Edward Elgar: Violin Concerto Op.61

Renaud Capucon, Stephen Hough, London Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle

Elgar's Violin Concerto is one of the most important of the late Romantic concertos and is regarded as distinctively nostalgic and, commonly, therefore, particularly "English". It's no wonder, then, that the concerto is not exactly part of the standard repertoire of French violinists. "It's a tremendous piece," says the Renaud Capuçon, "both in terms of its length and its generous musical arrangement." The recording of the concerto - whose (non-English) dedicatee was none other than Fritz Kreisler - is likewise Capuçon's first recording with Sir Simon Rattle, who conducts the London Symphony Orchestra here When Rattle chose Elgar's Enigma Variations for his inaugural concert as music director of the LSO in 2017, he was celebrating the close historical connection between the composer and the orchestra. Not only did the LSO accompany Fritz Kreisler in the premiere of the violin concerto in 1910, Elgar also became its principal conductor the following year. Along with the concerto, this album features Elgar's Violin Sonata, premiered in 1919. Renaud Capuçon, who describes the sonata as "a work of nobility and delicacy", is accompanied here by one of Britain's leading contemporary pianists, Stephen Hough.

Price: $22.98