February 28, 2013

  • Review: A New "Sweeney" from Munich

     

    Sondheim: Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Street
    Mark Todd (Sweeney), Jane Henschel (Mrs. Lovett), Gregg Baker (Anthony), Rebecca Bottone (Johanna); with Diana DiMarzio, Jonathan Best, Adrian Dwyer, Ronald Samm, Pascal Charbonneau, Andrew Lepri Meyer, Andreas Hirtreiter, Bernhard Schneider;
    Bavarian Radio Chorus, Munich Radio Orchestra/Ulf Schirmer
    br-klassik 900316
    Disc One—Total Time:  73:04
    Disc Two—Total Time:  50:55

    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

     

    Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opened the door for a new type of Broadway musical when it premiered in 1979.  The work’s intensity is perhaps only matched by Berg’s Wozzeck though Sondheim’s sound is far removed from Berg!  It was perhaps one of the most macabre stories to hit musical theater with its tale of a barber who gives a quite close shave and who then connects with a meat-pie baker with rather grotesque results.  But, at the heart of the show too is a love story that shifts between Sweeney and his “lost” daughter Johanna and upon which the plot pivots into its intense drama.  There is still no way to replace the classic cast recording with Angela Lansbury’s wonderful characterization of Mrs. Lovett , nor Len Cariou’s portrayal (or George Hearn’s) of the title role.  Of course, more recently is the more saturated Tim Burton film version itself a bit interesting and at times more like an extension of the director’s other work.

    Enter this new live recording of Sondheim’s score from Munich from last May, 2012.  This presentation places more emphasis on completeness that includes dialogue sections with the ensuing underscore.  To best appreciate this new performance, one must set aside these other versions and enter into a world more close to opera.  The vocal soloists are quite amazing musically and the English accents work well in the spoken sections.  The more trained voices hit the notes and shape the music in ways that grab your attention and pull you in rather quickly.  Mark Stone’s portrayal and rich, dark voice manages to reach into the pain and frustration and even the hope that Sweeney has for a new future all at once heard in “My Friends.”  There are moments as well where it is quite creepy. 

    Jane Henschel’s voice is a warmer sound also and some might wish for a bit more edge and less exactness with diction and rhythm, but her approach is no less well done.  Sometimes her spoken work feels a bit less inflected than one would help but she is often needing to fit in a lot of dialogue in very quickly which she is quite capable of doing never breaking her stride.  She hits her stride in Act 2 quite well. 

    The performance does begin to find its “rhythm” about 15 minutes or so into the performance and there is a sense of excitement that allows for the sort of edge needed in operatic recordings.  The touching song “Johanna” has quite a bit of power as the little clusters play under dialogue and sultry hints in clarinets suggests something entirely different.   The “shaves” are handled with less an edge than in the original but they work quite well in context for this performance.  “Kiss Me” also allows a chance to more clearly hear how the multiple vocal lines and themes interweave and whose complexity serves as the perfect contrast to “Pretty Women” itself a rather fascinating duet of sinuous writing filled with amazing symbolism musically and textually.

    The second act begins with a lot more of its heart closer to traditional musical theater, but it is not long before the gothic horror of the story begins to assert itself and in case one is not sure, there is even an organ interlude to cement the imagery.  The performances work even better with each primary character finding a way to create a more realistic sound that helps Henschel’s approach as the sort of mother figure in the show come more completely into focus especially in “Not While I’m Around.”  The performance here works to provide another emotional release beautifully phrased by Pascal Charbonneau who is one of the cast’s highlights.

    Ulf Schirmer takes brisk tempi and the opening “Ballad of Fleet Street” clips along assisted with crystal clear recording of the orchestra.  He finds ways to really bring a depth to the score that is made possible with the fine recording given to the entire proceedings.  The chorus is also quite capable of crisp articulation and there appears to be a mix of smaller ensemble and larger fuller sound.  The larger choral sections can some tomes blur the words, but no more so than in operatic recordings.  The sound is though still marvelous.

    Who is this new Sweeney for then?  Well, for those who always knew this work needed a massive symphony orchestra to provide strength and greater color to the score, you will revel in the sound of this recording.  Vocal performances, filtered through more trained operatic voices may put some off, but the committed and engaging soloists will make this a recording to return to often to appreciate this great piece of musical theater.  Note that the libretto is not included so it makes it difficult to follow all the lines sometimes.  The release gives us a chance to now hear an important modern work in stunning sound with superb musicianship all around. 

    Dramatically, it also works quite well as an aural experience that will not replace fond memories of its original cast, nor should it, but it does allow a great opportunity to hear just how important Sondheim’s work was for the time.  Here is to hoping that Shirmer gets another shot at more similar recordings.  In some respects, this is similar to those concert performances of musical shows, most noticeably Les Miserables.  The present release is simply fabulous that most musical theater composers could only dream to hear their work presented in such a superb manner that works more than one might think and is a significant addition to the Sondheim catalogue.