Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher (1938) [84:32]
Sylvie Rohrer (speaker) - Jeanne; Eörs Kisfaludy (speaker) - Frère Dominique; Karen Wierzba (soprano) - La Vierge; Letitzia Scherrer (Marguérite); Kismara Pessati (alto) - Cathérine; Jean-Noël Briend (tenor); François Le Roux (bass)
Knabenchor Collegium Iuvenium Stuttgart; Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart; Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR/Helmuth Rilling.
rec. 2-3 April 2011, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Beethovensaal
French text included
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC CD98.636 [39:07 + 45:25]
I first came to know Honegger’s remarkable and moving dramatic
oratorio through Serge Baudo’s excellent 1974 Supraphon recording.
Atmospherically recorded, Baudo’s version enjoys a clear advantage
in that, although recorded in Prague with Czech choirs and the Czech Philharmonic,
it boasts an entirely Francophone roster of soloists. Seiji Ozawa’s
1989 live recording for DG, made in the Saint-Denis basilica in Paris,
had much to commend it but the recorded balance in a reverberant acoustic
wasn’t ideal; in particular, the key soloists, Jeanne andFrère
Dominique were too distantly balanced.
There’s also an historic issue in the shape of Eugene Ormandy’s
1952 recording (review).
That was the second recording of the work. The first one, which was kindly
drawn to my attention by the distinguished conductor, Adriano was made
in 1943 in Brussels. Given the wartime conditions and the fact that this
was then a very recent score, it’s an amazing achievement. That
was once available on the Dante Lys label and it may still be possible
to obtain a copy. Though the Prologue is not included - it was not added
to the score until 1944, I believe - this recording, conducted by Louis
de Voght is well worth hearing by anyone who loves the work. In addition
to these audio recordings there’s a DVD of an extremely fine staged
performance given in Montpellier.
Since both the Baudo and the Ozawa versions were made some time ago there’s
a need for a modern audio version and this is now supplied by Helmuth
Rilling Though it’s not explicitly stated in the booklet this was
clearly made at live concerts and Rilling and the engineers have balanced
the vast forces very well.
One distinct advantage that this new set enjoys is that it boasts the
best Jeanne since Nelly Borgeaud on the Baudo set. I’ve always thought
Borgeaud was the most convincing exponent of the role in terms of suggesting
the heroine as a young, naïve and vulnerable girl - though one with
a sufficiently tough inner core to take on her mission to save France.
The Swiss actress, Sylvie Rohrer, is just as good. The other speaking
role is that of Jeanne’s confidant, Frère Dominique.
Eörs Kisfaludy gives an excellent portrayal and I thought his French
was very good indeed though he is Hungarian. Baudo’s Michel Favory
has the edge, however, not so much because he’s a Francophone actor
but because his voice sounds a bit younger and lighter. The scenes between
the two characters are very well done on this new recording.
The Rilling set disappoints somewhat in the conductor’s handling
of a couple of crucial scenes where he takes the music too deliberately
- it’s significant that his performance takes about 84 minutes,
including a bit of applause at the end, whereas Baudo takes 74:47 and
Ozawa is swifter still at 69:04. The first of these rather deliberately
paced passages is Scene IV where Jeanne is arraigned before a court of
animals. Baudo takes just 8:09 compared with Rilling’s 10:42. As
you might infer from those respective timings Baudo is much crisper and
more lively here; the satire has real bite in his version. Rilling’s
account is dramatic enough but I prefer Baudo. I have an even stronger
preference for Baudo in Scene VI where the kings and nobles play cards.
Here the problem is not one of speeds - both conductors pace the scene
in a pretty similar fashion. The issue here is that some of the men taking
subsidiary parts for Rilling, and especially at least one of the three
Heralds, overdo the ‘funny’ voices in their attempts to characterise.
The result sounds like the vocal equivalent of ham acting. Baudo’s
gentlemen are not above providing a few satirical voices but they’re
more restrained and so the scene flows more satisfactorily.
On the other hand, Rilling handles most of the score very well. He imparts
colour and liveliness to Scene VIII, parts of which are the weaker passages
in the score. As the story reaches its tragic but redemptive dénouement
Rilling directs a most impressive and, indeed, moving performance, maintaining
and building the tension successfully.
He obtains very good, incisive playing from the orchestra and the adult
choir sings admirably. So too does the children’s choir, who do
well in Scene IX, sounding like cultivated urchins - and I mean that as
a compliment. Among the vocal soloists I’ve already mentioned the
overdone vocal acting by some of the subsidiary soloists - I wonder if
these are drawn from the choir. Karen Wierzba is in good form as La Vierge
but Kismara Pessati is a disappointment as Cathérine, sounding
very matronly.
The recording is excellent. The complex ensembles are well conveyed and,
as an instance of the benefits of modern technology, the reach and breadth
of the sound makes the start of Scene 1 very dramatic. The audience is
commendably silent though there is applause - after a reasonable interval
- at the end. The Baudo recording, made under studio conditions, is now
forty years old and is in analogue. It doesn’t have the depth of
modern digital sound but it’s still pretty impressive and packs
quite a punch at climaxes. The Supraphon technology also imparts a bit
more atmosphere at times, chiefly in the spoken dialogues between Jeanne
and Frère Dominique; also in passages where some distancing is
involved. However, it must be repeated that this is a studio recording
and it may be a bit easier to manage these matters than when recording
a concert. The ondes martenot registers well in the Rilling performance
but is even more thrillingly present for Baudo.
Hänssler’s documentation is satisfactory though for my taste
the notes are somewhat flowery and I would have preferred more emphasis
on the work itself and a little less of the annotator’s reflections
on Jeanne d’Arc. It’s unfortunate that only the French libretto
is provided without any translations. That’s fine if you have alternative
access to the words but otherwise the French text may be hard to understand.
Summing up, there are one or two drawbacks to this performance but there’s
much about it to admire. It’s a good version of this remarkable
and often eloquent score in up to date digital sound though I think the
Baudo version is a better all-round alternative if you can get hold of
a copy.
John Quinn
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