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Elgar (arr Fraser): Piano Quintet & Sea Pictures

Elgar (arr Fraser): Piano Quintet & Sea Pictures—English Symphony Orchestra; English Chamber Orchestra; Rodolfus Choir, Kenneth Woods, conductor (Avie 2362)

It was one “of the most exciting events I have experienced during a reviewing career approaching half a century.” That was the verdict of the Birmingham Post’s critic after hearing the premiere of Sir Edward Elgar’s Piano Quintet in a new orchestration by Donald Fraser with Kenneth Woods conducting the English Symphony Orchestra. This version, which was also named a “Premiere of the Year” by Classical Music Magazine, accompanies Mr. Fraser’s choral arrangement of Elgar’s Sea Pictures with Kenneth Woods conducting the English Chamber Orchestra and the Rodolfus Choir.  Donald Fraser has frequently orchestrated works by Elgar at the behest of individuals and organizations including Yehudi Menuhin and the Elgar Society, but he is probably best known to bemused WCLV listeners as the arranger of television theme songs on the Delos CD Mozart TV. These new Elgar arrangements will appeal to orchestras and choirs worldwide, and the recording will spread Elgar’s music to yet a wider audience. Note: the link sends you to the Avie website.

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