Alternative release of Enescu’s recording
of the Mass in B minor:
BBC Legends BBCL 4008-7 (2 CDs)
If ever there was a
recording of Bach’s great mass that
moved more through vision and absolute
commitment than sound quality, this
is it. The performance has Enescu’s
benign guiding presence within every
bar and the sense of a constant heartbeat
guiding the tempi is uniquely apparent.
This heartbeat regularity was essential
to Enescu’s vision of Bach. Although
some may find it a bit four-square at
times, it does give constancy to a work
that in no small part delivers the feeling
of something eternal. There are those
I know that think this recording the
nearest they will ever come to something
spiritual in music.
Of the BBC release
listed above, I said last year (in my
overview
of Enescu’s recordings as a performer):
"The recorded sound is muddy and,
particularly in choral passages, textures
can cloy and distort somewhat. All of
this is strange given this comes [from]
a BBC studio source at a time when recording
technology was reasonably advanced."
This new release on
the Ariadne label, a subsidiary of SOMM
Recordings, is quite different. The
re-mastering by Roger Beardsley based
on a set of original BBC transcription
tapes has significantly opened out the
sound range, even though one must admit
that the recording itself still shows
signs of age. On Ariadne the orchestra
appears slightly more forward than on
BBC Legends. The "Christe eleison"
also shows a marked improvement by distinguishing
the string tone from that of the organ
obbligato, with the organ taking on
a definite character, rather than being
an indistinct presence.
It is in the work’s
many choral passages that one appreciates
most the improvements on offer. I liken
the BBC Legends release to having cotton
wool in ones ears as one hears it, whilst
Ariadne presents the same performance
with the cotton wool removed. Sopranos
are brighter, mezzos are richer-toned,
tenors are more distinct, and basses
carry slightly more resonance. Enescu
built his sonorities from the bass line
upwards, so improvements in the lower
vocal and orchestral areas have a particularly
appreciable impact on the performance
as a whole.
The soloists all contribute
keenly to the performance. Ferrier is
moving with almost every word and Suzanne
Danco is almost her equal in this respect.
The Ariadne release gives Danco’s voice
more varied colours and presence and
this helps greatly to bring her contributions
alive. But many will purchase this recording
for Ferrier’s contributions, and this
is a perfectly acceptable reason.
Of the male soloists,
Peter Pears shows the qualities of word-pointing
that made him so great in Schubert and
Britten. There might be some that find
his individual vocal production somewhat
out of place with the spirit of Bach’s
music – personally I am not one of them.
It is good that the Ariadne documentation
credits Norman Walker as the bass soloist
(BBC Legends fail to do so). His contribution
contrasts well with that of Bruce Boyce’s
baritone. Together they come across
creditably.
Of the two additional
Bach arias - sung by Ferrier - Have
mercy, Lord, on me is a valuable
rarity in her discography, although
Ah, Tarry Yet significantly formed
part of Decca’s first issue of long-playing
records in the UK. Both recordings carry
the unique Ferrier stamp of saying so
much with simplicity and absolute sureness
of tone. The sound quality of both recordings
is acceptable. Bonuses indeed after
the feast that is the B minor mass.
Ariadne’s accompanying
notes are brief and factually accurate,
although Bach did not live from
1865-1957 as the rear case liner claims!
BBC Legends offers a recollection of
Enescu penned by Yehudi Menuhin that
takes effusion to its furthest-most
point. There is a price difference too
between the two releases – in Ariadne’s
favour. The Ariadne release is obviously
the preferable choice.
Evan Dickerson
Suzanne Danco (soprano); Kathleen Ferrier
(contralto); Peter Pears (tenor); Bruce Boyce
(baritone); Norman Walker (bass); George Malcolm
(harpsichord); Charles Spinks (organ); Douglas
Moore (horn) 
