Unsung Composers

Wonderful news! Victorian Opera Northwest's new complete recording of William Vincent Wallace's beautiful opera Lurline (1860) will be released by Naxos on 1st June 2010:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660293-94 (http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660293-94)

Anybody remotely interested in British music and/ or opera will welcome this wonderful enterprise. With George Macfarren's Robin Hood (1860) due for release in six-months time it looks as though the long-overdue revival of Victorian opera is at last underway!

Releasing it on the Naxos,budget label,is a pretty shrewd move! Some people who may have balked at the prospect of shelling out on an obscure opera and composer,that most people have never heard of,may be tempted into buying it. The cost of the Cameo label release of Balfe's 'The Maid of Artois' probably put some people off. You have to be a real enthusiast of rare music,to pay out sums like that. Not that I blame Cameo,of course,but it doesn't help. Hopefully,when more,professionally performed, British opera's from this period have been transferred to cd,in state of the art recordings,the situation will change.
   With respect to this project, I must express some suprise that the opera's of Charles Stanford,appear to have been ignored. I'm not a huge fan of Stanford's music,myself;but he is one of the best known composers from this period,and he wrote quite a few,apparently. I also,am given to understand,that one or two of them are considered to be quite good!
   Another opera,from this period,that could do with a complete recording,is the opera,'Jeanie Deans',by Hamish MacCunn.

And from a Welsh perspective,what about a complete professional recording of Joseph Parry's opera, 'Blodwen',(1880),possibly,the first Welsh opera? By 1896,it had,apparently, received 500 performances in Wales,England and America. Joseph Parry is still a celebrated figure in his native country,and his famous hymns are still sung. There was even a very good television adaption of the Jack Jones novel based on his life,some years ago. Yet,most of his large scale works,which include oratorios,opera's,a cantata,and symphony remain unperformed.

Quote from: Pengelli on Tuesday 25 May 2010, 00:15
With respect to this project, I must express some suprise that the opera's of Charles Stanford,appear to have been ignored. I'm not a huge fan of Stanford's music,myself;but he is one of the best known composers from this period,and he wrote quite a few,apparently. I also,am given to understand,that one or two of them are considered to be quite good!
   Another opera,from this period,that could do with a complete recording,is the opera,'Jeanie Deans',by Hamish MacCunn.

My understanding is that the Victorian Opera project is (initially at least) concentrating it's efforts on the composers active around the middle of the century - Loder, Wallace, Balfe and Macfarren. Something of Wallace's style is already known through Maritana (although this is a lesser work than Lurline) but I think that the operatic music by Macfarren in particular will come as a surprise to those who think of him as a dry-as-dust academic - in the stage works, his melodies blossom under the influence of folk-tunes (one of his many interests) and there is a real sense of dramatic pacing: along with Robin Hood, it would be wonderful to have recordings of his two other great operas of the 1860s, She Stoops to Conquer and Helvellyn.

Certainly Stanford and MacCunn deserve attention, as does Arthur Goring Thomas (Esmeralda in particular) - the problem will always be primarily one of finance and sponsorship: the excellent Chandos recording of Sullivan's Ivanhoe chiefly came about through the generosity of private donors and members of the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society.

I've had a score of Helvellyn for many years, and it's a powerful, vigorous work (lots of folk music and dancing, too).  The villain is an absolute blackguard with a murder in his past and he is appropriately dispatched at the end by divine intervention: 

[Luke] casts her off, and runs through the folding doors, where finding himself at the brink of the abyss, he clings to the blasted tree which is struck by a thunderbolt and precipitated with Luke into the valley.

That's the stuff.  The text, however, (by Macfarren's frequent collaborator John Oxenford) is worse than bad.  It's just plain incomprehensible in places.

David

Great - another Macfarren enthusiast. I've got the vocal scores of Robin Hood, She Stoops to Conquer, Helvellyn and The Soldier's Legacy and it always amazes me how, once away from the shackles of symphony and oratorio, Macfarren's very considerable melodic gift blossomed. I think that his real genius lay in dramatic composition - the Oliver Goldsmith opera is a joy from start to finish!

