BARGAIN OF THE MONTH
Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869)
Roméo et Juliette - Symphonie Dramatique, Op. 17 (1838) [96:19]
Olga Borodina (mezzo); Thomas Moser (tenor); Alastair Miles (bass)
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Wiener Philharmoniker/Sir Colin Davis
rec. June 1993, Grosser Saal, Musikverein, Vienna. DDD
NEWTON CLASSICS 8802046 [53:12 + 43:07]
This is the second of Sir Colin Davis’s three recordings of Roméo et Juliette.
As with his first recording - from 1968 - it was made for Philips. His third
recording, also excellent, was made in concert with the LSO in 2000 and issued
on the orchestra’s own label (review).
I’m not sure that the first Philips recording is currently available separately,
though it may be accessible as part of a boxed set. Though I have virtually
all Davis’s Berlioz recordings in my collection this present one has eluded
me until now; I’m delighted that Newton Classics has licensed it for reissue.
The overwhelming majority of Sir Colin’s Berlioz discs, including both of
his other two recordings of this work, have been made with the LSO. Only rarely
has he recorded Berlioz outside London. Indeed, I can think of only a handful
of studio-made recordings without the LSO - there are some live recordings
with other orchestras - one of which was a very fine Symphonie Fantastique
with the Royal Concertgebouw. This is the other one and it’s also first class.
The first thing that catches the attention is the sheer quality of the recorded
sound. The Philips engineers have reported the performance in superb sound
that is both rich and clear and they have used the space and natural resonance
of the hall with great intelligence. The orchestra’s sound ravishes the ear
constantly – and that’s a tribute to the audio team as well as to the players
– and even the most complex ensembles are beautifully balanced. A prime example
of the engineering skill comes in the second movement at ‘Ohé! Capulets bonsoir!’
where we hear an exquisitely soft and rich carpet of string tone. Then the
distant guests, wending their way home from the ball, are caught marvellously
in the aural perspective. It’s a superbly evocative passage (CD 1, track 8).
You may not be surprised to learn, therefore, that the ‘Scène d’amour’, which
follows, is superbly played and engineered. This is, surely, one of the most
inspired passages in all Berlioz. I don’t think I’ve heard it done better
than it is here. The warm, dark Italian night is magically evoked – you feel
you can almost smell the captivating scent of flowers in the nocturnal garden
setting. In this section the richness and supple yield of the VPO’s playing
is wonderful to hear.
In truth, the orchestra distinguishes itself throughout. Berlioz is not the
composer whose name first springs to mind when one thinks of this orchestra
and, in fact, I wonder how often they would have tackled this particular score
previously. Led by a master conductor of Berlioz’s music they play it with
total conviction, whether in the gossamer lightness of the ‘Queen Mab’ Scherzo
or in the Introduction, where bustle and agility is followed by dramatic rhetoric.
The Bavarian Radio Choir also excels, especially in the important passages
in Part III. The important and delicate semi-chorus work in Part I is also
done very well indeed.
With typical disregard for economics, Berlioz uses three soloists but, in
a work lasting some ninety minutes, each appears only once. The shortest appearance
is by the tenor. Thomas Moser displays lightness and precision in ‘Mab! la
messagère’, to which the chorus and orchestra also contribute expertly – there’s
some truly elfin delicacy in the orchestral playing in this section. Olga
Borodina sings with a rich, full timbre in the Strophes. Some may find her
voice a bit too full-toned for this music but she demonstrates finesse yet
sings ardently in the passages where that quality is called for. She’s not
a Francophone but she’s very convincing in the role and I enjoyed her contribution.
Best of all is Alastair Miles as Friar Laurence. Rightly, he dominates the
sixth movement and his ‘Pauvres enfants’ solo is delivered with firm tone
and with the right balance struck between dignity and sorrow. He’s also very
good at expressing anger at the warring families, whose feud has precipitated
the tragedy.
If Miles dominates the closing section vocally, the person who bestrides the
whole performance is Sir Colin Davis. His is the dominance of a wise, experienced
musician who is totally immersed in the music and who puts all his accumulated
knowledge and experience of musical drama, gained over many years in the opera
house, at the service of the score. From first note to last his direction
seems so right – one just can’t imagine it going any other way. Sir Colin’s
conducting is masterful throughout and while I greatly admire his other two
recordings of the work I fancy this one is his best.
I’m delighted that Newton Classics have restored this superb recording to
the catalogue. It’s unfortunate that there are no texts or translations but
there is a useful note by David Cairns, one of the foremost authorities on
Berlioz. I have one slight quibble. Although it’s a separate movement, the
‘Queen Mab’ Scherzo is the final element in Part II of the work. It’s a shame,
therefore, that one has to change from CD1 to CD2 to hear it when it would
have fitted with ease onto CD1, along with the rest of Part II. I suspect
the layout of the original Philips CDs has been simply copied here, which
is a trifle lazy.
That’s the only – and very mild – caveat, however. Roméo et Juliette is
one of Berlioz’s greatest works and if you haven’t got a recording of it in
your collection, you really can’t do better than this superbly played, recorded
and interpreted version.
John Quinn
If you haven’t got a recording of this Berlioz masterpiece in your collection,
you really can’t do better than this.