CD REVIEW
– RODGERS
& HAMMERSTEIN’S
OKLAHOMA!
SOLOISTS/SINFONIA OF LONDON/JOHN
WILSON
Chandos CHSA
5322(2) [TT 99:43]
Composer Richard
Rodgers' (1902-79) and lyricist
Oscar Hammerstein ll's
(1895-1960) first collaboration
is described by the record
company on their website as
ground-breaking when the musical
debuted on Broadway 80 years ago,
and this is the world première
complete recording with Robert
Russell Bennett's orchestrations
of the original score, which have
been restored by the late Bruce
Pomahac, who was the Rodgers
& Hammerstein
Organization’s MD for more
than 20 years.
It involves 19
stellar soloists (the principals
are listed on the front of the
2-CD box), the 'Oklahoma!'
Ensemble of 22 voices under
chorus master Alex Parker, a tap
dancer Alistair David and who The
Times recently referred to as
John Wilson and his orchestral
supergroup. This is not the full
SoL but comprises the same
line-up of 29 players and the
number of instruments as were
used on opening night. Led by
John Mills, there are six first
violins, four seconds, two
violas, two cellos, two bases,
oboe, cor anglais, oboe
d’amore, bass oboe, two
clarinets, two horns, two
trumpets, trombone, timpani,
percussion, banjo, drum and
acoustic guitar – these last
two both being instruments from
the 1940s.
Set in farming
country outside the town of
Claremore, Indian Territory, in
1906, the story is of a farm girl
Laurey Williams (Sierra Boggess)
and her courtship by two rival
suitors, cowboy Curly McLain
(Nathaniel Hackmann) and the
sinister and frightening farmhand
Jud Fry (Rodney Earl Clarke). A
secondary romance concerns cowboy
Will Parker (Jamie Parker) and
his flirtatious fiancée Ado
Annie (Louise Dearman). Aunt
Eller is sung by Sandra Martin.
Unlike earlier
traditional musical comedies
[sic] rooted in vaudeville, with
star turns, comic sketches and
high-kicking chorus, the songs
sung here by realistic
characters, from the opening
"Oh, What a Beautiful
Mornin'" to its closing
reprise along with that of "People
Will Say We're in Love",
solely carry the story along. Act
1 ends with a Dream Sequence,
including a purely orchestral
13-minute Dream Ballet.
The set design for this is used
as the front cover of the booklet
described below.
The usual best
sounding Chandos album was made
in July 2022 at the Royal Academy
of Music's Susie Sainsbury
Theatre, London. The executive
producer was again Ralph Couzens
and Jonathan Allen is credited
with the recording, sound, mixing
and editing. I go along with a
reviewer of another of the
Colchester-based company's albums
in the current BBC Music Magazine
who writes that it
"continues to make some of
the most well-presented and
best-engineered albums in the
world".
The quality
64-page booklet, edited by Finn S
Gundersen, deserves special
mention with the writer and
broadcaster David Benedict
providing the background notes,
as well as his interesting
interview with Wilson ("Why
'Oklahoma!', and why
now?") and the synopsis of
the show. There are also pen
portraits and photographs of the
participants together with a full
libretto.
Congratulations to
JW (and Chandos) for enabling us
to hear 'Oklahoma!'
sounding exactly as its creators
intended; and to everyone
involved for an all-round joyous
listening experience and a 100%
recommendable release. More cause
for celebration: I understand
that this is the first in a
series, with 'Carousel'
coming next.
©
Peter Burt, September
2023
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