The Black Dyke Christmas Carol

Black Dyke Band
Conductor: Dr Nicholas Childs
Soloists: Richard Marshall, John Doyle, Brett Baker, David Thornton
Narration: Ken Greenwood, James Sykes, Ken Hoyle
Doyen Recordings: DOY CD220
Total Playing Time: 79.45 mins

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One thing is for certain. If Charles Dickens were alive and well today (apart from the fact he would be nigh on 200 years old) he would be a scriptwriter for television soap operas.

You see, good old ‘Boz' was responsible for writing melodramatic episodes of the everyday life of the down trodden wretches of Victorian London, 150 years before EastEnders even hit our television screens. Forget Dirty Den, the Mitchell twins, Barbara Windsor and the unfortunate baby Petal; Dickens had already given us meaner baddies (Wackford Squeers or Mr Tulkinghorn), more useless hoodlums (Krook, Jonas Chuzzlewit), better matriarchs (Mrs Gamp) and more pitifully doomed children (Tiny Tim) than any we now see at 7.30pm on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday night.

What made his stories so successful is that he tapped into the Victorian zeitgeist in such a way that nigh on 140 years after his death, people reading his work (or watching adaptations on television) simply believe that his is the accurate reflection of mid 19th century life.  In fact, all Dickens did was treat his readers to weekly installments of vivid and at times grotesque melodrama – EastEnders meets the Elephant Man. Dickens was capable of making evil seem fascinating and pathos, heart wrenching, whilst he bridged the literary Victorian gap between the late romantics such as Walter Scott and the harder edged realists such as Rider Haggard, Joseph Conran and Jack London.

‘A Christmas Carol' was written towards the end of in 1843 as a means to alleviate the authors impending financial ruin after disappointing weekly sales of his book Martin Chuzzlewit   (Dickens wrote many of his works in weekly bite sized published episodes) and although the book sold like hot cakes in the lead up to Christmas (over 6000 copies were sold in the first week) it didn't really make him any serious money for a number of years.

The story had all the ingredients the Victorians craved. First and foremost it was a morality tale; second, it contained suspense and the possibility of infant mortality (the Victorians invented the ephemera and euphemism surrounding death that today we take as tradition) and thirdly, it ended with redemption all heaped on the reader with a great big dollop of sentimental tosh (the Christian message of Christmas is strangely under played throughout) thrown in for good measure.  It could hardly fail, although Dickens made sure that the staple recipe was given at least three further variations on the theme in subsequent years with other Christmas Tales, whilst others, from film makers to pornographers have milked it for all its worth too.

So we come then to ‘The Black Dyke Christmas Carol', or to be more accurate, Alan Jenkin's wonderful musical version of the tale featuring the band, soloists and three narrators.

It is a superbly produced abridged version of the tale, enhanced greatly by the choice of music, expertly performed by Black Dyke and its soloists, and the brilliant narration from the trio of assembled ‘thesps'. It makes for a heart warming slice of Victoriana that will bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened anti Christmas modern day Scrooge there ever was.

The music in its way becomes a libretto of sorts, accompanying the story as it unfolds from Scrooge's cold hearted humbug to final redemptive salvation. The choice of the pieces appears at first to be tenuous, but Alan Jenkins brings all his musical experience (and substantial literary intellect) to bear in combining elements of their own verses and literary inspiration to that of the Dickens story. Even something that appears so outmodish as ‘Little Drummer Boy' or ‘Walking in the Air' directly links to the unfolding drama, whilst the ‘Nativity' from the test piece ‘Dove Descending' fits perfectly as Tiny Tim returns home on the shoulders of his father from the Christmas Day service.

It all ends of course with cheer and mince pies, goodwill to all men and a tear jerking ‘God bless you one and all' from the little cripple in the corner. Dickens, who knew a thing or two about a great commercial idea when he saw it (he once made over £20,000 on a speaking tour to the USA) would have recognized a great product such as this when he heard it and would have been delighted with the result. What we end up with is something he himself would have been immensely proud of - a series of easily digestible episodes of a great story, brought to life through a keen ear for vividness in the spoken work and colourful musicality.  

It is a stunningly good production for all concerned. The actors are great (and at times sound disconcertingly like Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry in Blackadder's Christmas Carol) whilst Dyke is on top form, helped by a host of fine arrangements and uplifting finale. The production values are excellent with fine sleeve notes and the whole thing makes for a perfect stocking filler. It has been one of the most innovative and creative releases of the whole of 2006. Any modern day Ebenezer should rightly be tempted. 

Iwan Fox. 

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