Vaughan Williams: Sir John in Love. (Opera And Oratorio).(Review)

[] Gritton, Claycomb, Connolly; Padmore, Williams, Maxwell, Varcoe, Best; Sinfonia Chorus and Northern Sinfonia, Hickox. Text and notes. Chandos 9928

"It is pointless ... to listen to Sir John in Love with [Verdi's] Falstaff in mind," writes Michael Kennedy in his notes to this recording of Ralph Vaughan Williams's opera. He is right, of course -- not because a careful comparative study of these two Shakespearean settings would be unprofitable but for the simple reason that Sir John in Love (1929) owes absolutely nothing to Verdi. Given Falstaff's revered status in the repertory, however, it is likely that Vaughan Williams's little-known work always will be judged in relation to its Italian counterpart.

For serious Shakespeareans, such a comparison might actually work in Sir John's favor, since Vaughan Williams's libretto hews much closer to both the text and the spirit of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Boito transformed Shakespeare's play into an opera buffa, broadening the comedy and emphasizing the primary roles. Vaughan Williams, on the other hand, gives us a true ensemble piece with less slapstick and a much darker tinta. When Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page read Falstaff's suggestive letters, for example, their desire for revenge is fueled by outrage, not amusement, as in Verdi's opera. One could argue that Vaughan Williams's libretto hangs together more loosely than Boito's, but it is effective enough.

The ...