L'enfance Du Christ Sacred Trilogy

I try to hear as many recordings of this work as I can, including this one by the dispiriting, perverse Norrington, and it has good things in it. L'Enfance du Christ has a solid history on disc, although not many performances are with French forces. Berlioz's sweet and gentle retelling of the birth of Jesus has been recorded no less than three times by Colin Davis (the first one, on Decca, being the freshest, although all are very fine) and by another Englishman, Matthew Best, whose smaller-scale reading is just as good, although it features no star vocalists. For the most excitable rendition, one can turn to Charles Munch and the BSO, a first-rate performance in every regard except the amateur chorus. For French conductor, orchestra, and soloists, a great but rare recording is the one with Martinon and tenor Alain Vanza as the narrator. Cluytens leads a mostly French reading on a bargain EMI set that is very good, with de los Angeles as Mary.The "authentic" period touches that you'd expect do work well in Berlioz's idiosyncratic and fascinating sound world. They add an edge somewhat lacking in Norrington's conducting, which tends to sag unexpectedly here and there. The recorded sound is very good, and the orchestral playing good enough. The best thing is the cast, as follows:Christiane Oelze (Soprano), Christopher Maltman (Baritone), Mark Padmore (Tenor), Ralf Lukas (Bass), Bernhard Hartmann (Bass), Frank Bossert (Tenor)Padmore's light lyric tenor is sweetly expressive as the narrator, not surpassing Vanza but keeping up with Cesare Valletti for Munch. Mary is usually sung by a mezzo, but Oelze is appealing, and the role fits her voice so easily one wonders why more sopranos don't undertake it, as de los Angeles once did. Maltman's Joseph is exemplary, although Norrington's lazy conducting deprives him of a chance to make a bigger impression. The Herod is a bit wobbly and nasal but all the more Gallic for that. In all, this is an enjoyable performance, if not among the best.

A rather fine recording of a Berlioz composition which has been blessed with several wonderful releases. There is nothing here to promote these fine discs over several others, but I can not cut it down for any reason either. One may check out that by Munch  Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ / Les nuits d'été  (I do gig that one a little on the 1956 sonics; it does sound much better on the remastering in the recent 86-CD complete Munch box from Sony), the first Colin Davis  L'Enfance Du Christ  (not enthused as much by his re-dos), or the fulfilling experience provided by Charles Dutoit  Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ  . Probably the best ever is that legendary recording conducted by Jean Martinon which, as far as I can tell, has never been released on CD  Berlioz: L' Enfance du Christ, Op. 25  . This may be a discontinued release, anyone interested should grab it while they can.All these comments and comparisons aside, this is a most enjoyable version of of Berlioz's most chamber-music like and genial opus and purchasers may rest assured they are listening to one of the better -- though, the competition is stiff/