Born in Jamaica in
1946, Willard White’s career progression,
at least until the last ten years or
so, has been curiously uneven. He won
a scholarship from the Jamaican School
of Music to the internationally renowned
Juilliard School in New York where he
was chosen to participate in master
classes given by Maria Callas. After
debuts at Houston and New York City
Opera he hit the headlines as Porgy
in Decca’s acclaimed 1976 recording
of Gershwin’s ‘negro opera’ under Maazel.
He sang the same part, to even greater
acclaim, in EMI’s 1989 recording conducted
by Simon Rattle based on the Glyndebourne
Festival production. It was in 1989
that White’s acting abilities were recognized
when he played Otello for ‘The Royal
Shakespeare Company’ alongside such
stage luminaries as Sir Ian McKellen,
Zoe Wanamaker and Imogen Stubbs. Given
the foregoing CV it is a surprise that
White was not in constant demand in
the world’s leading opera houses. Perhaps
his voice was viewed by some opera house
intendants as lying uneasily between
bass and baritone, lacking the ideal
sonority in the lower voice and wanting
the heft or stamina required for Wagner’s
Wotan. Whatever, he is now in demand
throughout Europe and America and in
the meantime British audiences have
enjoyed many of his dignified and well-characterized
operatic interpretations. On the concert
platform he has developed his ‘Tribute
to Paul Robeson’ recitals.
This CD is largely
based on a New Year’s Eve Concert in
Liverpool, with the addition of Bizet’s
Pearl Fishers duet (tr. 6) recorded
later at Leeds Castle. By far the best
items on this disc come at the beginning
and end. The three traditional Negro
spirituals, in tasteful arrangements
by Carl Davis (trs. 1-3) find White’s
voice tonally focused, expressive and
sonorous if not ideally steady in ‘Deep
River’ (tr. 2). Perhaps his best singing
of the evening, with the greatest range
and tonal variety, comes immediately
after in ‘Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel’
(tr. 3). After that start the operatic
items are something of a let-down with
White’s voice not really comfortable
or flexible enough in the Mozart (tr.
4), whilst in Mephisto’s serenade he
is too cautious and lacks the ideal
weight of tone (tr. 5). In the Bizet
duet (tr. 6) the part of Zurga is really
too high for him, but his musicality
wins out and the result will please
his fans. This is the only item that
doesn’t have concluding applause and
its acoustic is over-reverberant; perhaps
electronic amplification?
Copland’s arrangements
of ‘Five Old American Songs’ (trs. 8-12)
were premiered at the 1951 Aldeburgh
Festival by Peter Pears and Ben Britten.
White sings these well although in ‘The
Boatman’s Dance’ his good vocal flexibility
is marred by thin tone at the top of
the voice. No such reservations about
the singer’s interpretation of ‘Some
Enchanted Evening’ (tr. 15) where his
diction is superb with the voice exhibiting
a wide range of expression and tonal
colour. In ‘I got plenty o’ nuttin’
(tr. 16) White is again in home territory,
suiting his range, tone and diction.
The concert concludes with his rendition
of the Robeson favorite ‘Ol’ Man river’
(tr. 17) and the audience show their
appreciation with enthusiasm. If Willard
White’s ‘Some enchanted evening’ doesn’t
erase memories of Pinza on the film
sound track, or his ‘Ol’ Man river’
Robson’s particular way with that song,
that is merely to imply he is good,
but not as good as the greatest. True,
but could Robeson and Pinza have changed
songs and been as good as White in both?
I doubt it. For those who like the programme,
or the too rarely recorded singing of
Willard White, this is a worthwhile
issue well recorded and at bargain price
too.
Robert J Farr
