Cello Concerto, Opus 85 (1919)
Sir Edward William Elgar (1857-1934)
London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Sir John Barbirolli
Soloist: Jaqueline du Pre
Length: 29:25
Original Source Tape: ANGEL 363388 (not EMI)
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Sir Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 was his last notable work, and is a cornerstone of the solo cello repertoire...
The piece was composed during the summer of 1919 at Elgars secluded cottage named "Brinkwells" in Sussex, where during previous years he had heard the sound of the artillery of World War I rumbling across the Channel at night from France. In 1918, Elgar underwent an operation in London to have an infected tonsil removed, a dangerous operation for a 61-year-old man. After regaining consciousness after sedation, he asked for pencil and paper, and wrote down the melody that would become the first theme from the concerto. He and his wife soon retired to the cottage in an attempt to recover from their health problems. In 1918, Elgar composed three chamber works, which his wife noted were already noticeably different from his previous compositions, and after their premiere in the spring of 1919, he began realising his idea of a cello concerto.
The premiere of the concerto was given by Felix Salmond on 27 October 1919 with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer, at the Queens Hall in London. The performance was scheduled such that Albert Coates, the conductor of the London Symphony, would conduct the rest of the program whilst Elgar himself would conduct the concerto. Coates, a self-important man, was well known for using up to forty-five minutes of his hour of rehearsal time lecturing his players. After consuming an hour of Elgars rehearsal time, Elgar, who was until that time waiting offstage for his chance to rehearse, uncharacteristically exploded. The severely under-rehearsed performance which followed received scathing reviews, with Ernest Newman stating that "the orchestra made a public exhibition of its miserable self." Elgar later said that if it werent for Salmonds diligent work in preparing the piece, he would have pulled it from the concert entirely.
Pablo Casals, Pierre Fournier, Paul Tortelier, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Yo-Yo Ma all recorded the concerto, but it was popularized by Jacqueline du Pres 1965 recording with John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra on EMI. During a break in the recording session, the 20-year-old du Pre left the studio, returning to find a large audience of local musicians and critics who had heard that a star was in the making. Many critics consider du Pres recording to be the definitive recording of the Elgar concerto; upon hearing it, Rostropovich is said to have erased the work from his repertoire. Du Pres recording has been continually praised for its astonishing passion as well as a remarkably secure technique. Barbirolli himself had an association with the concerto from its very earliest days: he was a member of the cello section of the orchestra at its 1919 premiere; and he was the soloist at only its second public performance, with the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra under Sir Dan Godfrey.
source: Wikipedia