Customer Reviews

Elgar: Coronation Ode; The Spirit of England

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think this is an excellent choral recording but both selections offered suffer from the failure of Chandos to include the full words to the score so that the listener can appreciate, for example, the war poems of Binyon that formed the basis for Elgar's Spirit of England work. This seems to be a common fault today. For a full price recording the program notes should include any libretto. Most might be familiar with the words to Land of Hope and Glory but are unlikely to know any of the other words to the Coronation Ode.I would pay more for that information if cost is the Chandos problem.

This CD is an important historical document, and is a beautiful performance of two little-known works of Elgar. Anyone who is interested in the cultural changes brought on by the first World War should hear this disc.

The performances are lovingly and reverantly done, and are well recorded.

I cannot agree too strongly with the previous reviewer who complains of the lack of texts with this release. This kind of shoddy documentation is what we have come to expect from Chandos. I bought this disc several years ago and trawl the Internet from time to time in search of the words to the Coronation Ode but so far to no avail. Chandos have no excuse as their author (A.C. Benson) died in 1925 so presumably all his works have long since entered the public domain.