CLASSICAL: Conducted by the hand of Tod: Handley and Elgar celebrated.(Concert review)

When it comes to outstanding achievement, Vernon Handley has brought eternal credit to his name as an advocate and eloquent interpreter of British music. He also stands among that rare crew of conductors beloved by orchestral players and universally admired by critics.

The Classical Brits committee agreed that it was high time to honour the artist familiarly known as "Tod", deciding to present Handley with this year's lifetime achievement award and inviting him to conduct the slow movement of Elgar's Cello Concerto at the Classical Brits on May 3.

The 76-year-old musician's discography, which includes a full set of the Vaughan Williams symphonies for EMI's Classics For Pleasure label and the complete symphonies of Malcolm Arnold, is second to none in terms of music by British composers. Well over half his 150 albums comprise British works, with many neglected pieces revived under his care.

Handley, who cut his first disc in the Sixties, is strongly represented in the catalogues of such leading UK classical indies as Hyperion and Chandos. His timeless account of Elgar's Violin Concerto with Nigel Kennedy, recorded in 1985, was reissued in EMI's Great Recordings Of The Century series. That performance alone has sold well over 300,000 copies since its first release, adding to a collective Handley sales total that is now close to the 1m mark.

Classical Brit committee co-chair Barry McCann, who first worked with Handley during his time at EMI Classics in the late Seventies, ...