This is a wonderfully theatrical performance, handsomely played, hampered by a strange acoustic. Recorded live in London in October, 2000, the volume has to be turned way up to get the entire orchestral palette, and that occasionally results in a blurring at forte and above, especially when the chorus is involved. To hear this properly, adjusting the volume every few minutes is necessary (as in late Karajan CDs.) A pity, too, since otherwise this is entirely engrossing.
Of course Colin Davis is the world’s pre-eminent Berlioz conductor, and he proves it again here. The composer’s complex rhythms and subtle niceties of scoring are second nature to Davis (and the LSO). The Hungarian March is at first triumphant, then empty; Brander’s “Rat” song is properly snide and unpleasant; and the chorus trills defiantly, nastily on its final “Amen” in the fugue that follows the song.
Giuseppe Sabbatini is noticeably operatic in his approach: some listeners might mind, and I must admit that after initially appreciating his Italianate ardor, I thought it was a bit overbaked. But you can’t deny his commitment, and his reading is fascinating. Michele Pertusi’s Devil has it all, including seductive whispers and just-plain-spite. His tone, too, pleases at any dynamic level. I’m not so sure about Enkelejda Shkosa’s Marguerite. Perhaps a darker sound is preferable: Susan Graham with Nagano is marvelous and Josephine Veasey (on Davis’ 1974 recording), a first-class singer with a second-class voice, is totally convincing. But Shkosa is entirely involved and truly a tragic heroine.
The chorus is compelling whether it’s drunk and playful or evil, and the wind section of the LSO alone makes this set worthy. On balance, and despite how much I love the dramatic thrust of this production, I can’t help feeling that Davis’ first set is truer to Berlioz, and Gedda’s Faust is unmatchable. I’ll definitely hold on to this performance–it might even catch the hallucinatory, stream-of-unconscious quality of the work better than any other recording; but doing without Davis No. 1 is a sin.
