Britten: Vocal Recording Roundup

 

This month's Recording Round-up features a duo of Benjamin Britten's vocal works.



Phaedra

I actually just listened to Phaedra from Sarah Connolly with Edward Gardner on Chandos (BLOG). Connolly's is very fine, and is easily recommended.

I couldn't, however, resist hearing Dame Janet Baker in this music, a 15-minute piece which Britten wrote specifically for this singer.

Since Phaedra is a very late work from Britten, we have his right-hand man Steuart Bedford leading the English Chamber Orchestra for Phaedra's first recording, done so following the composer's death.

The work is an intense dramatic scena, covering the soap-opera drama of a Greek mythological tragedy. A singer cannot be ambivalent approaching this music, yet still should have enough wherewithal to provide shades of Phaedra's emotional state, both as she reminisces her story and as the music progresses between the past and the now.

I will admit, I am obsessed with the voice of Janet Baker. She has an effortless, clear quality, one that is rather dark, akin to a contralto. She tackles both extremes of her range with remarkable ease, and it is always a pleasure to hear her voice.

It should come as no surprise that she is winning in a work like Phaedra, particularly strong in her lower range, an aspect sometimes missing with mezzo-sopranos in lieu of wanting to impress with the mighty high A at the climax.

As with most of these 90s Decca Britten reissues, the sounds remains excellent still today, despite the older recording dates.

The Rescue of Penelope

Well, I ended up getting a double dose of Dame Janet, for she narrates The Rescue of Penelope, another Greek-based tale. Here we have a 50-minute BBC radio play with orchestra and singers in addition to Baker's utterances.

Those who do not like the spoken word mixed with music should know most of the tracks are dedicated to the tale of Odysseus, and his wife awaiting his return, often with music underscoring.

Like The Company of Heaven (BLOG) and The World of the Spirit (BLOG), Britten's music is heroic and populous pleasing. I don't know if I can remember hearing Britten compose in such a clear-cut fashion, providing music solely in deference to the story. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the music is often quite stirring, but quite different from what I know of the composer.

The Hallé Orchestra is led by Kent Nagano in what remains the work's only commercial recording. The quartet of singers are excellent, and Baker's recitations seem tasteful. For those interested in incidental music, this would be an easy recommendation.

 

 

 

Recording Round-up

Phaedra
  English Chamber Orchestra
  Steuart Bedford, conductor
  Decca, 1977; 1990

The Rescue of Penelope
  Hallé Orchestra
  Kent Nagano, conductor
  Erato, 1996