Berlioz: Te Deum for large orchestra, chorus, boy choir, 4 brass bands,
twelve harps, tenor, and organ.
Roberto Alagna, tenor; Marie-Claire Alain, organ; and John Nelson, conductor
Choir and Orchestra of Paris.   Virgin 45449

Did I mention the extra four brass bands and 12 harps? Gotta love the
largesse of the Romantics!

How I would love to hear this live.  After being lucky enough to cover the
piano part in a concert performance of Respighi's "Pines of Rome" a few
months ago, my satisfaction with recordings of such large-scale works has
diminished a little bit.  (Hearing the extra trumpets, trombones and organ
hurl fanfares back and forth at each other from above for the first time at
the dress rehearsal is something I will never forget.)

My first experience with the Te Deum was Abbado's on Lp years ago.  I have
since lived comfortably with the Delos release featuring Dennis Keene and
his augmented Voices of Ascention, recorded live in New York's St.  John
the Divine with nearly 400 musicians during the Centennial Celebration of
the American Guild of Organists in June, 1996.  Now I must say that I
prefer this new Virgin release featuring John Nelson and Co.

Conductor and recording engineer bring out detail on the Virgin release
that I just don't hear on the Delos.  Though I'm not the expert on big
organs of the world that I would like to be, I have to say I find Alain's
Cavaille-Coll on Virgin to be every bit as earth shaking as the St.  John
instrument, but - whether fault of conductor, recording, or venue, (St
John's is the largest gothic space in the world) - the St.  John's on Delos
is simply not as penetrating.  This is particularly unfortunate for Delos
in the final Hymne et Priere as the organ's descending pedal tones under
the words "Judex crederis..." can provide for some viscerally spectacular
moments.  Listen to Virgin's success at this point.  (Marie Claire-Alain -
you go girl!)

In fact, there's a soft-edged quality in the Delos that affects and blurs
not only the organ lines, but the choral and orchestral lines as well.
Individual lines and colors are much more pronounced on the new Virgin CD.
For example, Berlioz plays on the words "Per singulos" (day by day), by
repeating the motif over and over again.  I find Nelson's incisive approach
much more invigorating than the soft-edged Keene, which makes the
composer's cleverness at this point sound naive--a danger in Berlioz.
Ironically, I find Nelson's handling of the tender and poetic moments more
effective as well.  Alagna sings with adequate glow.

Speaking of naive-sounding music, how shall I put it? When listening to
Berlioz' "occasional pieces" such as the Te Deum, I would say the more
polyphony and color brought out the better.  This is what Nelson and his
forces seem to successfully achieve.  And his boy choir.  I haven't heard
kids chant so ominously since the poor fat guy went over the cliff in "Lord
of the Flies." Listen to them sing "Judex crederis esse venturus." (We
believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge) in the final mov't.  Very
impressive and effective coloring, which went by my ears unnoticed in the
Keene.

The Virgin/Nelson performance is unique in that it includes some optional
music not available on other recordings, as far as I know.  The final
"March for the presentation of the colors, with its 12 harps - coming after
the "standard finale" - is a little bit too much, even for me.  Oh well,
I can't complain.

John Smyth
Sacramento, CA