ARNE: ARTAXERXES THE MOZARTISTS IAN PAGE 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_COVER_SECTION_FINAL.indd 1 21/12/2020 17:55 Performing edition by Ian Page Recorded at Air Studios, London, UK from 18 to 21 November 2009 and 2 April 2010 Produced and engineered by Philip Hobbs Post-production by Julia Thomas, Finesplice, UK Design by Toucari Live and Debbie Coates Cover image: Wall Carving, Persepolis, Iran © Alamy Photography by Stephen Page, www.fatkoala.biz Orchestra playing on period instruments at A = 430 Hz This recording followed a production of Artaxerxes at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2009, directed by Martin Duncan and designed by Johan Engels. It was originally released in 2010 on Linn Records. www.signumrecords.com Any unauthorised broadcasting, public performance, copying or re-recording of Signum Compact We are extremely grateful to George & Efthalia Koukis and Sherman Lam for making this release possible. Discs constitutes an infringement of copyright and will render the infringer liable to an action by law. Licences for public performances or broadcasting may be obtained from Phonographic Performance Ltd. Special thanks also to: Alamy, Big Yellow Self Storage, Kate Bingham & Jesse Norman, Anne Bulford OBE & All rights reserved. No part of this booklet may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted David Smith, Philip Carne MBE & Christine Carne, Michael & Jill Carpenter, David Challen CBE & Elizabeth in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior Challen, Mona Dahdaleh, Lucy & Guy Davison, Philip & Kate Douglas, Richard Ellington, Sir Vernon & Lady permission from Signum Records Ltd. Ellis, Andrew Gairdner MBE & Wendy Gairdner, Peter Goodwin, George Gordon, Julian Hardwick, Steve & Jennie Hoffman, Houlihan Lokey, Ian & Juliet Odgers, Elaine Padmore, Stephen Page, Dyrk Riddell, Hamish & ℗ 2010 The copyright in this recording is owned by The Mozartists Carole Ritchie, Joe & Christine Swanson, Tina & Victor Vadaneaux, John & Lady Judy Vereker, Raphael Vermeir © 2021 The copyright in this CD booklet, notes and design is owned by Signum Records Ltd. and The CBE and Federica Vermeir, Michael & Rosemary Warburg, John Wates OBE & Carol Wates, Iain & Gilly Mozartists. Webb-Wilson, Peter Williams OBE & Roseanne Williams, and all the other organisations and individuals who so generously support our work. Signum Records Ltd., Suite 14, 21 Wadsworth Road, Perivale, Middx UB6 7JD Tel: +44 (0) 20 8997 4000 Email: [email protected] Artax CD booklet.indd 2 18/12/2020 14:21:22 Artax CD booklet.indd 83 18/12/2020 14:21:32 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_COVER_SECTION_FINAL.indd 2 21/12/2020 17:55 THOMAS ARNE (1710-1778) ARTAXERXES Libretto translated by Arne from Pietro Metastasio’s Artaserse ARTAXERXES CHRISTOPHER AINSLIE countertenor MANDANE ELIZABETH WATTS soprano ARBACES CAITLIN HULCUP mezzo-soprano ARTABANES ANDREW STAPLES tenor SEMIRA REBECCA BOTTONE soprano RIMENES DANIEL NORMAN tenor THE MOZARTISTS Leader: Matthew Truscott Continuo: Mark Packwood/Steven Devine (harpsichord), Joseph Crouch (cello) IAN PAGE conductor Recitatives composed by Ian Page, finale by Duncan Druce ARNE / ARTAXERXES 3 Artax CD booklet.indd 3 18/12/2020 14:21:22 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 1 21/12/2020 17:58 ARTAXERXES CD 1 (68’06) Page ACT ONE 1 Overture (Poco più che andante – Larghetto – Gavotta) 5’13 2 Recitative: “Still silence reigns around” (Mandane, Arbaces) 0’29 24 3 No. 1, Duettino: “Fair Aurora, prithee stay” (Mandane, Arbaces) 2’16 24 4 Recitative: “Alas, thou know’st that for my love to thee” (Arbaces, Mandane) 1’13 25 5 No. 2, Air: “Adieu, thou lovely youth” (Mandane) 3’21 26 6 Recitative: “O cruel parting! How can I survive?” (Arbaces, Artabanes) 0’57 26 7 No. 3, Air: “Amid a thousand racking woes” (Arbaces) 4’38 28 8 Recitative: “Be firm, my heart”(Artabanes, Artaxerxes) 1’26 28 9 No. 4, Air: “Behold, on Lethe’s dismal strand” (Artabanes) 3’36 29 10 Recitative: “Stay, Artaxerxes, stay” (Semira, Artaxerxes) 0’29 30 11 No. 5, Air: “Fair Semira, lovely maid” (Artaxerxes) 3’26 30 12 Recitative: “I fear some dread disaster” (Semira, Rimenes) 1’29 31 4 ARNE / ARTAXERXES Artax CD booklet.indd 4 18/12/2020 14:21:22 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 2 21/12/2020 17:58 Page 13 No. 6, Air: “When real joy we miss” (Rimenes) 1’59 32 14 Recitative: “Ye Gods, protectors of the Persian Empire” (Semira) 0’36 32 15 No. 7, Air: “How hard is the fate” (Semira) 4’01 33 16 Recitative: “Whither do I fly?”(Tutti) 3’23 33 17 No. 8, Air: “Thy father! Away, I renounce the soft claim” (Artabanes) 1’23 39 18 Recitative: “Ye cruel Gods, what crime have I committed” (Arbaces) 0’14 40 19 No. 9, Air: “Acquit thee of this foul offence” (Semira) 1’27 40 20 Recitative: “Appearance, I must own, is strong against me” 0’48 40 (Arbaces, Artaxerxes, Rimenes, Mandane) 21 No. 10, Air: “O too lovely, too unkind” (Arbaces) 4’24 42 22 Accompanied recitative: “Dear and beloved shade” (Mandane) 0’48 42 23 No. 11, Air: “Fly, soft ideas, fly”(Mandane) 5’01 42 ARNE / ARTAXERXES 5 Artax CD booklet.indd 5 18/12/2020 14:21:22 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 3 21/12/2020 17:58 ACT TWO Page 24 Recitative: “Guards, speed ye to the tower” (Artaxerxes, Artabanes) 0’37 43 25 No. 12, Air: “In infancy, our hopes and fears” (Artaxerxes) 2’12 44 26 Recitative: “So far my great resolve succeeds” (Artabanes, Arbaces) 1’28 44 27 No. 13, Air: “Disdainful you fly me” (Arbaces) 2’46 46 28 Recitative: “Why, my dear friend, so pensive” (Rimenes, Artabanes, Semira) 2’05 47 29 No. 14, Air: “To sigh and complain” (Rimenes) 1’51 49 30 Recitative: “How many links to dire misfortune’s chain” (Semira, Mandane) 1’12 50 31 No. 15, Air: “If o’er the cruel tyrant love” (Mandane) 3’00 51 6 ARNE / ARTAXERXES Artax CD booklet.indd 6 18/12/2020 14:21:23 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 4 21/12/2020 17:58 CD 2 (69’38) Page 1 Recitative: “Which fatal evil shall I first oppose?” (Semira) 0’31 52 2 No. 16, Air: “If the river’s swelling waves” (Semira) 2’34 52 3 Recitative: “Ye solid pillars of the Persian Empire” (Tutti) 5’00 53 4 No. 17, Air: “By that belov’d embrace” (Arbaces) 3’31 58 5 Recitative: “Ah me, at poor Arbaces’ parting” (Mandane, Artabanes) 0’46 58 6 No. 18, Air: “Monster, away” (Mandane) 2’36 59 7 