You can buy a recording of Joseph Parry's "Blodwen" here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gwyl-Gerdd-Menai-Joseph-Parry/dp/B000WTQ2GU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274805381&sr=1-1

Gareth

I am fully aware of that recording. I was,actually, referring to the lack of a professional performance,on cd. The one on Sain is a bit of a 'doofer', like the Pearl recording of 'Ivanhoe'.

The Pearl recording of Ivanhoe was certainly no more than a useful stop-gap, but the Chandos recording is such a revelation that we must always be aware that no work should really be judged until it receives a rendition worthy of it. The excerpts available on the MP3 page at Amazon indicate that Lurline has been treated to an excellent performance:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003MZSAVG/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1274815915&sr=8-3 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003MZSAVG/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1274815915&sr=8-3)

Quite so;but,thank you,anyway,Alan.

I admit the Sain recording of "Blodwen" leaves something to be desired, but it's nothing like as bad as the Pearl "Ivanhoe", which was dismal. Unfortunately, I doubt we shall get a good modern recording of "Blodwen" - and, to be honest, although there is much enjoyable music in the work, I personally think there are other operas of the period that are more deserving of attention, some of which have been mentioned in posts above.

Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Tuesday 25 May 2010, 23:51
I personally think there are other operas of the period that are more deserving of attention, some of which have been mentioned in posts above.

A characteristically modest wish-list of unrecorded British operas of (roughly) the period:


Tragically some revivals would be hampered (to say the least) by the absence of a full score and/or orchestral parts. This certainly applies to all four of Cowen's operas and also (I think) The Amber Witch. Does anybody know anything about the survival status of Benedict's earlier operas, Nordisa or Nadeshda?

I would't judge Joseph Parry on that sub standard recording, myself. I would also like to point out that he is considered an iconic figure here in Wales,and there are some people here who  might be inclined to disagree with you. Having sad that, I think I would rather hear 'Lurline',or 'The Amber Witch',myself!!

...'sad that'! My typing really helps,doesn't it? Anyway, not wishing to get into nationalistic disputes , I must say, you're list of unrecorded British opera, (or English,Scottish,Irish?), is fascinating,Albion.

I'm familiar with 2 John Barnett (1802-1890) operas from vocal score, The Mountain Sylph (1834) and Farinelli (1839) and they are among the best works I've seen from a period where, to be frank, British opera composing was not quite up to the international standard.  Barnett was a serious fellow and The Mountain Sylph had a considerable success.  Farinelli is more of a curiosity, the castrato of the title was first sung by Balfe!

BTW, Barnett's daughter, Clara Kathleen Rogers was also an estimable composer, active in America.  Some years back there was a recording of her fine violin sonata.

David

I know what an iconic figure Joseph Parry is considered in Wales. I'm a Welshman myself. He was a superb writer of hymn tunes. I just think we should keep his music in perspective. Parry was not an operatic genius and "Blodwen" is not a forgotten masterpiece (IMHO). He was a fine melodist, however - and that is what we should celebrate.

But, leaving aside the merits (or otherwise) of Joseph Parry, the problem with reviving a lot of the "forgotten" British 19th century operas lies not in the music, which is often supremely lovely, but in the disappointingly incompetent librettos from which many suffer. The wonder is that these composers wrote the music they did when they were given such embarrassingly bad lyrics to set (not all the time, of course, but depressingly often). For example, Wallace wrote a great tune in 'Maritana' with "Yes, let me like a soldier fall..." - despite the awfulness of lines like "This breast expanding for the ball..."  What a pity the ball didn't pierce the breast of the librettist!

Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Wednesday 26 May 2010, 18:59
the problem with reviving a lot of the "forgotten" British 19th century operas lies not in the music, which is often supremely lovely, but in the disappointingly incompetent librettos from which many suffer. The wonder is that these composers wrote the music they did when they were given such embarrassingly bad lyrics to set

The main culprits (with some of their effusions) were: Alfred Bunn (1796-1860) - The Maid of Artois, The Bohemian Girl; Edward Fitzball (1792-1873) - Maritana, Lurline, Raymond and Agnes; John Oxenford (1812-1877) - Robin Hood, Helvellyn, The Lily of Killarney; and Henry Chorley (1808-1872) - The Amber Witch.

Ultimately, I am very much against 'updating' or tinkering with the text as originally set and performed. Yes, modern audiences would be quite bewildered by the convoluted constructions and flowery vocabulary, and would probably have to be supplied with 'translations' or at least a detailed synopsis, but a similar solution is commonly adopted when modern school-children first approach the unfamiliar idiom of Shakespeare. Victorian operas, for all their creaky plots, inconsistent characters and labyrinthine libretti, are endlessly fascinating and full of musical treasures.

Victorian Opera Northwest deserve great credit in recording Lurline and in attracting Richard Bonynge and a star cast.  I think that this is their third CD after the Maid of Artois and Balfe Songs. They recorded McFarren's Robin Hood in March and this is due for release at the end of 2010 or early 2011. I understand all have been produced on a shoe-string budget and all organised by a few volunteers. My heartiest congratulations to all.

Having listened several times now to the new recording of Lurline, I can strongly recommend it to anybody interested in British music or nineteenth-century opera in general. Although the orchestra and chorus may very occasionally lack the last degree of refinement, they generally give a splendidly assured account of the music whilst the soloists (especially Sally Silver in the title role) are uniformly excellent and Bonynge shapes everything beautifully.

At two-and-a-half hours it is quite a lengthy score, but interest never flags, as Wallace pours melody after melody onto Fitzball's entertainingly dotty lyrics.  Bonynge has effectively given us everything that Wallace composed for different editions of the opera, whilst acknowledging very minor cuts (mostly to recitatives) made by the composer. The libretto is available online from Naxos, but I would recommend purchasing the cd-sized booklet from Victorian opera, or better still the vocal score. I'm greatly looking forward to Macfarren's Robin Hood and heartily wish this enterprising project all the success it deserves.

I must defend, to a degree, Bunn and Fitzball as librettists.  I strongly believe their excessive language is congruent with what was conceived as operatic literary style at the time throughout Europe, coupled with native British melodramatic practice.  Does anyone here have a sufficient lingual and period cultural grasp to analyze Solera's or Vernoy de St. Georges' "poetry", for example?  You might criticize B's and F's metre and scansion (as Balfe supposedly did on occasion in private, according to the St. Leger recollections), or their inconsistent (to put it kindly) dramatic construction, but the emotions and word choice -- Forsooth! or "per Dio!"

I can't wait to get my hands on Lurline.  I conducted a reading of the overture once, after I'd finally amassed the forces necessary, and it was an enchanting experience I'd long dreamed of.

Joseph Parry rules!

I listened again to the SAIN CD of Parry's "Blodwen" and must confess to revising my opinion completely. I must have been in a bad mood the first time I heard the work - or perhaps I was irritated by the shortcomings of the performance. I really enjoyed it and have to admit that it contains some first rate melodies and gorgeous ensembles.
I repent in ashes!

Really? The 'Joseph Parry Rules' was a tongue in cheek response to PCC's defence of Bunn and Fitzball. Who I confess,I'm not that familiar with. I do think he has a point,in a way,terrible as some of those libretti appear. That sort of material would certainly have appeared more acceptable to people living in that period. Maybe we should try and look at some of this material through 'Victorian eyes' & sensibilities instead of our own. I mean,let's face it,some of the stuff we regard as literature might very well be viewed as 'howlers',one day!
  Regarding,Joseph Parry. I wasn't suggesting that there were any forgotten masterpieces in his output,but it would be nice to hear a little more of his serious music,particularly his choral output, But maybe, this is the sort of thing that should happen in Wales itself. