Elgar

Enigma Variations; In the South; Serenade Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/vasily Petrenko Onyx ONYX 4205 66:31 mins

Vasily Petrenko’s In the South kicks off in a slightly less bristling, more measured fashion than some rival versions, the raw exuberance of Elgar’s Italian al fresco experience counterbalanced by markedly clean articulation and transparent textures from the Liverpool players.

Petrenko’s approach – excitingly fresh yet un-sensationalised – pays richly satisfying musical dividends. The deep-pile percussion, slicing