Saint-Saëns: Oratorio Bits 'n Bobs

 

For this segment of Bits 'n Bobs, which in this case should be re-termed into Apples to Apples, I will only be doing a brief comparison of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns' oratorio Le Déluge. This performance comparison will be in direct reaction to my previous review of the oratorio, found at this link - (BLOG). There, I thought the German performers could be improved upon, and so I sought out what little is available on record for this work.

The first recording I became aware of was from 2012 featuring Leon Botstein leading the American Symphony Orchestra on their home label. This performance is very clearly marked as a Live recording, so if you are allergic to audience coughs and stage noises, this one is to be avoided. While I have heard much worse in terms of phlegmatic audience participation on record, such things are still present.

On the other hand, the American Symphony Orchestra is much sweeter sounding than the German coutnerpart I heard previously. The chorus too, is much more put together, offering a bold counterpart to the orchestra. Due to the live situation, the percussion is a little backward in the sound, but nothing to ruin your day.

Paul Appleby, the tenor soloist for Botstein, is more heroically Italiante as a singer. This is not praise or a demarcation, just a matter of preference. The tenor in the German performance on Ars Produktion was much more to my tastes, giving in to the quasi-Baroque musical setting Saint-Saëns sets in the beginning of the work. I also enjoyed the German solo vocal quartet more as well, where as the US production finds singers of a more intrusively tremulous quality.

Thus for their orchestral and choral work, Botstein is impressive, however, I think I will hold on to the previous German recording for its soloists. I also should mention how Leon Botstein moves the music a fair bit more urgently than Alexander Burda does on Ars. This aspect is really quite apparent in the final fugue, where the singers nearly sound hectored by Botstein's dashing tempo.

As an added determination, Leon Botstein was recently affiliated Jeffrey Epstein. While Botstein has said it was in relation to raising money for Bard College, I do believe he has stepped down from that position. If such things are important to you.

While the cover looks ancient, really this performance comes from the early part of the 1990s. This same recording was later put onto an RCA 2CD program of Saint-Saëns, so I will add that cover picture at the very bottom of this post.

The great French conductor Jacques Mercier leads l'Orchestre National d'Ile de France, sometimes referred to as ONDIF. All three recordings have captured their orchestras well, but this one bears the lovely presence of a warm acoustical resonance. The choir and voices are upfront, but they aren't boxed in dryly.

Of course, all of the soloists, including the famous soprano Françoise Pollet, are naturally excellent with the French texts, although I was not unhappy with the German performance either, with the US production leaving me neutral. I will say, these French soloists are a characterful-sounding quartet, bringing to mind older oratorio recordings and performances. Again, not a detriment, just an observation.

All of these elements add up to a superb performance. If one were interested in exploring the rare oratorio Le Déluge from Saint-Saëns, this is the one I would shoo people towards first.

 Bits 'n Bobs

Le Déluge
  American Symphony Orchestra
  Leon Botstein, conductor
  ASO; 2012

Le Déluge
  L'Orchestre National d'Ile de France
  Jacques Mercier, conductor
  Adda; 1991 / RCA; 2000

Find more Saint-Saëns recordings HERE!