Williams/Bbc Philar/Davis - Edward Elgar: Falstaff Orchestral Songs, Grania and Diarmid

Sir Andrew Davis takes his multi-award-winning Elgar discography to the next level with breathtaking interpretations of Falstaff, Elgar�s most accomplished and characteristic work, and several orchestral songs, with exemplary support from the BBC Philharmonic, all recorded in surround-sound. Owing to its technical challenges and more complex harmonic language, the composer always had a high opinion of Falstaff, saying that he had enjoyed writing it �more than any other music I have ever composed and perhaps for that reason it may prove to be among my best efforts�. His earlier music for Grania and Diarmid pays tribute to the Irish legend of Diarmuid and Gr�inne; the Funeral March is probably Elgar�s noblest creation, and echoes the popular Pomp and Circumstance Marches. The various less well-known songs, given heroic interpretations by the baritone Roderick Williams OBE, span the multiple facets of Elgar�s style, from the stern and dramatic impressions of Op. 60 to the satirical and impish jollity of �Kindly do not SMOKE�.