Elgar: Cello Concerto; The Dream Of Gerontius

2 CD Set ELGAR The Dream of Gerontius, Op.38 Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85 Heddle Nash, Gladys Ripley, Dennis Noble, Norman Walker Huddersfield Choral Society Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Paul Tortelier BBC Symphony Orchestra Malcolm Sargent Recorded in MONO

Gerontius was second nature to these performers, and it shows in their lively word colorings and obvious conviction. Heddle Nash was Britain's top interwar lyric tenor, and he brings fervor and imagination to a role he was urged to take on by Elgar himself. Gladys Ripley's flexible contralto is lovely; the other singers and the chorus can't be faulted. Malcolm Sargent directs with power; there's an electricity about this 1945 recording, made while the guns of war were still resounding in Europe. The substantial filler is played with elegance and energy by the young Paul Tortelier; Testament's solid mono sound is clear, though you do hear more with stereo from Adrian Boult or John Barbirolli. --Dan Davis