About eighteen months ago I reviewed this classic recording when
it emerged on Hänssler (see
review).
Now that it appears as part of the comprehensive Decca Eloquence
Kirsten Flagstad series at half the price.
The musical merits of the set were discussed at some length in
my Hänssler review, where I matched it against Arnold Östman’s
Naxos recording from the Drottningholm Court Theatre. Stylistically
the Flagstad-Jones recording is dated and technically it’s no
match for the Östman set. There is however that special treat
to have one of the grandest singers of any time in a role for
which she seems to have had a special affinity. The grandeur and
nobility of much of Flagstad’s singing is on a level that makes
it a shame not to have heard it. The dramatic Raoul Jobin as Admeto
has also something to offer in intensity and involvement, even
though this is unlikely to have been what Gluck would have expected.
True Gluck-lovers will need both: Östman for a performance as
close to Gluck’s intentions as can possibly be imagined; Jones-Flagstad
for the starry quality of Flagstad. It should be remembered, though,
that Flagstad was suffering from a heavy cold during the recording
sessions and the producer John Culshaw tried to persuade her to
abandon the project. But Flagstad persisted and the results are
fascinating – on its own merits.
In my review of the Hänssler I intimated that they might have
had access to the original tapes. Listening closely to some excerpts
from both recordings I could detect small differences in sound
quality. The Decca transfer seems to be more open and with more
air around the voices and the instruments. I can’t honestly say,
however, that the difference is very striking. The Hänssler transfer
is at times more immediate and the voices are exposed with the
same clarity. Though the Decca issue may be slightly more atmospheric,
no one with the Hänssler already on the shelves need feel short-changed.
The layout is the same on both issues with one act per CD and
here one can note some differences:
|
|
Hänssler
|
Decca
|
|
Act I
|
60:30
|
59:38
|
|
Act II
|
75:06
|
72:06
|
|
Act III
|
37:37
|
37:17
|
This means that the Hänssler takes some more time for each act
and a difference of 3 minutes for act II may indicate that the
Hänssler plays at a slightly lower pitch. To most listeners –
including myself – this hardly matters, but it may be annoying
for listeners with perfect pitch.
Where Decca definitely scores is in accessibility. Hänssler consistently
offer only one track per scene, whereas Decca are much more generous;
Naxos even more so:
|
|
Hänssler
|
Decca
|
(Naxos)
|
|
Act I
|
8
|
16
|
29
|
|
Act II
|
6
|
18
|
32
|
|
Act III
|
5
|
7
|
21
|
Neither Hänssler nor Decca offer a libretto; Naxos have libretto
with English translation. If I wanted just one recording of this
opera in the original Italian version, I would buy the Östman
set on Naxos: cheap and historically ‘correct’. But the Flagstad
recording is a valuable document and with more cue-points and
considerably lower price the Decca set is the one to go for.
Göran Forsling
The Geraint Jones Singers and Orchestra/Geraint Jones 
