RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN

                             John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London at Symphony Hall *****

It is a long time since I have been in a Symphony Hall packed to the rafters, with such an atmosphere of expectation, and an audience agog and appreciative of every note. And what engendered all this? The eagerly-awaited appearance of John Wilson and his remarkable Sinfonia of London in a Rodgers and Hammerstein programme, hot on the heels of their CD releases of ultra-complete performances of that more than talented duo’s Oklahoma! and Carousel.

Wilson, now mended from a serious bicycle crash  which nearly shattered his left harm, conducted with his usual style and clarity, every gesture evoking a crisp response from these expert players, even on occasion evoking Beethoven conducting his own Seventh Symphony, crouching down and then leaping up for expressive effect.

From the Sinfonia of London he drew sounds of awesome impressiveness: silky, vibrato-rich strings, deft, eloquent woodwind, smooth, fruity saxophones, roaringly confident brass, percussion both imposing and nimble, and an inspired rhythm combo. In the purely instrumental offerings the results were tremendous: the inspired escapism of the Carousel Waltz, the atmospheric tragedy of Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (its false endings releasing premature audience applause).

Oscar Hammerstein’s lyrics are the most intelligent ever penned (Cole Porter’s come close for wit), and Wilson’s trio of vocal soloists here were splendidly adept at delivering them with exemplary diction: Scarlett Strallen’s soubrette-like soprano brittle and bright, Louise Dearman sultry and sassy, Nathaniel Hackmann dignified and touching.

Particularly enjoyable were the three great “pre-Love Duets”, a genre Rodgers and Hammerstein made their own, an early scene-setting for what was going inevitably to happen during the course of the musical play: Oklahoma’s “People will say we’re in love” (Strallen and Hackmann, the same duo giving Carousel’s “If I loved you”), and Dearman and Hackmann in South Pacific’s “Twin Soliloquies”.

We had a nod as well to Rodgers’ earlier collaboration with Lorenz Hart, including “Falling in love with love”, Strallen accompanied with such delicacy by Wilson’s orchestra, and the arresting stillness (wonderful horn obbligato) of Dearman’s “Little girl blue”.

Throughout this memorable evening the choreography of entrances, courtesies and exits was subtly managed, culminating in a “You’ll never walk alone “ from the entire company which will live long in the memory.

But then what an encore! “June is busting out all over”, with the long extended ballet sequence we seldom if ever see in stage productions, and delivered with a verve and exhilaration which communicated across the footlights to raise us all to our feet – me included.

Christopher Morley

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