The 1919 premiere of the Elgar Cello Concerto was a disaster due to a rehearsal schedule that bordered on sabotage. As a result the concerto was pretty much consigned to the musical scrap heap until 1965, when English cellist Jacqueline du Pre restored it to its rightful place in the concert repertoire in a breakthrough recording that, incidentally, made her a classical superstar of the sixties. She was twenty years old. Tragically, her career would only last another seven years.
We'll hear the du Pre/Elgar recording this week, ironically featuring the same orchestra that bombed in 1919, the London Symphony --- this time meticulously prepared by Sir John Barbirolli.
