Recording of the Week, John Wilson conducts Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

In recent years John Wilson has become known for his scrupulous attention to detail when it comes to the accuracy of the scores and parts that he uses for his acclaimed series of recordings with Sinfonia of London, and that great care is equally in evidence with their latest release of the first collaboration between composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein: Oklahoma!. As Wilson noted when he spoke to my colleague Katherine about the project, it is a piece that is extremely dear to his heart, and that love and respect seeps through at every moment.

As in his concert performance at the BBC Proms back in 2017, Wilson restores the original orchestration by Robert Russell Bennett, utilising an ensemble of just twenty-nine players. While this is an ideal size for balancing with the singers, there's never a sense that the orchestra is too small, with Bennett's instrumentation opening up a whole range of colours and sonorities, including requiring the oboist to double not only on cor anglais but also on oboe d'amore and even bass oboe. I must make special mention of the banjo, which is pleasingly present in my favourite number, 'The Farmer and the Cowman' and the subsequent Farmer Dance.

Vocally, too, it all works wonderfully: Wilson explains how he cast voices that could act through song, and it's remarkable how much the drama spring to life even without the visuals. Nathaniel Hackmann as Curly is a particular standout, oozing charm and likeability in his opening number, 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin', but not afraid to embrace the more troubling aspects of the character later on, while Rodney Earl Clarke brings nuance and a sympathetic side to the role of Jud Fry in 'Lonely Room'. Their Act One duet, 'Pore Jud is Daid' is movingly sung by both of them and a highlight of this recording, aided by incredibly hushed playing from Sinfonia of London. Similarly the ladies of the cast come across vividly, from the strongly characterised singing of Louise Dearman as Ado Annie in 'I Cain't Say No!' to the luscious tone of Sierra Boggess as Laurey in her duet with Curly, 'People Will Say We’re in Love'.

This is billed as a world premiere complete recording, and a glance at the running time will confirm that: almost double the length of the 1952 studio cast album, it contains every last reprise, entr'acte, interlude, and change of scene (or as Wilson himself describes it, the "connective tissue of the piece"). There are plenty of discoveries along the way, whether it be the enchantingly swirling woodwind embellishments during the Dance and Reprise of 'Many A New Day' (followed by some gorgeous harmonies from the Ladies' Chorus) or the extended version of 'Kansas City' with its impressive tap dance routine (expertly performed by Alistair David, who had choreographed Wilson's Proms concert).

Where this extra material is perhaps most significant is the final stretch of Act One, during which Laurey dreams of marrying Curly, only to have that dream turn into a nightmare as she imagines Jud murdering him. In performance this section is often drastically cut down and reduced to just Laurey's song, 'Out of my Dreams', but here Wilson includes the entire ballet sequence. To end the first act with more than thirteen minutes of music without any singing must in 1943 have seemed quite extraordinary, and demonstrates how revolutionary and ground-breaking Oklahoma! was as a piece of music theatre. Of course such a protracted orchestral passage allows Sinfonia of London to shine, with their trademark sumptuous strings, exuberant brass, and refined woodwind all magnificently on display.

In the introduction to 'All er Nuthin', Will Parker tells Ado Annie, "You gotta stop havin' fun!". Well, I'm sorry Will, but with a recording as joyful as this, that's simply not possible: from the infectious hustle and bustle of the Coplandesque overture, to the orchestral reprise of 'The Surrey with the Fringe on Top' in the closing moments of the Exit Music, it's one hundred minutes of non-stop delight. I understand that further Rodgers and Hammerstein works are planned, with Carousel already in the can and hopefully others to come. This release proves yet again that, when it comes to John Wilson and Sinfonia of London, I just cain't say no.