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Sir William
WALTON (1902-1983)
Façade – an entertainment (1922) [37:46]
Music and Scenes from “Henry V” (1943) [27:51]
Coronation March “Orb and Sceptre” (1953) [7:36]
Dame Edith Sitwell and Peter Pears
(reciters), English Opera Group Ensemble/Anthony Collins (Façade); Sir
Laurence Olivier, Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir William
Walton (Henry V); London
Symphony Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent (March)
rec. 1954 (Façade) 1944 (Henry V)
No texts included
ALTO
ALC1026 [73:12]  |
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The main part of this disc consists of two
recordings – “Façade” and “Henry V” - that have been acclaimed
as classics since their first issues. Their value has indeed
increased as they incorporate a manner of recitation that
seems to be wholly foreign to modern performers. This is
especially the case with the wonderfully bravura performances
of Olivier in “Henry V”. Bottom merely wanted to take on
more than one part, but here Olivier actually does do so,
speaking the parts not only of the King but of the Chorus,
Williams, Mountjoy and Burgundy. This was of course a studio
recording separate from the earlier film for which the music
was written. Olivier gives to each part a distinct character,
and adopts a manner about as far from normal everyday speech
as possible. It works wonderfully well, and he easily outclasses
the various later actors who have attempted a similar feat. Even
if the recording of the orchestra sounds a little primitive
at first you very soon get used to it, especially in this
excellent transfer, and overall this remains a true classic
of the gramophone.
“Façade” has had many recordings since this,
but all too many use actors as reciters, many unused or unwilling
to follow the very precise rhythms shown in the score. That
is not the case here. Dame Edith reads her own verses in
a way that is not only faithful to the score but which makes
the most of their verbal content. Pears is also very good
in this respect, although in quick passages it is not always
easy to follow the words, which are not included in the accompanying
booklet. It is a great pity that the obvious choice as reciter – Sir
Noel Coward – took against the piece, but Pears does at least
have more than a hint of his clipped delivery which seems
to be what the composer was expecting. This is something
which does not come naturally to modern performers of the
piece, so that this recording, together with the extracts
recorded earlier with Constant Lambert, remains an essential
purchase for anyone wanting to understand how the score should
sound. Again, the present transfer is well done. One oddity
is that the gap between “Façade” and “Henry V” is too short. This
has the interesting if probably unintentional effect of making
the fanfare at the start of the latter sound like a varied
repetition of the fanfare at the start of “Façade”.
It is not only the reciters who make this
such a superb performance. The very distinguished group
of soloists who make up the English Opera Group Ensemble
all excel themselves in a well balanced and carefully controlled
performance under Anthony Collins.
Only the last item on the disc disappoints. Even
if you do not agree that “Orb and Sceptre” is a feeble attempt
to repeat the success of “Crown Imperial”, this performance
lacks the kind of sparkle needed to convince the listener
that it is worth reissuing here. A pity that another early
recording of one of the composer’s shorter works was not
chosen instead. However this does not affect the undoubted
success of the disc as a whole in preserving these particularly
stylish performances of the two main works.
John Sheppard
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