Search - Britten :: Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings/Nocturne

Jerry Hadley: Ave Atque Vale

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 07/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The musical world has lost yet another great singer with the death of Jerry Hadley. Not only will his fine opera and recital performances be greatly missed, we must attempt to understand the personal pain that would result in his choice of passing.



Jerry Hadley was another American product, born in the US, trained here and under the tutelage of Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge, and made it to the stages of the New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne, Covent Garden etc, and recorded not only superb performances of Mozart operas and others but also gave a bow to operetta and musical theater. His voice was rich, full, dark when necessary and thrillingly bel canto in roles too infrequently heard. His stage presence was that of a handsome, dashing leading man and audiences loved him.



For this listener this very special recording of the works of Benjamin Britten is one of his finest and while it is variably available, perhaps now it will be re-mastered for wider distribution. In each of the three works on this very well produced CD - 'Les illuminations' Op. 18, 'Serenade, for tenor, horn & strings' Op. 31, and Nocturne, for tenor, 7 instruments & strings, Op. 60 - Hadley's concept of the poetry is sincere and unlike many other recordings of these works his diction is flawless. One wonders why orchestral concerts across the country did not utilize Jerry Hadley more frequently for these works.



The recording is well balanced with fine collaboration from the English String Orchestra as conducted by William Boughton. Anthony Halstead provides the gentle and technically superb French Horn performance in the Serenade. Many still prefer the initial Peter Pears recordings of these works for sentimental reasons and there have been other excellent recordings by both women (in the 'Les illuminations') and other tenors, but Jerry Hadley approached these vocally demanding little jewels with a profound respect of the composer's intentions. It is a recording that will always be a fitting tribute to a very fine tenor whose career was tragically foreshortened. Recommendation: add this CD to your collection - it IS available! Grady Harp, July 07

"

Almost as good as Pears

David A. Beamer | Clawson, MI United States | 05/30/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The British tenor Peter Pears recorded two of these works (Serenade and Les Illuminations) in his prime, somewhere in the late 60's or early 70's. (To my knowledge that LP has not been remastered to CD...) His close friend Benjamin Britten wrote these works for Pears; Serenade was written for Pears and Dennis Brain, the brilliant French horn player whose life was tragically cut short by an auto accident.Jerry Hadley doesn't quite match the intensity that Pears' performances had, but they are fine nonetheless. The differences are most notable in the middle sections of the Serenade, which Pears made absolutely electrifying. But it certainly is good to have these neglected works in up-to-date digital recordings."