Naxos has brought together some of the UK's finest performers for this exploration of Elgar's marriage of poetry and music. Premiered within 13 years of each other, the works' inherent illustrative nature breathes comfortably here, most notably in the hands of Connolly, her lower range melting luxuriously into the texture while placing judicious emphasis on the word-painting elements of the score. Equally, the Bournemouth Chorus are found in rousing form in 'The Music Makers', a performance which emits, overall, an exciting live feeling.