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
Notes
First performed in 1912, Ariadne on Naxos was Richard Strauss’s first chamber opera, written consciously in emulation of the classical style. In the prologue, singers and dancers hired to entertain a rich man’s guests are told that they have to combine their performances so that the evening’s firework display will not be delayed. This prologue introduces the ‘composer’ of Ariadne, one of the great Straussian comic roles, as well as the overweening Major Domo, overseeing proceedings, played to perfection in this recording by Stephen Fry. The opera which follows tells the story of Ariadne, one of the great soprano roles in opera and here sung by the Grammy winning American soprano Christine Brewer. This is the first time Christine Brewer has recorded her superb interpretation of the opera, and the first time the opera has been recorded in English. With an all-star cast, the recording is a significant addition to the Chandos Opera in English Catalogue. Sir Richard Armstrong conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. As a bonus, the orchestral suite from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Op. 60 is included in the 2-disc set.
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Reviews
“…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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