The
Chandos catalogue of “Opera in English” recordings is rapidly
growing. Today there are around 45 complete operas, some of
them reissues from the EMI catalogue but the majority Chandos
originals. Add to this a couple of highlights discs, some compilations
culled from complete sets and about 20 solo recitals. The general
standard has been high, even if not all issues have scaled Everest.
For English speakers who prefer opera in the vernacular the
whole series has been a blessing. I won’t go into the debate
on the pros and cons of English versus the original language:
the end result stands or falls with the quality of the translations
and probably it is unavoidable that there are awkward turns
here and there. Even though English lacks the melodiousness
of Italian and the elegance of French it works pretty well and
generally sounds better than Italian and French arias sung in
German.
Atlanta-born
Jennifer Larmore, who once studied with Regina Resnik, has been
around for twenty years. Her fame rests mainly on the coloratura
region of the baroque and bel canto repertoire. Her signature
role has been Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, a part
I heard her singing with aplomb at Covent Garden as long ago
as 1993. Among her many complete recordings I have a soft spot
for L’incoronazione di Poppea and Giulio Cesare,
both on Harmonia Mundi with René Jacobs conducting. According
to the booklet text she is the most recorded mezzo-soprano of
all time and it is a tribute to her open-mindedness and engagement
for operatic by-ways that she has participated in a number of
recordings for Opera Rara. In this recital we hear her in some
expected repertoire but she also throws her net wider, into
some central heavier roles. Her voice has undoubtedly matured,
gained volume and bite and while she retains her fluent coloratura
and elegance of phrasing she has added enough heft to negotiate
Azucena, Laura in La Gioconda, Adalgisa and even Princess
Eboli in Don Carlos.
Maturing
is a process that works differently for different things. A
good red wine, for instance, which can be sourish, even slightly
fizzy, coloratura-like, when young, becomes rounded, full and
mellow when matured in oak-barrels. A good mezzo voice, for
instance, which can be rounded, full and mellow – but still
fizzy and coloratura-like – when young, can become less rounded,
more sourish when matured in oak-panelled opera houses. What
they have in common is that they darken. I am not saying that
Larmore’s voice has become less rounded but one can trace a
few dashes of vinegar added to the taste sensation, not inappropriate
when it comes to the heavier dishes on the menu: Azucena, Eboli,
Laura, Adalgisa, princess Bouillon in Adriana Lecouvreur
to name some of them. Under pressure these dashes tend to stand
out in a way that borders on shrillness. Even in Donna Elvira’s
aria from Don Giovanni this is an unwelcome addition
to the total experience. I shouldn’t make too heavy weather
of this, however, since the overriding impression of this generous
and varied recital is that of high technical competence, deep
insight, involvement and dramatic conviction.
The
rarely encountered aria from Adriana Lecouvreur certainly
makes a dramatic opening to the recital while the tripartite
Favorita scene starts with an intense recitative, followed
by a warmly sung aria with harp-dominated accompaniment and
a powerful cabaletta - impressive but a little lacking in swagger.
Her Azucena is comparatively light and youthful and she has
a trill that not many traditional Azucenas can match. In the
Gioconda duet she is partnered by the imposing, almost
Callas-like Susan Patterson. This is as dramatic a reading as
any I can remember; not even the ‘real’ Callas is more fiery.
Her Donna Elvira is touching in her misery and it is good to
have Adriano’s big scene from Rienzi sung with such wholehearted
conviction and intensity. The opening is dramatic almost to
a fault but Ms Larmore has the measure for it and she sings
the aria Still in full bloom my life is fading with rich,
warm tone, showing that her voice is ‘still in full bloom’.
The aria is melodically appealing in a vein that makes me think
of Lortzing or Flotow, a comparison that Wagner himself probably
wouldn’t have appreciated. Dramatic is also the concluding Where
was I?
The
duet from La favorita opens with Fernando’s recitative
You, most courteous maiden, sung with clear, well-equalized
tone by Colin Lee, not unlike Bruce Ford, and he matches Jennifer
Larmore well in the duet proper, where she is grandiose. This
is Donizetti at his dramatic best. Juno’s aria from Semele,
the only piece here where English is the original language,
is a virtuoso reminder of her excellence in baroque repertoire.
There is such fluency in her runs and her deepest register is
impressive without being chesty. At fortissimo the tone has
a tendency to spread, though. Possibly the best singing in the
whole recital comes in the well-known aria from Tancredi,
while the Norma duet offers some uncharacteristic shouting
from both ladies; Ms Patterson is the worst offender of the
two. They show a lot of sensitivity too but in the last resort
it is too hard-driven.
Finally
Jennifer Larmore delivers a swift but intensely remorseful O
don fatale – or O hated gift as it is in Andrew Porter’s
excellent translation – and a charming and elegant Waltz Song
from Romeo and Juliet. David Parry, who has been the
‘house-conductor’ for the “Opera in English” series ensures
keen and sensitive accompaniments and the playing of the Philharmonia
Orchestra is up to their normal high standards. There are good
notes by Rodney Miles and the sung texts are provided as usual
in this attractive series.
The
small reservations I have expressed lose in significance against
so much accomplished singing and playing, which makes this a
highly desirable recital disc – not only for Jennifer Larmore
fans.
Göran
Forsling
Jennifer Larmore (mezzo)
