Phils 1: Elgar, Liszt, Tchaikovsky

Elgar: Cockaigne Overture
Georg Solti, London Philharmonic
Decca

Cockaigne: cockney, cocaine, cooking, land of cookies, a fabled land of luxury and idleness? They’re all there as Solti seamlessly weaves Type-A excitement with the slower romantic themes played with supreme sweetness. Here’s “point of view” playing by a completely engrossed LPO. It’s on a 2-CD mid-priced album with the best recordings of Elgar’s two symphonies and “In the South” (recommended last season).

Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1
Sviatolav Richter; Kirill Kondrashin, London Symphony
Philips

Hands down, critics agree: the best recording of this concerto ever made. On this mid-priced album the same goes for Concerto No. 2. Get Philips CD 446200 with sound vastly superior to other reissues (it also has Liszt’s Piano Sonata, recorded later than the concertos).

WebTips: The cover of Philips CD 446200 is pictured on ArkivMusic.com.

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
Pierre Monteux, Boston Symphony
RCA
Riccardo Muti, Philharmonia Orchestra
EMI

Monteux’s performance comes in a 2-CD set with Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6. He gives not only excitement but structural inevitability to these works that are often turned into taffy-pulling. All three performances are excellent, but extra kudos go to Nos. 4 and 5.

Muti’s performance is even more thrilling but is currently available only in a box set of Tchaikovsky complete symphonies, of which No. 4 is the only standout in an otherwise lame set. If you’re lucky, you might find it on a single CD in a used CD store. Don’t confuse this recording with Muti’s Philadelphia Orchestra recording.