Parry: Job

 

I can't say I have come across musical interpolations of the story of Job from The Bible all too often. Vaughan Williams' ballet score comes first to mind, a fine piece of work from the British composer. Of Sir Hubert Parry's handful of oratorios, Job may be my favorite of his, another outing from the Book of Job by an Englishman.

The narrative is a curious one. A narrator, sung by baritone Neal Davies, introduces the character of Job and his successful lot in life. What follows is a sort-of Oh God! You Devil! conversation mixed with the setup of Trading Places. Essentially, Satan, sung by tenor Toby Spence, bets The Lord, ingeniously voiced by Parry through the choir, that Job will lose confidence in his faith is he loses everything he has.

Strangely, The Lord allows Satan and his minions to destroy Job's means, first in the way of his cattle and servants. This occurs not before a rather lovely piping boy soprano sings of his cheery lot in life as a shepherd, a beautiful moment from Parry. When Satan is allowed his misdeeds, the chorus and Davies are given exciting musical settings to relish. Job responds with a 'The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away', never cursing The Name of God, but offering a blessing and a prayer in His Name. Strike one for Beelzebub. 

Satan then summons storms of great magnitude, which takes not only Job's acres of land and buildings, but also has killed his children. Again, the tenor and chorus are given some fun musical bits describing the destruction falling all around Job. For some reason or another, Parry does not continue with the serious health maladies Job suffers from Satan, nor the accusations of his wife, events which occurred over a period of time in The Bible. Such things might have made the following scene more effective.

Scene Three is titled The Lamentations of Job, where the titular character questions where he has gone wrong to become an enemy of The Lord, to have his life destroyed. Parry also skips the debate with his friends on how religious justice works, another element which might have further fleshed out this section. For me as a listener, Job's sudden questioning of God seems abrupt and not in character, especially as he was so quick to revere The Lord after Satan's first volley.

Suffice to say, the chorus enters in Scene Four to chastise Job for questioning God. The choir, I assume as The Voice of The Lord, lists off all of God's creations, with a tart 'how can a mere mortal understand what goes into creating and maintaining an entire World'. Oddly, the challenge between God and Satan over Job's faith is never brought up. Suffice to say, Job repents by observing his place in the scheme of things, and his riches and family return two-fold over a lengthy life. The End.

I really love Parry's music here. The pastoral motives are excellent, and I enjoy each time they return throughout the work. As mentioned earlier, the scenes of Satan ravaging Job's fortunes are a lot of fun musically, although Spence never returns. Scene Three is a long sung 'Woe-is-Me' rant from bass Peter Coleman-Wright, an oddly spotlit, major duration of the oratorio, as is the long chorus of God's repsonse in Scene Four.

But it is all beautifully done, especially the playing of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I have avoided the Guildford Choral Society for many decades. I have found their efforts lacking; their performance of Holst's Choral Symphony and Choral Fantasia comes to mind, singing which really put me off of this group. Here in Job, however, I am impressed by their work, although one can hear the beginnings of a stray, ungainly tenor section.

Coincidentally, both Toby Spence and Neal Davies have recently recorded other Hubert Parry cantatas and oratorios on Chandos. I believe I was complementary of Spence in his singing in Parry's Judith, whereas I found Davies' vibrato too loose in Parry's Prometheus Bound. Spence I find thrilling as Satan here in Job, where he lunges upon theatrics, and gratefully I find Davies' voice more appealing here, even if I can hear the vibrato effect starting some 20-years earlier. Peter Coleman-Wright is excellent as Job.

Hilary Davan Wetton usually comes in tow with the Guildford Choral Society, thus I have similarly avoided him on record too. Perhaps I need to do a reassessment on my recordings from them, for Wetton gives a loving performance of Parry's oratorio, and what a boon for these singers to have the RPO on hand as well. Terrific!

 

 

Works
Job

Soloists
Jaime Morgan Hitchcock, boy soprano
Toby Spence, tenor
Neal Davies, baritone
Peter Coleman-Wright, bass

Ensembles
Guildford Choral Society
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Hilary Davan Wetton, conductor

Year: 1998
Label: Hyperion
Total Timing: 69.16

Really, I should give this recording top marks, for it is a wonderful performance.

Parry's music is pretty peak too, although the odd structure of the oratorio, and the text adaptation from Parry, is wanting in some regards.

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