London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley
EMI Classics for Pleasure CD-CFP9018 (recorded March 1979; this CD issue 1988)
(flac and scans)
Recording venue: Abbey Road Studios, London.
Recording engineer: Christopher Parker; Producer: Barry McCann
This 'classic' recording of one of the great British symphonies conducted by the master of British music, Vernon Handley, seems to have been missing from the blogosphere for a long time. Although it has been reissued on subsequent CDs a number of times - including again for CfP coupled with the five Pomp and Circumstance marches and for HMV Store's in-house label coupled with Symphony No.2 and the Wand of Youth suites. One eccentricity of this release which was removed from the later issues was the splitting of the first and last movements into two tracks each.
Although it didn't quite match Adrian Boult's 1968 Lyrita performance with the London Philharmonic, and certainly won't satisfy those who only like the con amore performance with John Barbirolli and the Philharmonia from 1962, it more than holds its own against most successors - for me, really only excelled by Sakari Oramo and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.