Sir John Barbirolli Conducts English String Music

One of the cornerstones of the entire classical catalogue, Sir John Barbirolli's wholly treasurable 1962 collection of English string music still sounds extraordinarily vivid across the decades. Perhaps the highlight here is the unforgettable account of Vaughan Williams's towering Tallis Fantasia: not only does Barbirolli obtain the most eloquent string playing imaginable, his conducting strikes a perfect equilibrium between lyrical ardour and lofty serenity. Scarcely less memorable is this much-loved figure's fifth and final recording of Elgar's Introduction and Allegro, though its 1956 predecessor (with Barbirolli at the helm of his trusty Hall? Orchestra on mid-price EMI Phoenixa) if anything generates an even more exhilarating physicality and overwhelming emotional clout. Both the Elgar Serenade for strings and VW's indestructible Greensleeves Fantasia are given with disarming freshness and poise. The original vinyl programme would have been short measure on silver disc, so EMI have shrewdly thrown in Sir John's similarly touching 1966 New Philharmonia accounts of Elgar's Elegy and Sospiri ("Sighs"). Full price, but worth every penny. --Andrew Achenbach