Dutton’s first release of this 1947 Orfeo (in 1998) was in its series titled “Essential Archive”. This new reissue is lodged in a series titled “Singers to Remember”, signaling somewhat closer attention to truth in advertising since this performance is by no stretch of the imagination “essential”. On the other hand, while Kathleen Ferrier certainly was a “singer to remember”, this disc captures her at her most unmemorable. It’s a pretty dismal affair all-round. The abridged score is taken from the hopelessly dated Ricordi version then in fairly common use, the orchestra operates at the threshold of respectability, and Fritz Stiedry’s conducting is routine, alternately heavy and swift, with a foursquare rhythmic quality that drains the music of its vitality at any speed. The sopranos singing Euridice and Amor are earnest but possess neither the voices nor the interpretive insights to distinguish themselves. And the sound is below par for the date.
None of this matters so much if the Orfeo is outstanding, but this recording was made shortly after the stage performances at Glyndebourne for which Ferrier learned the role in Italian. It shows frequent lapses into questionable intonation and the approximate pronunciation of her Italian. Ferrier indeed was a memorable singer, if only for the unique timbre of her voice and the emotional power it conveyed. But neither quality is evident in her singing here, which turns Orfeo into an English matron. Contrary to the booklet notes by Alan Blythe, her “Deh! placatevi”, with its unfortunate upward and downward scoops, is more a strained rendition of what should be a moving scene than a “desperate appeal” to the Furies; her “Che puro ciel”, while better, hardly expresses the “wonder at the serenity of the heavenly scene”; and her “Che faro” is a pale shadow of that powerful aria, thanks in part to Stiedry’s speedy tempo. Orfeo was a part Ferrier sang often and to far better effect, as can be heard in a now-deleted 1951 live Dutch performance, made in wretched sound with equally unsympathetic colleagues. This one is for Ferrier completists only.
