CAROUSEL
John
Wilson and the Sinfonia of London (Chandos) *****
The greatest sorrow of my other life as a conductor, chiefly
of musicals, is that I never got to conduct two of the greatest shows in the
canon, Guys and Dolls, and, above all, Carousel.
Now this new Chandos CD release of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
masterpiece telling of life in a New England fishing village has quickened
those regrets, bringing every last bar of that tremendous show, including numbers
and entr’actes, as well as snippets of dialogue, which we never get the
opportunity to hear in staged performances.
John Wilson and his tremendous Sinfonia of London bring the
same zest and affection to this performance of Carousel as they recently did to
their complete Oklahoma!, and the result is a treasurable compilation of this
offering from Rodgers and Hammerstein on their greatest form.
There is a real sense of “company” in this young cast, no
big names sticking out to the detriment of other participants. So Sierra Burgess
as Carrie Pipperidge and Julian Ovenden
as Enoch Snow give us a touching “When the children are asleep” to match
the entrancing “If I loved you” from Nathaniel Hackmann’s Billy Bigelow and the
Julie Jordan of Mikaela Bennett. Hackmann’s “My Boy Bill” brings all the
conflicted emotion of this father-to-be one could possibly imagine.
Rodgers and Hammerstein always include a matronly figure as
a comfort-zone in their shows, but Nettie Fowler here is no superannuated old
biddy but a vibrant, positive character in Francesca Chiejina’s portrayal.
Chorus work is lively and well-characterised, but finally I
have to return to the sheer remarkable excellence of the Sinfonia of London
under Wilson’s baton, warm, dexterous, and utterly generous in their unfolding
of Rodger’s miraculous score. I would have preferred a tad more carefree
abandon in parts of the opening Carousel waltz, but when we arrive at the ballet
midway through Act Two we are steeped in riches, deft little touches from
woodwind and brass, whirling rapture from the strings.
It has been a privilege to receive an early review copy of
this ineffable show performed with such enrichment by John Wilson’s superlative
forces.
Christopher Morley