Search - Frederick Harvey, John Cameron, John Gay :: John Gay: The Beggar's Opera; Edward German: Tom Jones (Highlights)

Enjoyably 'Inauthentic,' Authentically 1950s Version

Nicholas A. Deutsch | New York, NY USA | 05/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"By rights, this 1955 version of John Gay's much-adapted 1728 'ballad opera' should sound antiquated beyond redemption: the musical version used is Frederick Austin's well-worn, prettified (& verbally expurgated) 1920 arrangement, subjected to the indignity of being blown up from chamber ensemble to full orchestra; Sir Malcolm Sargeant's tempi are impossibly 'inauthentic' (ie. slow); there are numerous cuts even beyond Austin's omissions; & the 2 separate casts, of opera singers & actors, recorded in different months, are not always convincingly 'matched up.' Yet it's one of the most enjoyable recordings I know of.

A quick scan of the cast list(s) will tell you why: the singers include Elsie Morison, John Cameron, Monica Sinclair, Ian Wallace, Owen Brannigan & Alexander Young & the actors Zena Walker, John Neville, Rachel Roberts, Eric Porter & Paul Rogers. In other words, these are top pros & strong audio personalities who grab their every opportunity. The musical performance is sumptuous & sheer pleasure to listen to, the actors & dialogue 'production' brisk, funny & sharper than you might expect. And the sound for both music & dialogue is of demonstration quality, one of the best of the period.

Those who find this version too musically ponderous or dramatically reactionary can find antidotes in the Bare Baroque Basics one by Jeremy Barlow & The Broadside Band (Hyperion), word & note complete, & the radical & often inspired 1948 Benjamin Britten arrangement (complete on Argo, abridged with the original cast on Pearl). They'll be missing some good 50s fun, though.

They'll also be missing the only available excerpts (15 numbers) from Edward German's tuneful 1907 operetta 'Tom Jones.' This really IS 'cleaned up' 18th century, genteel beyond the call of duty, but for those who respond to musical theater of the period, highly recommended. The 1966 recording is lively & accomplished. As Miss Jean Brodie would say, For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like. And a good thing too."