In a welcome return to their Berlioz cycle, the London Symphony Orchestra's latest recording with their President, Sir Colin Davis, is an immaculate account of the composer's oratorio L'enfance du Christ.
And as ever, the combination of Davis, his responsive orchestra, and the French composer whose works he has done so much to champion, is irresistible.
Berlioz's 'sacred trilogy' started life as a brief organ piece written by the composer at a party while playing cards. This became the now-famous 'Shepherds' Farewell', and over time it was joined by the Overture and the tenor's narrative describing the Holy Family's arrival at an oasis. The three items became 'The Flight into Egypt', Part Two of the eventual L'enfance du Christ, which was completed in spurts over four years.
In contrast to the epic nature of Les troyens and the large-scale comedy of Benvenuto Cellini (the latter brilliantly performed by the LSO and Davis in June and soon to be added to the LSO Live catalogue: read the review here), L'enfance du Christ is much more intimate in character. The orchestration frequently inclines towards the pastoral, with the clarinet, cor anglais and horns alternately signifying calm, nature and nobility. The string writing, too, is markedly different - the textures are lucid, reminiscent of chamber music. Vocally, the composition adopts a highly vivid, operatic style for the soloists, but the choral passages are often similar to the orchestral writing in clarity, eschewing the tendency of the epic stage works towards the grand gesture.
But the genius of the composition lies in its unusual narrative structure. The story takes us from the birth of Jesus to the arrival of the Holy Family at Saïs. Part One is entitled 'Herod's Dream' and it depicts the psychological agony of King Herod during his nightly visions of a child who will bring about his downfall. This is curiously sympathetic to Herod, whose destruction of all the firstborn children in the land is seen to be motivated by his desperation. In stark contrast, the final scene of Part One shows the Angels coming to warn Mary and Joseph to flee to Egpyt and save their son. Part Two sees the Shepherds gathering before the manger and bidding the Holy Family farewell, while the final part describes the anguish of Mary and Joseph on arriving in Saïs and struggling to find refuge. The vivid description of their exhaustion adds to the dramatic intensity; Mary declares that her 'bleeding feet stain the ground' and Joseph says that his wife 'is nearly dead', while the Romans rebuff them with 'Get away, dirty Jews!'
For me, Davis' new account of the piece far surpasses his earlier recording with the LSO from several decades ago. True, Thomas Allen and Janet Baker were marvellous as Joseph and Mary in the old set, showing special insights into the text, but William Dazeley and Karen Cargill fill their shoes very credibly. In the new recording, Yann Beuron is definitely an improvement on Eric Tappy as the narrator. This young French singer was a revelation when he took over from Ian Bostridge at the last minute in the concerts on which this recording is based. He has exactly the right sound for the part, phrasing the lines with a sensuousness of tone, and his interpretation of the text is always vivid. It is unlikely that his rendition will ever be surpassed. Matthew Rose - a former Young Artist of the Royal Opera who is deservedly never without work in the capital - expresses Herod's turmoil without losing his regal dignity, and Peter Rose is excellent both as the Father and Polydorus.
The LSO are as committed as always, with a notably strong Trio for two flutes and harp in the final part, while Tenebrae, the young and dynamic choir that was used for these performances, sing with a precision that is especial welcome in this subtle work. Sir Colin paces the drama with his customary intuition, allowing space for broad phrasing without the speeds becoming too slow.
This is undoubtedly another benchmark recording from LSO Live.