Purcell’s only original
opera was Dido and Aeneas though he
wrote more than forty works for the
stage in his all too brief life. Associated
with the English Church and Court some
of these works are so extensive that
one wonders why they are not called
operas. The fact is that like ‘The Fairy
Queen’ they are termed semi-operas because
they contain dialogue. Ironically, in
most modern performances, and on this
CD, dialogue is omitted otherwise the
entire length would exceed the patience
of most listeners.
Tragically Purcell’s
early death put paid to any developments
in English opera. This left the field
open to Italian opera and the figure
of Handel to carry the torch. Indeed
some sections of ‘The Fairy Queen’ may
remind you of parts in Handel, especially
the ceremonial music of Act V with its
use of trumpets and drums. One is also
reminded of Purcell’s Coronation Odes
and other official entertainment music.
The libretto, probably
by Thomas Betterton is described as
being ‘After William Shakespeare’s ‘A
Midsummer Night’s Dream’’ and very loosely
speaking it is. There is no plot as
such and none of Shakespeare’s characters
are really used; only alluded to. There
is no characterisation as such so each
soloist can be given an equal share
of the work. One could call it ‘A woodland
Fantasy’ involving Fairies, a Chinaman
and woman (!), a Poet, Corydon and Mopsa,
Juno and much else.
The libretto and indeed
the plot seem to have been designed
exactly with Purcell’s skills and most
famed achievements in mind. This allowed
him to give the soloist’s music, immediately
afterwards, to the chorus in delicious
four-part harmony.
There are also echo
effects, various popular dances including
a hornpipe, mellifluous arias, plaints
involving Purcell’s favoured Ground
Bass, and a Chaconne. Incidentally the
latter differs from a ground bass in
having a repeated harmonic pattern and
not just a repeated bass line. There
is much else typical of the composer.
Highlights for me include
some arresting orchestral work when
the band of authentic instruments is
given its head. Also the gorgeous ‘Music
for a while’ inserted in this production
for no real reason in Act 1. We can
submerge ourselves in the elegant mezzo-soprano
of Sally-Anne Russell with wondrous
accompaniment. In Act 2 we get the fine
chorus number ‘Now join your warbling
Voices all’ and the delightful ‘Sing
while we trip it’ sung by the light-footed
Belinda Montgomery. I also enjoyed Jamie
Allen’s deliberately harsh rendition
of ‘When a Cruel long winter’.
This recording is an
outcome of performances by Pinchgut
Opera in Sydney in 2003, (following
their successful production and recording
of ‘Orfeo’) directed by Justin Way with
set designs by Kimm Kovac and Andrew
Hays. Pictures from the production can
be seen at the back of the CD booklet.
The recording was made directly after
the live performances.
There is no shortage
of competition for recordings of such
a popular work. Let me tell you what
this group are up against. There is
‘Les Arts Florissants’ on Harmonia Mundi,
then the ‘Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra
under Ton Koopman on Erato. Next, comes
my own favourite, the ‘English Baroque
Soloists’ under Roger Norrington on
EMI Reflexe and ‘The Sixteen’ now transferred
to their own ‘Coro’ label. There are
quite a few others including a Decca
recording directed by Britten. So how
do Pinchgut Opera compare?
Generally one has to
say that the singing is neither so starry
nor so well characterized and often
it is simply not as good technically
speaking. Yet, I love the young freshness
of the voices used here. They are absolutely
ideal because, if nothing else, this
is a young person’s opera. Mostly the
ladies are totally free from excessive
vibrato and the soprano’s upper registers
ring out clearly. The tempos chosen
by conductor Antony Walker are often
on the quick side which I for one applaud.
The chorus work is crisp and the diction
clean with perfect intonation. Finally
the instrumental work matches the timbres
of the voices. The balance is normally
neatly judged. Can I recommend this
recording? Well I can, but it will not
supplant for me the English Baroque
Soloists or ‘Les Arts Florissant’. The
latter can be a little mannered with
ornamentation but William Christie has
a lighter touch.
There is however much
to enjoy with this new version. It has
spirit and is alive with a true sense
of theatre. All in all, if this sounds
the kind of approach that appeals to
you then the CD should be searched out
without more ado. There is a very helpful
essay by Erin Helyard who made the performing
edition used for this production. We
are also treated to a full track listing
and all the texts are given.
Gary Higginson
Sara Macliver; Miriam Allan; Belinda Montgomery
(sop); Sally-Anne Russell; Jenny Duck-Chong
(mezzo); Jamie Allen; Paul McMahon; Brett Weymark
(ten); Corin Bone; Simon Lobelson (bar); Stephen
Bennett (bass) 
