17 APRIL 1982, Page 17

Elgar's orchestration

Sir: In his review of the Dvorak cello con- certo (3 April), Anthony Burgess makes the point that recording engineers may highlight instrumental passages, contrary to the composer's intention. And he instances against this practice 'Elgar's sotto voce warming-up sessions for bass clarinet before a important solo entry'. This is a fre- quently quoted example of Elgar's mastery of orchestration. Yet Michael Kennedy, who is as familiar as anyone with Elgar's scores, says that he cannot pinpoint any passage where this actually occurs.

D. E. Hodgson

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