Strauss, R: Ariadne on Naxos/ Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Opera in English Orchestral & Concertos Opera In English

RICHARD STRAUSS

(1864-1949)

COMPACT DISC ONE

Suite from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Op. 60

35:11

Overture

4:01

Minuet

1:37

The Fencing Master

1:44

Entry and Dance of the Tailors

5:13

Lully's Minuet

2:28

Courante

2:28

Entry of Cleonte (after Lully)

4:20

Intermezzo

3:10

The Dinner

10:08

Solo: Bradley Creswick solo violin

Solo: David Watkin cello

Solo: Catriona Beveridge piano

Ariadne on Naxos

117:43

Opera in a prologue and one act

Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal

English translation by Christopher Cowell

Prologue

10.

Orchestral Introduction

2:23

11.

'My good Major-Domo'

3:13

Music Master, Major-Domo

12.

'This dressing room is given to mam'zelle Zerbinetta'

5:41

Footman, Officer, Composer, Tenor, Wigmaker, Zerbinetta, Prima Donna, Music Master, Dancing Master

13.

'I can show them the secrets of the universe'

3:09

Composer, Music Master

14.

'Fellow actors, dearest of friends'

3:08

Zerbinetta, Composer, Music Master, Prima Donna, Dancing Master

15.

'The company's rising from table'

4:36

Footman, Music Master, Major-Domo, Prima Donna, Dancing Master, Tenor, Zerbinetta, Composer

16.

'I'm staggered – how unexpected!'

4:22

Music Master, Composer, Dancing Master, Tenor, Prima Donna, Zerbinetta

17.

'She takes him for the God of Death'

4:29

Composer, Zerbinetta

18.

'A moment means nothing'

4:06

Zerbinetta, Composer

19.

'The stage awaits you'

4:36

Music Master, Prima Donna, Composer

75:11

COMPACT DISC TWO

The Opera

Overture

3:37

'Sleeping?'

3:50

Naiad, Dryad, Echo

'Ah!'

2:51

Ariadne, Echo, Harlequin, Zerbinetta, Truffaldino

'A golden time was Theseus-Ariadne'

6:42

Ariadne, Naiad, Dryad, Echo, Harlequin, Zerbinetta, Scaramuccio, Truffaldino

'Loving, hating, hoping, fearing'

2:05

Harlequin, Echo, Zerbinetta

'There is a land, a world untainted'

5:43

Ariadne

'The lady, we are sad to see'

4:38

Brighella, Scaramuccio, Harlequin, Truffaldino, Zerbinetta

'Your gracious Royal Highness'

3:17

'The moment I think I'm true to one lover'

6:56

Zerbinetta

10.

'Quite a sermon, but a waste of effort'

1:27

Harlequin, Zerbinetta, Brighella, Scaramuccio, Truffaldino

11.

'To console a stubborn woman'

6:17

Brighella, Scaramuccio, Harlequin, Truffaldino, Zerbinetta

12.

'A shining marvel, a youthful God!'

4:22

Dryad, Naiad, Echo

13.

'Circe, Circe can you still hear me?'

4:57

Bacchus, Ariadne, Naiad, Dryad, Echo

14.

'Theseus!'

4:27

Ariadne, Bacchus

15.

'Me? Can you be sure?'

9:10

Bacchus, Ariadne

16.

'Shall we not pass over?'

7:22

Ariadne, Bacchus, Naiad, Dryad, Echo, Zerbinetta

77:43

PROLOGUE

Solo: Stephen Fry spoken - Major-Domo

Solo: Robert Dean Smith tenor - The Tenor (later Bacchus)

Solo: Paul Keohone bass - A Wigmaker

Solo: Dean Robinson bass - A Footman

Solo: Declan McCusker tenor - An Officer

COMMEDIA DELL'ARTE PLAYERS

Solo: Roderick Williams baritone - Harlequin

Solo: John Graham-Hall tenor - Scaramuccio

Solo: Wynne Evans tenor - Brighella

OPERA SERIA

Solo: Robert Dean Smith tenor - Bacchus

Solo: Anita Watson soprano - Naiad

Solo: Gail Pearson soprano - Echo

Solo: John Graham-Hall tenor - Dancing Master

Orchestra: Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Bradley Creswick guest leader

Catriona Beveridge piano

Gareth Hancock assistant conductor

Conductor: Richard Armstrong

“…The conductor’s hand is so consistently unerring that this recording becomes a prime recommendation…”

William R Braun - Opera News (USA) - January 2010

BBC Music - Opera Choice

Performance ***** Recording *****

“Christine Brewer joins a line-up of singers without a weak link”

David Nice - BBC Music Magazine - December 2010

“A strong cast and excellent recording quality make this a must for Straussians.”

John Steane - Gramophone - November 2010

CD of the Week

“… the cast has no weak links, and Richard Armstrong and the SCO set the seal of the recording’s success. It’s a treat too, to have the delightful suite from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme as an entrée.” ****

Hugh Canning - The Sunday Times - 12 September 2010

“…it can’t be recommended enough…”

Robert Levine - International Record Review - October 2010

“…Delightful, tuneful and always understandable, this set represents another victory for Chandos’s Opera in English series.” ****

Geoff Brown - The Times - 3 September 2010

“…Stephen Fry is delightfully pompous in the short spoken-role of the Major-Domo, too. In the second part, Christine Brewer makes a glorious Ariadne and tenor Robert Dean Smith impresses with his unforced, shining account of the cruelly demanding role of Bacchus… An excellent English-language performance …’ ****

Warwick Thompson - Classic FM Magazine - November 2010

“I have nothing but praise for this splendid recording.” *****

Michael Kennedy - The Sunday Telegraph - 29 August 2010

“…this English Ariadne is a welcome modern alternative. It comes with Strauss’s suite from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, which Armstrong handles with an admirably light touch.” ****

Andrew Clark - The Financial Times - 29 August 2010

“Hofmannsthal’s fine but word-rich libretto is clear and audible in Christopher Cowell’s translation… Sir Richard Armstrong conducts a voluptuous but brisk performance, with sinewy playing from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra…”

Fiona Maddocks - The Observer - 29 August 2010

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