Elgar
The Wand of Youth – Suites
Nos 1 & 2; Salut d’amour; Nursery Suite; Chanson de Nuit
Hallé/mark Elder
Hallé CD HLL 7548 71:18 mins
The ★allé sustains an
Elgar tradition dating all the way back to its premiere of his First Symphony under ★ans
Richter in 1908. And here it is to be heard in full bloom in the two sets of exquisitely characterised miniatures Elgar worked up in 1907 from incidental music he composed in his childhood, under the title of The Wand of Youth. These are exemplary accounts with wellchosen tempos and loving care over Elgar’s every detailed nuance from Sir Mark Elder, sparkling woodwind in the sprightlier pieces like ‘The Little Bells’ and that special tone of tender nostalgia from the ★allé strings in such numbers as the ‘Slumber Scene’, enhanced by the clear yet spacious recording.
Despite its many charms, and one knock-out number ‘The Wagon Passes’, the Nursery Suite composed virtually at the end of Elgar’s career is perhaps less genuinely inspired than the earlier child-derived pieces, and just occasionally, one wishes that Elder’s glowing account could move along a little more lightly. The fill-ups are the orchestral versions of two of Elgar’s most popular early salon pieces, sumptuously done. That poignant miniature Dream Children (1902), one of Elgar’s most self-revealing scores, might have served better, but the ★allé have already included it in another release. Bayan Northcott PERFORMANCE ★★★★ RECORDING ★★★★