HDTT were early leaders in the dash to high-definition
audio with their meticulously prepared - and reasonably priced - tape
and LP transfers. These classic recordings are available in a variety
of physical and downloadable formats; I’ve reviewed a couple of
the latter for Download News, and found the EMI/André Previn
Nielsen Symphony No. 1 with the LSO a musical and sonic delight (
review).
As with this Decca
Giselle it was transferred direct from a pristine
LP, so there are a few rough patches along the way. That matters little
when the performances are this riveting, and the old analogue warmth
of these originals has been so lovingly restored.
Not every transfer is a complete success, as I discovered when listening
to HDTT’s 24/96 download of George Szell’s Cleveland Mahler
Fourth (
review).
Unfortunately it doesn’t tame the bright and brittle sound of
the CBS/Sony CDs, although I gather a re-master has been mooted. Despite
some felicities the transfer of Martinon’s EMI recording of Florent
Schmitt’s
Psaume 47 and
La Tragédie de Salomé
is similarly flawed; indeed, I found it unlistenable at times (
review).
Still, one or two problematic issues aren’t enough to dilute my
enthusiasm for HDTT’s output, so I jumped at the chance to review
this
Giselle, engineered by the legendary Kenneth Wilkinson and
Ray Minshull.
Martinon gives us around two-thirds of this ground-breaking ballet,
which had been orchestrated using the 1841 piano score until Henri Büsser’s
orchestral score was published in 1924. A dark tale of love, jealousy,
death and ghostly redemption
Giselle brims with delectable tunes
which, under Martinon’s direction, emerge with a Gallic lilt and
charm that’s utterly irresistible. From the crisp and propulsive
introduction to Act I it’s clear we’re in for something
rather special. The Paris Conservatoire players may not be in the front
rank but goodness they play their hearts out for this maestro. The
Entrée
de Loys is both poised and achingly beautiful; Martinon springs
rhythms and refines sonorities superbly throughout.
As if that weren’t enough this performance is very theatrical
- not a given in studio-bound ballet recordings - and the grander set
pieces have a rare and palpable sense of spectacle. Just sample the
goosebump-inducing fanfares of the
Scène d’Hilarion
for instance, where there’s no hint of glare or coarseness in
louder passages. True there is some ‘crumble’ at the start
of the
Marche des vignerons and audible strain in the tuttis
of the next track, but one can’t help but be swept away by the
unfolding drama.
Balances are very believable and the dynamic range of this 55-year-old
recording is remarkably extended; moreover, colours are vivid yet entirely
natural - the levitating strings in the Act I
Scène Finale
are silky smooth - and there’s just enough bass weight too. As
for momentum - so often a casualty in collections of this kind - I can’t
fault this performance, which combines dramatic coherence with telling
variety. In Act II’s
Entrée et danse de Myrthe the
nicely distanced harp swirls are as cooling raindrops on a famished
landscape; really, I can’t recall hearing this music better played
or recorded.
L’a
pparition de Giselle is imbued with such passion
here; the strings dig deep and the fleeting woodwinds are simply glorious,
both here and in the sometimes light-as-a-feather
Entrèe de
Loys et Wilfride. Beneath ALL this beats a strong pulse, so one
never feels a slackening of tension or interest. The solo violin and
harp contributions to the
Scène des Wilis are magical,
as is the recorded sound. Such ‘air’ and warmth is what
the best analogue recordings were all about, and this one is no exception.
Like GBS responding to a performance of Rossini’s
Mosé
in Egitto I’d be more than happy to wear away the ferrule
of my umbrella abetting an encore at this point.
Adam’s redemptive
Finale ends as the work began, with music
of radiance, charm and seemingly endless agility. Not the overwhelming
pathos of
Swan Lake perhaps, but very satisfying nonetheless.
The liner-notes are brief but informative, although there are a couple
of typos that ought to have been corrected. You see, that’s how
nit-picky one has to be to find fault with this disc. Even the short
playing time isn’t an issue here.
Those wizards at Decca and HDTT have done it again; spell-binding from
start to finish.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
