(From Birmingham) .
Conducted by Richard Wassell

Elgar's Op. 27 is a Suite for Choir and Orchestra, called 'From the Bavarian Highlands,' an echo of the composer's travels in that kindly part of the world. Three numbers of the Suite are for orchestra alone, and these are often played separately. The first is a light-hearted dance, in which the tune enters boldly at the third bar. Once or twice its course is interrupted by a still more animated movement, and there is a more suave melody sometimes heard alone and sometimes along with the merry tune of the opening.

The second dance, called 'In Hammersbach,' opens with three introductory bars, and then the first violins play the leading tune. Here, too, there is another, more smoothly-flowing, melody heard along with the first, and a quieter section in the middle of the piece.
(Helena Millais)

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