Home-Spun Vitality

 

Perhaps gumption is a better word.

There are two recordings of British composer Benjamin Britten's operetta Paul Bunyan - this Virgin Classics performance led by US chorus master Philip Brunelle and another on Chandos with Richard Hickox leading the Royal Opera.

The difference? Gumption.

Hickox leads a highly professional, operatic reading. Brunelle remains my favorite recording, if for nothing else than gumption.
The most obvious aspect which elevates the earlier recording is the title character voiced by James Lawless, a longtime Minnesota thespian. He gives Paul Bunyan a booming authority, while Chandos chose someone who sounds like an Old-West Chuck Wagon cook. Since Bunyan never sings, and as far as I know, never appears on stage, the quality of voice makes or breaks the titular character.

There are three ballads accompanied by guitar/banjo which move the plot along between scenes and acts. Hickox chooses an operatic baritone while Brunelle employs Pop Wagner, a cowboy poet from Minnesota. Suffice to say, Pop gives his three solos a folk twang thoroughly missing from the Chandos production.

Of course, Hickox provides a live, fully staged presentation, while Brunelle is recording a concert-version without an audience. Brunelle's assures the listener of no stage noise, while Hickox's is noisy.

I could on like this, but in general, there is a home-spun vitality in The Plymouth Music Series recording all but missing in the Chandos recording. Sure, the Royal Opera singers are on a professional level of their own, but the sheer energy and amusement generated by the Minnesota performers are infectious. I don't know what specific orchestra and chorus are performing in Minnesota, but they are exceedingly well prepared, with nary a complaint among the solo cast, who are quite characterful, chorus, or orchestra.

As to the music, Britten's operetta is tuneful, riddled with wry little rhymes throughout. It is this aspect which brings to mind Shostakovich's comedic opera Cheryomushki (BLOG), which memorably rhymed 'spoil it' with 'toilet'. We get much the same here, even if this is more of a down-home frontier setting, opposed to a Soviet modern comedy.

Britten's music is rhythmically snappy, with a tendency towards persnickety rhythms, while the lyrical moments sounding of a songful quality. The orchestrations add a lot of color, particularly in mimicking the frontier fauna, some of whom are given a singing voice as well. I can't say anything has stuck in my head in comparison to the Shostakovich work mentioned earlier, but cheerfulness is prevalent, a certainly pluck too, quite different from Britten's normally dour operatic outings.

Special moments include the wonderful opening introduction and prelude, showcasing the fine chorus on hand, and giving life to the flora and fauna of the forest. The comedy moments hit strong in this recording, while the big numbers surrounding the Christmas Party and Funeral are equally enjoyable.

Despite the comedy, which includes four lumberjack Swedes, two cats and a dog, and a canteen of dueling soup and beans, the characters do dwell in some darkness. While the First Act (of two) is primarily upbeat, the Second Act is slower and shows humanity in a less than favorable light. The final scene of Act II is essentially a parting of ways for the characters, informing the audience of their future plans, a short portion I could have done without altogether. The opera ends on a down note, with not-so-subtle jabs at politics and ethics, an odd final conclusion.

The lead cover art picture at the top is from the original 1988 release, while the EMI British Composer's series was reissued in the 2000s. The former comes with the entire libretto and a whole lot of information, almost more than I could digest in one sitting. The EMI reissue does not include a libretto, but adds three appendices pieces from Paul Bunyan, ones which led me to seek out Britten's opera in the first place. These three, an Overture and two ensemble numbers, were originally found on Philip Brunelle's recording of The Company of Heaven (BLOG), and are worth seeking out.

So, what of a British composer traversing a US folkloric myth for an operatic setting. It is a wonderful listen, even if it remains an oddity in Britten's oeuvre. The words which accompany the cover art sums up Paul Bunyan best for me:

One night he dreamt he was to be
The greatest logger in history.
He woke to feel something stroking his brow
And found it was the tongue of an enormous cow

I am not sure if the enormous myth of Paul Bunyan is duly served in Benjamin Britten's music, nor the libretto from W.H. Auden, but it is a whole lot of fun to listen to.

 

 

 

 

Works
Paul Bunyan (1.52.40)
  Act I (64.12)
  Act II (48.28)

Soloists
James Lawless as Paul Bunyan
Pop Wagner as The Narrator
Dan Dressen as Johnny Inkslinger
James Bohn as Hel Helson
Elisabeth Comeaux Nelson as Tiny

Performers
Plymouth Music Series
Philip Brunelle, conductor

Label: Virgin
Year: 1988
Total Timing: 1.52.40

 

 

 

 

Not the best music and not the best story.

And yet I am drawn in all the same. This cast convinces me far more than the later Chandos recording, with the fine work of Philip Brunelle behind this production.

Those looking for something lighter from Benjamin Britten need look no further!