Berlioz: L'enfance du Christ ~ Davis

Berlioz: L'enfance du Christ ~ Davis

Berlioz: L'enfance du Christ ~ Davis
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CD Details

Composer: Hector Berlioz
Conductor: Colin Davis
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
Performer: Yann Beuron
Performer: Karen Cargill
Performer: William Dazeley
Performer: Matthew Rose
Performer: Peter Rose
Performer: Tenebrae Choir
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD, Import, Live
CD Release Date: 2007-09-11
Music Label: LSO Live
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. Dans Le Creche, En Ce Temps
  2. Marche Nocturne
  3. Toujours Ce Reve!
  4. Les SAges De Judee
  5. Les Devins Font Des Evolutions
  6. La Voix Dit Vrai, Seigneur
  7. O Mon Cher Fils
  8. Joseph! Marie!
Music CD 2
  1. Ouverture
  2. The Shepherds' Farewell To the Holy Family
  3. The Holy Family At Rest
  4. Depuis Trois Jours
  5. Dans Cette Ville Immense
  6. Entrez, Pauvres Hebreux
  7. Trio For Two Flues And Harp
  8. Vous Pleurez, Jeunu Mere
  9. Ce Fut Ainsi Que Par Un Infidele
  10. O Mon Ame

Music reviews of Berlioz: L'enfance du Christ ~ Davis

Music Review: Davis's thrid recording of L'Enfance is as good as ever
Rating: 5 Stars

I began listening to this live L'Enfance du Christ without expecting it to better Colin Davis's two wonderful older recordings. But in his eightieth year he still holds his eminence as an instinctive Berlioz conductor (for someone so impeccably French, the composer's strongest champions on records have both been English -- Beecham and Davis). The earlier versions from 1961 and 1976 feature more famous singers than this new one, and I wouldn't want to do without Janet Baker as Mary from the second set or Peter Pears as the Narrator on the first. Nor does Davis set out to duplicate the freshness and drama of his initial performance.

Instead, he gives us a seasoned, quietly emotional reading that becomes deeper and more moving as it proceeds. Charles Munch held sway with his 1956 recording on RCA because of its impetuosity. Davis holds sway here with his authority. Tempos are fairly measured, but that's a superficial thing. What matters is that the music remains engrossing from beginning to end. The singers, even those without a French background, handle the language well (although the Mary and Joseph are comparatively weak singers), and the LSO, caught in wonderful sound, play with total conviction, perhaps more than on any previous version. The Amazon reviewer may have something here when he calls this autumnal reading the best of Davis's three recordings.

Description of Berlioz: L'enfance du Christ ~ Davis

Described as a `sacred trilogy', Berlioz's oratorio L'enfance du Christ began as a short piece called Shepherds' Farewell. It tells the story of the birth of Jesus and the journey of the Holy Family as they escape Bethlehem and head across Egypt to the city of Saïs. Unlike many of the composer's more flamboyant works, it is an exquisite and gentle composition scored for relatively small forces.
This is Colin Davis' third recording of Berlioz's great oratorio and it may be the best. Under his baton, the music flows without undue haste or stodgy piety. Berlioz was a consummate dramatist, even in this uncharacteristic work that often hearkens back to archaic musical forms to evoke the Biblical story. The singers are all outstanding, especially tenor Yann Beuron as the Narrator, whose pure tones and sincere delivery bring continuity to the tripartite structure. Karen Cargill as Mary and William Dazeley as Joseph bring welcome interpretive simplicity to their roles, while Matthew Rose and Peter Rose bring their ample bass instruments to such key roles such as Herod and the Householder. The LSO always plays at its best for Davis, and here it is a major attraction given the extensive orchestral sections of L'enfance du Christ. The LSO winds are especially dazzling, their "Marche Nocturne" section beautifully shaped and colored, and the remarkable inventiveness of the Part Three trio of two flutes and harp is fully brought to life. The Tenebrae Choir is as wonderful; its singing of the "Shepherd's Farewell" moving in its dignified elegance. --Dan Davis

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