660306-07 bk Macfarren 2_660306-07 bk Macfarren 16/08/2011 14:22 Page 16 2 CDs George Alexander MACFARREN Robin Hood Spence • Jordan • Ashman • Mackenzie-Wicks Hulbert • Molloy • Hurst • Knox John Powell Singers Victorian Opera Chorus and Orchestra 8.660306-07 16 Ronald Corp 660306-07 bk Macfarren 2_660306-07 bk Macfarren 16/08/2011 14:22 Page 2 George Alexander MACFARREN (1813-1887) Robin Hood A romantic English Opera in three acts Libretto by John Oxenford (1812-1877) Performing Edition by Valerie Langfield Robin Hood (in disguise as Locksley) . Nicky Spence, Tenor Sir Reginald d’Bracy (Sheriff of Nottingham) . George Hulbert, Baritone Hugo (Sompnour, Collector of Abbey dues) . Louis Hurst, Bass Allan-a-Dale (a young peasant) . Andrew Mackenzie-Wicks, Tenor Little John John Molloy, Bass (Outlaws) Much, the Miller’s son} { Alex Knox, Baritone Marian (daughter of Sheriff) . Kay Jordan, Soprano Alice (her attendant) . Magdalen Ashman, Mezzo-soprano Villagers, Citizens and Greenwood men . John Powell Singers and Victorian Opera Chorus Knighted at Windsor Castle on the same day in 1883 George Macfarren was knighted for his services to English music at the same time as Arthur Sullivan, composer (another Royal Academy of Music alumnus), and George Grove, first director of the Victorian Opera Orchestra Royal College of Music and Grove!s Musical Dictionary founder. Ronald Corp Musical Director: Ronald Corp Assistant Conductor: Duncan Ward • Chorus-masters: Marc Hall and John Powell Executive Producer: Raymond J Walker • Research: David Chandler Orchestral score: Valerie Langfield • Vocal score: Raymond J Walker Orchestral manager: Alastair Roberts • Chorus secretary: Sue Sawyer Chorus music: Michael A Harris • Répétiteur: Valerie Langfield Recording producer: Keith Farrington Engineer: Shaun Trotter • Editor and mastering: Richard A Scott Production staff: Michael A Harris, Gillian Skinner, Elva Towler, Bishoy Soliman, Philip Kennedy 8.660306-07 2 15 8.660306-07 660306-07 bk Macfarren 2_660306-07 bk Macfarren 16/08/2011 14:22 Page 14 Ronald Corp CD 1 78:36 CD 2 79:57 Ronald Corp is founder and Artistic Director of the New London Orchestra and the New 1 Overture 5:38 Act II, Scene 3 (contd.) London Children’s Choir, and Musical Director of the London Chorus and Highgate 1 Dances: “Round dance and Choral Society. He has worked with the BBC Singers, BBC Scottish Symphony Act I: The High Street of Nottingham Tilting at the Quintain” 4:57 Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, RTÉ Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Scottish 2 2 Scena: “Hoodman blind” (Villagers) 9:52 Chamber Orchestra and the Leipzig Philharmonic Orchestra. He has recorded extensively Introduction: “Clang! Clang! It is a merry” 3 Song: “My own, my guiding star” (Robin) 2:41 for Hyperion, including prize-winning discs of British Light Music Classics. His many (Chorus) 6:59 3 4 Ensemble: “Merry laughter” compositions include a symphony, a piano concerto, cantatas and two string quartets. Ballad: “The hunters wake” (Alice and chorus) 2:26 4 (Sheriff, Marian, Alice, Allan and company) 6:23 Recent projects include a setting of Dhammapada and an opera for children, The Ice Duet: “When lovers are parted” 5 Quintet: “My heart from its terror” Mountain. His textbook, The Choral Singer’s Companion, is now in its third edition. (Robin and Marian) 2:55 5 Trio: “A dark and troublous time” (Marian, Alice, Robin, Allan, Sheriff) 2:23 (Robin, Marian and Sheriff) 3:08 6 Finale: “My children thus your lives” 6 (Sheriff and company) 6:27 Victorian Opera Orchestra Ballad: “True love” (Marian) 2:08 7 Scena and Song: “The monk within his cell” Act III Violin 1: Pia Oliver (Leader), Cellos: Ruth Spargo, Sarah Bassoons: Alex Moss, Percussion: Paula Wilson, (Sompnour) 5:31 8 Jayne Hughes, Susan Harris, Chan, Bethan Thompson, John Lindars Katharine Brown Scena and Song: “Be not severe” Scene 1: The Castle garden Michael Jones, Bridget Gemma Johnson Horns: Lawrence Yates, (Allan, Robin and chorus) 2:23 7 Entr’acte 3:18 9 McKeown, Mary Anderson Bass: David Lund Jennifer Woodward, Ballad: “Englishmen by birth” (Robin) 2:30 8 Duet: “Greatest plague on earth” 0 Violin 2: Bianca Blezard, Flutes: Alastair Roberts, Jonathan Gibson, Nikki Holt Finale: “May the saints protect” 6:10 (Allan and Alice) 3:05 9 Gareth Belton, Clare Jackson, Jo Athroll Cornets/Trumpets: Matt Act II Scena: “My child has fled” (Sheriff) 6:08 Rachel Fenwick, Laura Piccolo: Jo Athroll Burke, Andrew Hope 0 Duet: “To King Richard at once” Tunbridge, Mark Grover Oboes: Helen Simpson, Trombones: Gareth Brown, Scene 1: The Trysting tree in the Greenwood (Sheriff, Sompnour) 4:04 Violas: John Goodstadt, Nikki Swan, Simon Beesley Richard Townhill, ! Entr’acte 1:27 Laurie Dempsey, Cor Anglais: Nikki Swan Nigel Kenyon Scene 2: The Greenwood at noon @ Part Song: “The wood, the wood” (Outlaws) 2:03 Heather Henshall Clarinets: Geoffrey Smith, Timpani: Eric Culbert Pia Oliver ! Part Song: “Now the sun has mounted” # Robbery Scene: “A good fat deer” Rachael Moat (Citizens) 6:21 (Robin, Much, John, Sompnour) 9:07 @ Song: “Sons of the greenwood” $ Ballad: “The grasping Normans” Victorian Opera Chorus and John Powell Singers (Marian and Greenwood men) 2:45 (Robin and Greenwood men) 7:32 Rosie Bennell Tricia Rogers Barrie Cheshire Sam Lyons Alex Swain Scene 3: Prison cell Scene 2: Marian’s bower # Sara Caldwell Sue Sawyer Graham Curtis Brian Milligan Matthew Wagener Scena: “Vain was the proud ambition” % Scena: “Hail happy morn” (Marian) 9:07 Joan Dean Jean Sykes Simon Davenport Mike Nendrick Barry Wheeldon (Robin, Marian and chorus) 8:55 ^ Ballad: “From childhood’s dawn” (Sheriff) 3:10 Anne Davidson-Lund Ruth Taylor John Durnall Tony Noden Roger Williams & Duet: “To the fair” (Marian and Alice) 2:37 Scene 4: The Courtyard of the Castle Ann Fairhurst Ann Young Peter Evans David Norris Tony Wright $ Finale: “Hark, to that doleful bell” Dorothy Graham Richard Acaster John Elliot Laurence Price Scene 3: The Fair outside Nottingham (Full company) 7:50 Barbara Hawkins John Alexander David Griffiths Paul Roberts Directed by * Chorus: “How bright is the day” % Finale ultimo: “We’ve made a slight mistake” Jane Lewis Paul Ashworth William Hall Nick Seymour Marc Hall and (Allan, Alice, Robin, Marian) 3:44 (Full company) 4:48 Joy Metcalfe Mike Bailey Colin Hesketh Paul Stanley John Powell Miranda Nicholls Nigel Bird Martin Lessons Brian Strickland 8.660306-07 14 3 8.660306-07 660306-07 bk Macfarren 2_660306-07 bk Macfarren 16/08/2011 14:22 Page 4 George Alexander Macfarren (1813-1887) Kay Jordan Robin Hood Kay Jordan is well known for her concert and recital appearances, operatic rôles, and BBC Macfarren and English Opera polish of his music, and to some extent his greater interest performances. Originally from Rochdale, she attended the Royal Northern College of Music, in a truly ‘English’ product. (Macfarren was English, not and then studied at the National Opera Studio in London. She has worked with Glyndebourne ‘Those who knew Macfarren well could not but revere Scottish as his name might suggest). Macfarren also Festival Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North and several groups around the country. Her him’, declared Frederick Corder, a former student and the showed a much greater commitment to other genres of operatic rôles include Violetta (La traviata), the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro), historian of the Royal Academy of Music. Macfarren’s music than these other composers, writing much Marguerite, (Faust), and five leading rôles in Handel operas. Oratorio performances include the devotion to the cause of English music, as composer, orchestral music, and many oratorios, cantatas, and songs. Royal Choral Society under László Heltay. teacher and administrator, was unsurpassed in his own The sweeping success of Barnett’s The Mountain time, and the more remarkable in that he had seriously Sylph at the English Opera House in 1834 opened a new impaired sight throughout his adult life, and was totally chapter in the history of English opera. Barnett, strongly blind in his later years. He was one of those Victorians influenced by Weber, and to a lesser extent by French with apparently superhuman energies, and not the least of and Italian opera, kept spoken dialogue to a minimum, his achievements was to win a reputation, with many and abandoned the ‘drama with songs’ convention that Magdalen Ashman contemporary critics, as the best English opera composer had prevailed in the age of Henry Bishop (1786-1855) in of the middle third of the nineteenth century. favour of real musical drama, the music now conceived Born in London, Magdalen Ashman studied at Trinity College of Music and the Royal Northern George Alexander Macfarren was born in London in as a whole rather than number by number. The Mountain College of Music. Opera rôles include Lucrezia (Beatrice Cenci), title rôles in The Widow of 1813 (the same year as Wagner and Verdi). There was Sylph inaugurated the period of what has come to be Ephesus and Dido and Aeneas for Opéra de Baugé. A debut at the Royal Opera House in 2001 then no musical academy of any kind in Britain: called ‘English romantic opera’, the principal form of (Die Meistersinger) was followed by Carmen with Opéra de Baugé and Blackheath Halls Opera composers picked up the secrets of their trade where they English musical theatre until the mid-1860s. and most recently Margaretha in Schumann’s Genoveva. Concert work includes Fricka with could, and inevitably lagged far behind their Continental Barnett’s limited talent was largely exhausted by Edinburgh Players, Verdi’s Requiem in Lincoln Cathedral, and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee counterparts in terms of musical craft. In 1822, however, this landmark work, and leadership in the new style Celebrations with the BBC Concert Orchestra. the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) was founded in a quickly passed to the prolific Balfe, who had trained in patriotic spirit to allow British musicians ‘to enter into Italy and brought a Continental flair to his opera writing competition with, and rival the natives of other that none of his British contemporaries could match.