du Pre's performance reflects both a technical and emotional mastery of the music that is hard to find in performers twice her age. The LSO's accompaniment is both well-balanced and well-executed, keeping time fluently throughout the soloist's numerous tempo changes; in particular, the last movement's challenges are well met by the woodwinds. I do not know why cellists continue to record this concerto; it's been done to perfection.

In contrast to the concerto, the Sea Pictures, written at the turn of the last century, are much more optimistic and, well, British. Sea Pictures is better understood as a collection of songs, with changing moods and styles. As in all songs with English lyrics, one of the greatest challenges is ensuring that the words are actually understandable. This challenge is met redoubtably by Dame Janet Baker, one of the great British operatic stars of her time. The emotions, while less shaded and ambivalent than the cello concerto, are carried well by both soloist and orchestra. Sea Pictures is a worthy accompaniment to the concerto.

I recommend this recording for anyone interested in the cello, or the Elgar Cello Concerto.

Not The Only Way.......2001-09-09

to hear the Elgar, but surely the best way. The Casals performance is feisty, the Ma is ultra-smooth. But Du Pre's passsionate rendition and hot tone will have you hallucinating. You'll love having the Sea Pictures with its burnished fin-de-siecle glow!

Elgar: Orchestral & Choral Works; Concertos

Average customer rating:

Super collection of Elgar's major works

Elgar: Orchestral & Choral Works; Concertos

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000759Y6
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Customer Reviews:

Super collection of Elgar's major works.......2004-06-28

Most compilations of composers works usually only feature, at best, maybe one or two works in recordings that are of outstanding quality, especially if different artists are featured. Such is absolutely not the case with this collection, one of the finest of its sort ever issued.

This box makes a perfect one stop shopping choice for the major, most-well-known works the British composer Sir Edward Elgar. The title is misleading though. The box, on 8 CDs at an incredible price, contains both Orchestral AND Choral works.
Since Amazon does not list the contents, I will :

Symphony Nos. 1 & 2 -- LPO , Solti
Serenade for strings - ASMF , Marriner
Intro and Allegro - ECO , Britten
Cello Concerto - Webber , RPO , Menuhin
Enigma Var. -- CSO , Colti
Cockaigne Over -- LPO , Solti
Violin Con -- Chung , LPO , Solti
Falstaff -- Montreal , Dutoit
Dream of Gerontius -- LSO , Britten
Sea Pictures -- RPO , Mackerras
In the South -- LPO , Solti
Pomp and Circumstance -- LPO , Solti
Imperial MArch -- Band of Grebadier Guards , Bashford
Sospri -- ASMF , Marriner
Elegy -- ASMF , Marriner
Wand of Youth -- Welsh NO , Mackerras
Starlight Express -- Welsh NO , Mackerras
Dream Children -- Welsh NO , Mackerras

Look up almost any of the individual works and you should be able to find these recordings in their individual issues, many with several 5 start ratings.

I won't elaborate on any of the specific recordings, just take my word for that there isn't a dud in the box.

Tracks:

Pomp And Circumstance March No.1 in D, Op.39 - LPO
Dorabella From Enigma Variations, Op.36 - LPO
Cello Con in e Op.85: 3rd Movt (Adagio) - Robert Cohen/LPO
Moths And Butterflies From The Wand Of Youth Ste No.2, Op.1b - RLPO
Chanson De Matin, Op.15 - Halle Orch
Where Corals Lie From Sea Pictures, Op.37 - Bernadette Greevy/LPO
Elegy For Strs, Op.58 - LPO
Salut D'Amour, Op.12 - Northern Sin Of England
Serenade For Strgs in e, Op.20 - LPO
Chanson De Nuit, Op.15 - Halle Orch
Serenade Lyrique - Northern Sin Of England
The Wild Bears From The Wand Of Youth Ste No.2, Op.1b - RLPO
Nimrod From Enigma Vars, Op.36 - LPO
Vn Con in b, Op.61: 2nd Movt (Andante) - Nigel Kennedy/LPO
Pomp And Circumstance March No.4 in G, Op.39 - LPO

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1. Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: I. Adagio-Moderato - Jacqueline du Pre
2. Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: II. Lento-Allegro molto - Jacqueline du Pre
3. Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: III. Adagio - Jacqueline du Pre
4. Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85: IV. Allegro-Moderato-Allegro, ma non troppo - Jacqueline du Pre
5. Sea Pictures Op.37: I. Sea Slumber-Song - Dame Janet Baker
6. Sea Pictures Op.37: II. In Haven (Capri) - Dame Janet Baker
7. Sea Pictures Op.37: III. Sabbath Morning at Sea - Dame Janet Baker
8. Sea Pictures Op.37: IV. Where Corals Lie - Dame Janet Baker
9. Sea Pictures Op.37: V. The Swimmer - Dame Janet Baker