This marvellous disc is a real delight and it triumphantly
confirms Kate Royal as one of the finest British singers working
today. The theme of the recital is derived from the first aria
from Alwyn’s
Miss Julie: based on Strindberg’s play, Alwyn’s
opera deals with Julie’s forbidden obsession with her father’s
manservant. She sings of Midsummer Night as “a night for love,
a night for laughter, No thought for tomorrow of what may come
after.” All the characters in this collection of 20
th
century operas have had their heads turned by love to some degree,
but all in very different ways, from Rusalka who pours out her
heart to the moon, to Britten’s Governess who muses on her handsome
employer before the unnerving appearance of Peter Quint. The
programme is very well chosen and helps to remind us, in the words
of the booklet note, “how lyrical much of the 20
th-Century
repertoire actually is.”
The most striking thing about the recital is
not just the lush beauty of Royal’s voice, which can be taken
for granted. One is immediately struck by the fullness of her
tone and a wonderful, creamy richness at the top of the register.
No: the most memorable thing about this collection is how marvellous
a vocal actor Royal proves herself to be. Listen, for example,
to the aria from The Turn of the Screw: we are taken
in, like the Governess, by the overflowing bliss of the summer
evening – magically evoked by the ENO woodwinds – and entirely
disarmed by her idyllic reflections on her employer; but as
soon as Quint’s ghost appears on the tower a chill runs through
the voice and in less than a minute we are engulfed in paranoid
terror. The same ability to turn on a pinhead is seen in Ellen’s
Embroidery aria: she moves from rich memories with a
hint of nostalgia to a vacant denial of the truth she refuses
to face. By the end of the aria she has had all of her optimism
truly knocked out of her in a heartbreaking way, punctuated
by those pitiless woodwind chords delivered like blows to the
chest.
Other heroines are impassioned in different ways:
Walton’s Cressida is driven to romantic distraction by the impossibility
of her situation and Herrmann’s Cathy cannot face the prospect
of life away from the heath near Wuthering Heights. Miss Julie
herself is motivated by the tantalising excitement of realising
her passion for Jean while Royal’s rich voice captures the quivering
anticipation of the fulfilment of desire. Barber’s Vanessa
has been unhinged by decades of waiting, and here the voice
is intentionally shrill to reflect the character’s shock of
her meeting with Anatol. The arias that have a folk background
all come across exceptionally well too. Royal adapts just as
well to the gentle simplicity of Susannah’s aria and to the
innocence of Tiny’s memory of her mother.
Yet there is sweet brightness to her assumption
of Hanna’s Viljalied, and Rusalka’s Song to the Moon
has lush, lyrical tone. Both here and in Messager’s Nightingale
Song the aristocratic bearing of Royal’s tone reminded me
of Renée Fleming, though that is not to cheapen by comparison.
From the oriental chinoiserie of Stravinsky’s Nightingale to
the ravishing post-Romantic beauty of Korngold’s Marietta, Royal
shows herself able to meet and to surpass every challenge.
This recital is never less than beautiful and frequently it
is far more than that. How marvellous to hear some rare repertoire
that is given such a high quality outing.
At every turn she is ably partnered by the Gardner
and the ENO Orchestra. This is as good a tribute as you will
find to the fantastic musical advances that Gardner has wrought
in his short time in charge: listen to Rusalka’s song, for example,
and you will hear the orchestra caress each phrase with loving
warmth. It is also a testament to the quality of the event
to have singers like Andrew Staples and Thomas Allen guesting
in such tiny parts. This great disc only whets the appetite
to hear Royal in more complete roles, and that is as high praise
for a recital disc as I can imagine.
Simon Thompson
Kate Royal (soprano)
