ロジャース&ハマースタイン: ミュージカル《回転木馬》 (全曲)

前作『オクラホマ!』(CHSA5322)の成功に続く、ジョン・ウィルソンとシンフォニア・オブ・ロンドン (SOL) によるロジャース&ハマースタインの新作は、回転木馬の呼び込みで生計を立てる男ビリーと客として訪れた女工ジュリーの悲恋を描き「愛とはなにか」を問う名作ミュージカル《回転木馬》です。この録音では、オリジナル・スコア(ノーカット)とドン・ウォーカーによるオリジナルの35人編成のオーケストレーションを使用、主役の2人にはナサニエル・ハックマンとミカエラ・ベネットを起用し、脇を固める人物も素晴らしい歌手たちが演じるとともに、合唱パートはロンドンのウエストエンドで活躍している24人の若手歌手が担当しています。心に残るナンバーも多く、とりわけ第2幕でジュリーとネティによって歌われる「人生ひとりではない」(You'll Never Walk Alone)は、1963年10月にジェリー&ザ・ペースメイカーズのカバーによって全英チャートの1位を獲得しました。ジョン・ウィルソンは、この作品を「ロジャース&ハマースタインの最大の成果」と評価し、音楽が物語のドラマティックな効果を増幅していると述べています。ゴージャスな響きを余すことなく高音質録音で伝えるSACDハイブリッド盤での発売です。
ナクソス・ジャパン

Plenty of classical orchestras have recorded Broadway musicals, in part or in full. The results tend to be different, not necessarily better or worse, than those emanating from the Broadway sphere, but this 2024 release by John Wilson and his Sinfonia of London, which made classical best-seller lists in the summer of that year, is something different from the usual run of classical performances. Wilson constructs a stylized version of an authentic Broadway sound. There is a lot to like in the singing, especially that of Mikaela Bennett as Julie Jones, who has a bright sound that is essential to her character as the mood darkens. The singers who are not Americans do an excellent job with colloquial American English, but the real star here may be Wilson. He gets just the hint of schmaltz that a pit orchestra should have, and he keeps the dramatic trajectory moving beautifully. However, his strongest decision is leading the performance in a theater (and it seems to have been one for which he, rather than the Chandos engineering staff, called the shots). True, the Susie Sainsbury Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in London is not one specifically designed for musicals, but it works for that context in a way that very few recordings of musicals on the classical side have done. Another notable feature here is that this is a complete recording of Carousel, containing all the music, scene changes, entrances, dialogue, and all. As to the text, a few things ("Its possible for someone to hit you... and not hurt at all") could have been omitted, but the goal here was the whole musical. This is a recording of Carousel that may well appeal to audiences on the pop as well as the classical side and to specialists and general listeners. ~ James Manheim