<<  -- 6 --  John Bell Young    A NEW 'ENOCH'

Michael's thoughtful inflection of the text combined with an exceptionally musical use of his mellifluous and expressive voice.

'I determined to vocally distinguish the speaking voices', he notes. 'I decided to use an unspecific, hopefully unobtrusive, rural accent -- in the acting trade it has been called "Mummersetshire" -- with Philip speaking in slightly more refined tones to indicate his status of successful mill-owner.'

In the studio, where time is money, we had to work efficiently. 'I was confined to a narrow booth', he says, '"half hut, half native cavern", while John and the Steinway occupied the main floor of the studio. We could see each other, however, and read mutual face and body language. I don't read music well and so relied more on external cues and sheer instinct as to when to speak. As in film work, I liked the intensity and vitality that the first few takes provided.'

Lunch breaks became a welcome oasis of informality, providing an opportunity to get to know each other. On a free day we set off for Malibu, where we posed for photographs against the rocky Pacific shore so much like the craggy coastline Tennyson describes in Enoch Arden. As passersby stared, we tried to avoid getting too wet from the flurry of an incoming tide.

Afterwards, Michael and his wife Pat graciously invited our co-producer Kryztov Lindquist and me for a superb Italian meal in one of Hollywood's more tony open-air restaurants. There, Kryztov and I were left to indulge ourselves of a fragrant Tuscan white wine (the Yorks don't drink) and a bewitching barley soup.

No doubt, Enoch Arden will continue to inspire and challenge artists. In coming months Michael and I will take Enoch on the road, performing it live on concert venues around the world. Certainly, it was a singular pleasure for us both to have participated in such a satisfying artistic venture that, hopefully, will sustain this extraordinary tradition for many years to come.