Edward Elgar - From the Archives, Vol. 5 (Malcolm Sargent; Gladys Ripley)

Information

Composer: Edward Elgar

The Apostles, Op. 49

Sea Pictures, Op. 37

Joan Hammond; Marjorie Thomas

William Herbert; John Cameron

Owen Brannigan; Richard Standen

BBC Chorus

BBC Choral Society

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Malcolm Sargent, conductor

Gladys Ripley, contralto

Philharmonia Orchestra

George Weldon, conductor

Date: 1957; 1946 / 2026

Label: SOMM Recordings

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SOMM Recordings presents Volume 5 in its acclaimed Elgar from the Archives series, restored from the collection of master engineer Lani Spahr. The release pairs Elgar’s monumental oratorio The Apostles, Op. 49, with his song cycle Sea Pictures, Op. 37. Highlighted by a rare live 1957 BBC aircheck from London’s Royal Festival Hall, The Apostles features Sir Malcolm Sargent conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra as part of Elgar's birth centenary celebrations. Completing the album is the first CD release of a newly restored 1946 EMI recording of Sea Pictures, featuring contralto Gladys Ripley with George Weldon leading the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Malcolm Sargent (1895–1967) was a prominent English conductor celebrated as Britain’s “ambassador of music,” touring extensively worldwide. A prodigious talent, he earned his Royal College of Organists diploma at 16 and became England’s youngest doctor of music in his early 20s. His conducting debut in 1921 with Henry Wood’s Queen’s Hall Orchestra launched a distinguished career. He held key posts with the Hallé, Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and led London’s Promenade Concerts from 1948 until his death. Renowned for choral work with the Royal Choral and Huddersfield Choral Societies, he also premiered notable English operas. Knighted in 1947, Sargent left a lasting musical legacy.

Gladys Ripley (1908–1955) was a distinguished English contralto renowned for her significant contributions to mid-twentieth-century British music, oratorio, and concert repertoire. Celebrated for a voice that offered both dark tonal richness and unwavering steadiness, she brought a refined gravity to complex symphonic and large-scale choral works without sounding heavy. Featured in prominent recordings of pieces by Elgar and Mahler—including The Dream of Gerontius and Sir Adrian Boult’s performance of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony—Ripley remains an essential figure in the British choral tradition, leaving behind a legacy defined by artistic depth and compelling vocal authority.