Henry V

Once more unto the breach, dear friends; once more does Naxos venture into the realm of Shakespeare. This time it's HENRY V, the last of the Bard's works based on English history and generally considered his most historically accurate. It tells the story of an English king who defeats a vastly superior French force and ends up marrying the daughter of the French king to unite the thrones. This full-cast production is fairly easy to follow because the producers have taken care to give each character a distinctive voice. Bits of music and sound effects enhance the listening but do not overwhelm it. The liner notes are solid and should be read before listening to get an overview of the story. A scene-by-scene index (using first lines as cues) helps the listener keep track of where the characters are. Overall, this is a solid performance that makes a "talky" play easy to follow and understand. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine