{"product_id":"4589538834999","title":"Malcolm Sargent - Elgar: From the Archives Vol. 5 - The Apostles, Sea Pictures - Import 2 CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eCredits:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalcolm Sargent\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDescription:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLani Spahr, the producer and engineer behind the “SOMM” recordings and the reissues of “ARIADNE,” has a collection of no fewer than 5,000 recordings of Elgar’s works. The “Elgar from the Archive” series is a project to reissue historically significant recordings from Spahr’s archive in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Elgar Society of Great Britain, founded in 1951.\nOf the three oratorios Elgar composed, *The Dream of Gerontius* is the best known, while *The Kingdom of God* and *The Apostles* are rarely performed. Malcolm Sargent held these two works in as high esteem as *Gerontius*, and a live recording of *The Apostles*—performed during a BBC concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of Elgar’s birth—is now available on CD. *The Apostles* tells the story of the miracles witnessed by the Twelve Apostles, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. While it includes dramatic scenes such as Judas’ betrayal and Golgotha, the music flows like a mighty river, as if these human emotional fluctuations had no bearing whatsoever on the fulfillment of the covenant between God and humankind.\n*Pictures at an Exhibition* features a collaboration between a conductor and a singer, both born in 1908. Weldon, who served as conductor of the Birmingham City Orchestra (later renamed the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra), had studied under Sergeant and specialized in the works of Elgar. The contralto Ripley was largely self-taught and made her debut at the Royal Albert Hall at the age of 16. In 1945, she participated in the first recording of Elgar’s *The Dream of Gerontius* as an angel. Ripley possessed a calm, beautiful voice with a wide palette of rich nuances, subtle brightness, cheerfulness, and reverence; she performs Elgar’s *Pictures at an Exhibition*—his only collection of songs with orchestral accompaniment—with such grandeur that it rivals R. Strauss’s masterpieces in the same genre. It’s no wonder that Spar considers this performance one of the greatest treasures in this series.\nNaxos Japan\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Somm Recordings","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53419252154657,"sku":"4589538834999","price":5190.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/8482\/2076\/files\/4589538834999.jpg?v=1788227608","url":"https:\/\/cdsvinyljapan.com\/products\/4589538834999","provider":"CDs Vinyl Japan Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}