As a souvenir of being in the Royal Albert Hall on August 31, 2022, or impressed over the Radio 3 airwaves, this will do nicely. As a recommendable Gerontius… well, it’s certainly intense and dramatic, Edward Gardner avoiding sentimentality while creating an opera and bringing out much pertinent detail; Allan Clayton is an ardent Gerontius, fearless to the many challenges of Elgar’s tenor writing; the LPO is in top form, so too the choirs (if rather too set-back in the anyway-large venue); James Platt is pretty good in his two roles, but he, like every singer of these parts since Boult’s recording was released, has Robert Lloyd to face (and, while on the subject of competition, all tenors come up against Anthony Rolfe Johnson’s incomparable Gerontius on Vernon Handley’s Liverpool taping); Jamie Barton, however, is a wonderful Angel (she and Clayton together are utterly compelling) and she also aims for the optional high note (CD2, track 17; 0:27) thrillingly reached.
No, the problem is the sound, somewhat over-processed from R3’s recording, with some discolouration of orchestral timbres and RAH ambience, I suspect to rid any sense of the audience; if so, understandable for coughs, sneezes and a glossary of other (often avoidable) noises, but questionable if it means degrading (even somewhat) the main event, a recording of a recording. LPO–0138 (2 CDs).
Allan Clayton tenor (Gerontius)
James Platt bass (Priest/Angel of the Agony)
Jamie Barton mezzo-soprano (Angel)
London Philharmonic Choir
Hallé Choir