Alfredo Campoli, the violinist featured on the Violin Concerto, was born in Rome but grew up in London and made his debut as a soloist at age eleven.
Performer Biography
Sir Adrian Boult, the conductor on this album, was considered the most versatile of the London Philharmonic Orchestra's Principal Conductors due to his broad knowledge of Austro-German, British, French, and Russian music.
Recording & Production
This album features recordings from 1954-55, a period when new technologies like stereophonic recording and the long-playing record were emerging, with Boult making his first stereo recording in June 1955.
Composer Biography
Elgar, the composer, was a self-taught orchestrator, which is considered extraordinary given his mastery of the orchestra evident in works like In the South.
Recording & Production
Many of the recordings on this album were made at Kingsway Hall, London, which was valued for its generous and clear acoustic, ideal for Elgar's music, despite the rumble of trains passing beneath.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Elgar's Violin Concerto includes a Spanish quote from the novel Gil Blas: 'Aqui está encerrada el alma de . . . . .' ('Herein is enshrined the soul of . . . . .'), with the dots referring to a woman's name he never revealed.
Composition History
Elgar's Three Bavarian Dances for Orchestra are orchestral arrangements of three numbers from his choral suite From the Bavarian Highlands, inspired by his summers in Bavaria with his wife Alice.
