ACTOR MICHAEL YORK GIVES NEW LIFE TO ENOCH
ARDEN
Michael
York, with star turns in such classic
films as Romeo and Juliet,
Cabaret, The Three Musketeers, and Loganís Run , and recent comedic appearances in the Austin Powers movies, is an exceptionally versatile
actor. The release of a new CD
reveals just how remarkable a storyteller he is. For the first time in more
than forty years, Enoch Arden,
Richard Straussís melodrama for
narrator and piano, is given eloquent new life. Set
to Alfred, Lord Tennysonís famous narrative poem, Enoch Arden
presents an enormous challenge for any actor, making it all the more
remarkable that only one other professional actor-- Claude Rains --
has ever recorded it.
Accompanying York on this new Americus Records release is pianist John
Bell Young. Jim
Svejda of KUSC in Los Angeles hailed it as ìa stunning new recording ñ very
different from any ëEnochí Iíve heardî while the celebrated pianist Stephen
Hough commented ìMy goodness, it is a wonderful performance. It brought tears
to my eyes.î CNN Headline
News also called it ìa wonderful
CD î and AudioBooksToday reviewed
ìthis passionate and quite beautiful productionî as follows : ìYork displays
the crisp diction and precise pacing that keep him frequently employed as an
audiobook narrator. He approaches the material with the appropriate degree of
warmth and vigor, but does so with great finesse matching the spirit of the
material without overstating the obvious. Straussís music, as presented by
Young, is vital and undeniably dramatic.î Hugh
Downs, the distinguished broadcaster and musicologist, noted further :î I have now heard the CD
twice, and find it really gripping. Michael Yorkís narration and voices in
dialect are top drawer artistry, bringing the drama, the enviroment, and the
ambience of the Victorian era into such
a realm that one is completely absorbed ñtransported back to that time
to live the experiences of the characters. John Bell Youngís sensitivity to the
mood and actions illuminates the
score, and his interpretation of the Strauss music is sensitive and powerful. I
have found it one of the most moving audio experiences Iíve encountered. The
production is a gemî The last major recording of Enoch Arden was made in 1962, when Rains and pianist Glenn Gould
collaborated in what has since become a collectorís item. Since then, not a single actor has
tackled it on disc (though several pre-eminent retired singers have), and it is
seldom performed. The Americus release
is the only recording of the work to include a reprint of the entire poem, as
well as reprints of lithographs from the original 1864 edition of Tennysonís
poem. Melodrama
normally evokes an idea of raucous temper tantrums and obsequious soap operas. But the genre is actually centuries
old. A child of music and theatre, a melodrama is a hybrid of artistic
expression in which a poem or narrative is spoken, while a musical
accompaniment intermittently paints the mood and characters depicted. Tennysonís touching work, which was the
inspiration for several films including Tom Hanksí Castaway, is the story of a young sailor who sets off to sea
leaving his new wife, Annie Lee and their children at home on the English
coast. When Enoch fails to return and is presumed dead, his best friend Phillip
Ray marries Annie. But Enoch is alive, shipwrecked on a remote desert island.
Rescued more than ten years later, he makes his way back to England. Devastated
by the loss of his family, and fearing they will no longer recognize him, or
worse, resent him, Enoch keeps agonizing vigil from a distance. Only after his
death -- from loneliness -- does
his family learn of his return. ìWith
mounting excitement, I heard how potent and moving the mixture of words and
music was, elaborating a story at once intimate and epic,î says York. îI felt
instinctively that a studio version could best bring out the delicacy and
intimacy inherent in the text.
Most of the characters -- even the outgoing Enoch -- speak with a tenderness
that resists declamation. There are, of course, moments when the music rises to
tumultuous peaks -- as when the returned castaway rails against his fate --
but, for the most part, sober English sang-froid prevails.î For his part, Young describes Straussís
music as a ìhypnotic brocade of colors that grabs your attention and wonít let
go.î Michael
York and John Bell Young will be
performing Enoch Arden
extensively, including
appearances this summer at Tennysonís home on the Isle of Wight, at Swedenís Gerlesborgsskolan
Festival and at the Royal Palace
in Stockholm. In the US they will
be performing at New Yorkís Metropolitan Museum of Art and at the Kravis Center
in Miami. The
CD is available from stores and on-line from Americus Records, and from Amazon.com who commented that ìThis recording is a must for classical music loversî For information and sales, contact: Americus Records 202-237-2722 For
further information, and to hear extracts, please contact www.enocharden.net For
booking information about Michael York and John Bell Young in a concert version
of Enoch Arden, contact: Jacques Leiser 619-293-3177 Jacques-Leiser@worldnet.att.net |
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