Crown of India

Jim D, in his review (above), succinctly describes what one gets in this two-CD set (at the price of only one CD). The text is pure blather, and it's a wonder that Elgar could stomach it, especially with his mixed feelings about empires at the time. Yes, most of the best music has been available as The Crown of India Suite; however, there are some gems that didn't make it into the suite. Case in point is the March, which is as great a march as the much better known ones. This is only the second recording of the march ever, the first being a slightly abridged version recorded by Douglas Bostock on the Classico Label nearly a decade ago. No doubt Bostock's version was the one arranged for stand-alone concert performances, and which was, at the time of this masque, rather popular. Hearing it with the choral insert (orchestrated by Anthony Payne from the piano score) makes the experience of hearing it thrilling! The other gem here, also recorded by Bostock, is the song "Hail, Immemorial Ind!" This is, in essence, an orchestrated and vocalized version of Elgar's delicate piano piece "In Smyrna". As elsewhere in the masque, if one can ignore the words, the music in its orchestral garb is gorgeous.
This CD set will, of course, appeal to the Elgar completist. However, I think there is a lot contained in the set that merits exploration by those who merely admire Elgar's work.

Although he wrote a number of songs, and the famous oratorios, Elgar did little vocal work for the stage. So this new complete version of the 'Crown of India' masque is a bonanza for fans of British music. The text is nothing great, and was slashed by the composer even as he was setting it, but he judged some of the music good enough to arrange a concert suite; the rest has disappeared till now. This recording offers the entire masque--a paean to The Empire which none but the most fervid Elgarian will play very often--and a second disc with the music cues only (also three lesser-known marches). Anthony Payne, a specialist in completing unfinished Elgar, has produced an orchestration for the movements not used in the suite. Gerald Finley speaks his one bit of verse nicely, and can make you believe every word of his grand solo. Clare Shearer, in the great tradition of British mezzos, utters lovely sounds, and makes utter mud of her words. The orchestra and chorus, under Sir Andrew Davis, perform with conviction, and the sound is fine. Not a musicological revelation, but some fun stuff.

Although it is certainly pleasing after almost 80 years following Edward Elgar's death to have a premiere recording of some of his previously unrecorded music, it must be said that in this present case there is a reason for this long neglect. In fact two reasons. The first, as this presentation's program notes mention, was that the orchestral version of the work was lost, and the various settings, save for those Elgar had already extracted for an orchestral suite, had to be reconstructed and reorchestrated from the surviving piano version made by someone other than Elgar himself. The second is that, frankly, this is a rather weak version of the Pomp & Circumstances Elgar, the imperialist trumpeter who certainly knew how to present a good tune wrapped up in a snappy step, but who throughout his career aspired to, and accomplished, much deeper, nobler, and often poignant works capable of ranking him as not only England's premiere romantic composer, but one of the greats of the last phase of that movements' musical reign. (As Shaw said of Elgar's first symphony, in works like that he was `about Beethoven's business.")

The Crown of India was essentially hack work, based on an eminently forgettable libretto by a musical hall composer and writer. Elgar to his credit cut as much of the doggerel as possible, and provided several typically pleasant, even at times faintly stirring, orchestral interludes along with a few passages for soloists and chorus, all based on a pair of stage tableaux and intended for a basically music hall setting. Other than the pieces Elgar later included in the suite he made, orchestration for this disc was made by the eminent reconstructor Anthony Paine from the piano version, on the assumption that the orchestra used in the original version was larger than the ordinary music hall variety. While sounding relatively seamless with those parts originally orchestrated by Elgar himself and found in his suite, this of course creates the problem that much of what we are hearing is really an arranger's version and not the composer's. Given that the piano version did exist, though this too had not been made by Elgar, this presentation is at least more acceptable than some other `reconstructions' we have been offered lately of the composer's uncompleted work.

The highlight of the work, other than those pieces Elgar included in his suite, is unquestionably his Crown of England March, and one wonders why the composer left it out of his orchestral suite. As for the rest, there are hints of Elgar's more graceful light presentations; and some whimsical passages akin to his Falstaff composed just a year or so later - the entire work was composed in 1911, the year before his next to last, great choral work, The Music Makers (the wartime Spirit of England being the last); and some typical bombast reminiscent of his nevertheless entrancing `Land of Hope and Glory.' Alas, as has been said, and as is certainly understandable given its originations, the Crown of India hardly lived up in total to those lofty examples. The work is further marred by the female mezzo-soprano soloist, one Clare Shearer, whose voice often seems unconnected with the music and is horribly disfigured by a vibrato wobble throughout. Ms. Shearer may have had a stronger voice at one time, but how she could have been hired for this gig surpasses understanding - did she come that cheap? Frankly I can't understand why recording companies continue to hire the possessors of such anachronistic and by today's standards terribly marred voices, akin to employing a flutist who can only play trills or a pianist arpeggios. Are there not enough currently talented singers with stronger breathing techniques available?

The baritone, Gerald Finley, only adds emphasis to this serious flaw with a much more competent performance, matched by the Sheffield Philharmonic chorus. Andrew Davis gives his usual stolid conducting of the excellent BBC Philharmonic on this Chandos presentation, with the usual excellent Chandos sound recorded in 24 bit, though one would have greatly appreciated an SACD version as well. The other reviewers here have explained the inclusion of two different versions of the composition on this 2 disc for the price of one set, so I'll just include by saying that this current work is primarily recommended for the Elgar completist only.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews  3.7 out of 5 stars