ReviewGranular Tchaikovsky, erudite Elgar, dazzling Bruch in LPO concerts for Hong Kong – watch them free online
- Performance of Elgar’s Enigma Variations can often wallow in sentimentality, but not that of the London Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Edward Gardner
- Clarity is the hallmark of the orchestra’s playing in two concerts recorded to mark the 60th anniversary of its performances for Hong Kong City Hall’s opening
Think bangers and mash or bacon and eggs for a moment (sorry vegans).
If there were a musical equivalent to those classic pairings, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations would surely be right up there: a quintessentially British staple of its repertoire since Thomas Beecham founded the LPO in 1932.
In 1962, the LPO performed the Elgar work at Hong Kong City Hall to mark the inauguration of the concert and theatre venue. Sixty years later, the orchestra was invited back to celebrate the Central landmark’s anniversary, including by playing some of the same works as back then.
Its visit thwarted by Covid-19 travel restrictions, the LPO resorted to pre-recording two Hong Kong programmes at London’s Battersea Arts Centre. This was done using a customised audio and video system that involved the use of around 50 microphones covering every section of the orchestra.
The resulting films were screened in the City Hall concert hall on August 20 and 21, where dozens of extra speakers controlled by a team of sound engineers were installed to compensate for the orchestra’s physical absence.