While The Dream of Gerontius could be the unlikely star of Alan Bennett's The Choral, the masterpiece hardly needs a increase in recognition. Gardner's vibrant latest recording is one of three issued in the past 24 months, with another due in January.
Recorded live at the BBC Proms in 2022, the energetic performance boasts a great deal in its favor. Allan Clayton portrays the febrile essence of the protagonist near death whose each feeling is simultaneously a terror and a intrigue. His valiant voice excites in the magnificent hymn, Holy and Strong, while an expressive handling of text illuminates the philosophical question and answer section in the second part. Jamie Barton's luxurious voice has a palpable presence as well as offering plentiful resources of comfort. Platt's craggy bass voice is well-suited to the angel character.
Gardner is highly dramatic, conveying the narrative with an nearly operatic audacity. The London Philharmonic plays as if a group of demons was at its heels, matched by the combined efforts of the London Philharmonic and Hallé choirs. In places, the sound environment deprives the recording of the last ounce of immediacy, but all in all it's a excellent accomplishment to rank with Nicholas Collon's gripping Finnish account issued earlier this year.
