Known as an exponent of historically informed practice and noted particularly for specializing in the Classical field,
Roger Norrington has expanded his repertoire to include Romantic and post-Romantic music. This album from Hänssler Classic features
Norrington's performances with the
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR of
Edward Elgar's concert overture In the South ("Alassio"), the Introduction and Allegro for strings, and the Enigma Variations. Aside from the orchestra's seating arrangement, which set out according to the conventions of
Elgar's time, and the lack of vibrato in the strings, it's difficult to hear how
Norrington's versions differ in any important way from mainstream interpretations, and the only characteristic that distinguishes them is his extreme meticulousness and unusual tempos. The sound of this recording is clean and dry, which emphasizes the strings' straight tone, and because every note can be heard, this is a decent disc for study purposes.