This is the third time Colin Davis has recorded L’enfance du Christ. The first, from 1960, was relaxed and had a very dramatic Narrator in Peter Pears; the second, from 1976, was somewhat quicker but was just as diaphonously lovely; this new recording, with tempos about the same as in 1976, strikes me as the finest. This isn’t a work that dazzles. For all of Berlioz’s fondness for bombast and grandeur, this piece is undemonstrative, reflective, and subtle.
This set is instantly recommendable for Yann Beuron’s Narrator. He is quintessentially French and sings with a directness and innocence that suit the story perfectly, and his sound is always handsome. Karen Cargill and William Dazeley make an ideal Holy Couple, their difficulties clear, their feelings and plight filled with unexaggerated drama. Matthew Rose sings Herod with just the right level of torment and confusion.
Davis’ understanding of Berlioz’s layering of sounds remains unsurpassed. The woodwinds have great color and texture and when Berlioz strips the orchestration almost bare the effect is hypnotic. The Tenebrae Choir sings brilliantly at all dynamic levels and with absolute clarity, and in the most pious moments the effect is positively heavenly. This is a work that must be delivered with grace and love, and this performance offers both. The recording is clear and intimate, but you occasionally can hear what sounds like the conductor making little noises to himself. Noises or not, this is a stunner and highly recommended. [10/26/2007]