Recitative: “See, lov’d Semira” (Artaxerxes, Semira, Artabanes) 1’02 60 8 Accompanied recitative: “At last my soul has room” (Artabanes) 0’37 61 9 No. 19, Air: “Thou, like the glorious sun” (Artabanes) 4’58 62 ARNE / ARTAXERXES 7 Artax CD booklet.indd 7 18/12/2020 14:21:23 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 5 21/12/2020 17:58 ACT THREE Page 10 No. 20, Air: “Why is death for ever late” (Arbaces) 2’57 62 11 Recitative: “Arbaces! Gracious Heav’n” (Artaxerxes, Arbaces) 1’13 62 12 No. 21, Air: “Water parted from the sea” (Arbaces) 2’19 64 13 Recitative: “That face, secure in conscious innocence” (Artaxerxes) 0’25 64 14 No. 22, Air: “Though oft a cloud with envious shade” (Artaxerxes) 3’38 64 15 Recitative: “My son, Arbaces... where art thou retir’d?” (Artabanes, Rimenes) 1’52 65 16 No. 23, Air: “O let the danger of a son” (Rimenes) 2’15 67 17 Accompanied recitative: “Ye adverse Gods!” (Artabanes) 0’41 67 18 No. 24, Air: “O, much lov’d son, if death” (Artabanes) 5’15 67 19 Recitative: “Perhaps the King releas’d Arbaces” (Mandane, Semira) 1’34 68 20 No. 25, Air: “Let not rage, thy bosom firing” (Mandane) 4’24 70 21 Recitative: “What have I done? Alas, I vainly thought” (Semira) 0 ’24 70 8 ARNE / ARTAXERXES Artax CD booklet.indd 8 18/12/2020 14:21:23 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 6 21/12/2020 17:58 Page 22 No. 26, Air: “’Tis not true that in our grief” (Semira) 4’08 71 23 Recitative: “Nor here my searching eyes” (Arbaces, Mandane) 1’20 71 24 No. 27, Duetto: “For thee I live, my dearest” (Arbaces, Mandane) 3’37 73 25 Recitative: “To you, my people, much belov’d” 2’20 74 (Artaxerxes, Artabanes, Semira, Mandane) 26 No. 28, Air: “The soldier, tir’d of war’s alarms” (Mandane) 3’33 76 27 Recitative: “Behold, my King, Arbaces at thy feet” 2’25 77 (Arbaces, Artaxerxes, Mandane, Artabanes) 28 No. 29, Finale: “Live to us, to Empire live” 3’36 79 (Semira, Mandane, Arbaces, Artaxerxes, Artabanes) ARNE / ARTAXERXES 9 Artax CD booklet.indd 9 18/12/2020 14:21:23 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 7 21/12/2020 17:58 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 8 21/12/2020 17:58 The Mozartists Violin 1 Flute Matthew Truscott (leader) Lisa Beznosiuk/Rachel Brown Bojan Čičić Georgia Browne Daniel Edgar Ellen O’Dell Oboe Emilia Benjamin James Eastaway Ruth Slater Rachel Chaplin Violin 2 Clarinet William Thorp Jane Booth Elizabeth MacCarthy Julian Wheeler Jill Samuel Bassoon Nia Lewis Zoe Shevlin Hilary Michael Katrina Russell George Crawford Horn Viola Gavin Edwards Dorothea Vogel Claire Penkey Rose Redgrave Trumpet Cello Paul Sharp (solo, No. 28) Joseph Crouch (continuo) Simon Desbruslais Natasha Kraemer Ross Brown Bass Timpani Timothy Amherst Thomas Foster Elizabeth Bradley Harpsichord Mark Packwood (recitatives) Steven Devine (tutti) ARNE / ARTAXERXES 11 Artax CD booklet.indd 11 18/12/2020 14:21:25 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 9 21/12/2020 17:58 9017_CO_Artex_BOOKLET_TEXT PAGES_FINAL.indd 10 21/12/2020 17:58 The Mozartists The Mozartists, under the dynamic leadership of conductor and artistic director Ian Page, are leading exponents of the music of Mozart and his contemporaries.