This ENO Pelléas dates from 1981, just as the company
was gearing up for its triumphant 'powerhouse'
decade. One or two names here, most notably Elder and Tomlinson,
would go on to be central players in that astonishing run of
productions. There is a similar sense of magic here too. Everything
comes together to make this an impressively coherent and atmospheric
reading.
Those in favour of opera in English will be grateful to Chandos,
and to the ever-philanthropic Peter Moores, for this commercial
release of an English language production, a rarity by any measure.
Those with an allergy to the idea - and that includes me - will
be pleasantly surprised at what the vernacular can offer this
opera. The clarity of the diction from every singer makes the
English translation worthwhile, and while the libretto (English
only) is included, there are very few occasions when the listener
might feel the need to reference it. The translation, by Hugh
Macdonald is excellent. It flows with the same lilting prosody
of the original and never grates against the agogic structure
of the music. Perhaps one of the reasons for the success of
the translation is the fact that Debussy, unlike Wagner, always
keeps the music at arms length from the words, allowing the
libretto to play out more as a play, whatever the sung language.
The cast is strong, especially the leads. Robert Dean has a
rich tone as Pelléas, although he sometimes struggles at the
top. Eilene Hannan has the most French diction among all the
singers in her portrayal of Mélisande. Her tone often tends
towards speech, all the better to hear the words. Sarah Walker
has an expansive and emotive tone as Geneviève. It is interesting
to hear John Tomlinson, here just about to reach his high plateau
as a singer, which he has only just begun to descend from in
the last year or two. He puts more emphasis on the individual
words than the other singers, and is perhaps a little too emphatic
at times. He also puts on a surprising amount of vibrato, not
something we associate with him these days. The only weak link
in the cast is Rosanne Brackenridge as Yniold, whose tone is
often strained and whose high notes are often flat.
Mark Elder gives a relaxed yet precise reading of the score,
with plenty of emotion and without any jarring gear-changes
at the transitions. He maintains an ideal balance between the
stage and the pit, and also gets an impressively emotive sound
from the orchestra, with plenty of swooning from the strings
when the score demands.
Sadly, neither the orchestra nor the singers are well served
by the audio quality. This is one of the many BBC opera recordings
from the 1980s and 1990s that sound as if they were made at
least twenty years earlier. The recording was only made for
broadcast, but even so, the murky underwater quality does nobody
any favours, least of all the violins, whose range of colours
is seriously limited by the sound reproduction.
We should be grateful the recording exists at all, as it documents
a performance that was no doubt a pleasure to experience. Given
that it was only thirty years ago, it seems a little premature
to give photographs of the artists in sepia, especially as most
of them are still working. Another link between the past and
present is Hugh Macdonald, who returns to give informative programme
notes. A little more information about the production itself
might have been nice, especially as this is an 'archive
edition'. Otherwise this is a handsome package, and should
be of interest both to those who remember the show and those
who have grown to love Debussy's opera since.
Gavin Dixon
See
also review by John Sheppard
Chorus & Orchestra of English National Opera/Mark Elder 