Harold
Williams,
Parry Jones,
Clara Serena,
Isobel Baillie,
Tom Purvis
BBC National Chorus & Orchestra
Conductor: Stanford Robinson
Recorded February-March 1930
Catalogue Numbers: UK Columbia DB49-63
Matrix numbers: See CD sleeve notes
Remastered by Andrew Rose & released in 2005 as Divine Art 2CDs
27802
Durations
CD1: 54'40" - CD2: 37'58"
2 MP3s WITH ORIGINAL SLEEVENOTES & PRINTABLE COVERS
Recorded
between 25th February and 8th March, 1930 at Central Hall, Westminster,
London, this was the first ever substantially complete recording of Elijah
to be made. It was released across fifteen 10-inch discs by the UK Columbia
company a year before its takeover by HMV to form EMI, and the recording
remained in the catalogue until 1948.
The
singers were among the top recording stars of their day, and their BBC
accompanists appear to be very early incarnations of what would become
the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Chorus.
Due
to the shorter length of the second part this double-CD was issued at
the same price as Divine Art's single CDs, and has proved rightly popular.
It won the prestigious CD of the Year award in the Choral section at Classic
Record Collector magazine - the juror's debate and chairman's comments
running as follows:
Here
Elijah was a voice in the wilderness, up against three Verdi Requiems.
We heard some of the Australian baritone Harold Williams's noble
Elijah, including his famous aria 'Lord God of Abraham'
TP: "no one else has sung it like that. You can almost reach
out and stroke his legato. And he was just as good on the Sargent
set."
JTH: "The two best soloists here, Williams and Baillie, were
both on the Sargent"
DP: "This is a set from a small company, and a transfer engineer
new to me. I think Stanford Robinson conducts very well."
VL: "Parry Jones was the first tenor I ever saw, in Rigoletto
with Gwen Catley"
After that we had to hear one of Jones's arias, 'If with all your
hearts', before moving on to Verdi................
Despite the Verdian strength, it was felt that the Elijah was
a particularly inspired issue, bringing back a 78rpm set that
was always hard to find and meeting all the criteria for an award.
While
John T. Hughes, writing in International Record Review, commented:
Williams
is a magnificent prophet. From Elijahs scene with Ahab,
when he challenges the priests of Baal, one knows one is in the
presence of a powerful figure: actually two: Elijah and Williams.
(In Baal, we cry to thee, Mendelssohn has given Elijahs
foes one of the best choruses). How firmly Williams sings Lord
God of Abraham, while Is not His Word finds
him histrionically exciting and technically accomplished.
He gives a tremendous performance of the role. His fellow Australian
Clara Serena exhibits little sign of vibrato in her contralto.
Hearing her in this set I am surprised that she sang Anneris and
Erda at Covent Garden. Shes rather bland and seems afraid
to allow her voice its full flow. Baillie is, as always, fresh-toned,
with pin-point attack. Not the most mellifluous of Welsh tenors,
Jones matches Williams in responsiveness, though his partiality
to the rolled r (garrrments) is
too much for me. This is possibly his best contribution to the
gramophone...
Finally,
the full original review in Classic Record Collector magazine,
from David Patmore:
Elijah
was one of the great warhorses of the amateur choral movement
during the previous two centuries, and Columbias decision
to make a more or less complete recording in 1930 reflected the
combination of commercial acumen and artistic good sense that
marked out this company from its rivals. The set was issued on
15 ten-inch discs, so that purchasers could opt for their own
individual selections from the great work; and, as the excellent
notes accompanying this reissue observe, it remained in the catalogue
until 1948, a remarkably long time for a recording from the early
days of the electrical era.
Columbia
engaged 26-year-old Stanford Robinson to lead the proceedings,
which he did with much flair. By 1930, Robinson had already been
with the BBC for six years, and he was to remain with it until
1966. Throughout this recording he demonstrates complete command
of the works idiom; he leads the great choruses with tremendous
energy and secures a distinguished contribution from the anonymous
orchestra, probably the forerunner of the about-to-be-formed BBC
SO. The soloists all make a strong impression. In the title role
Harold Williams offers an appropriately magisterial performance,
which is finely matched by the radiant soprano of Isobel Baillie
and the eloquent tenor of Parry Jones, as well as the rich contralto
of Clara Serena.
What
especially distinguishes this first reissue in any longplaying
format is the astoundingly good quality of the transfers by Andrew
Rose of Pristine Sound [sic]. He has successfully managed to do
away with the aural murk which characterises so many
recordings from this period, to reveal a clear and relatively
well balanced aural picture. The notes are informative. If Divine
Arts new Historic Sound label is able to maintain these
first rate standards of production and repertoire, its future
publications will be well worth acquiring, as is certainly the
case with this excellent release.
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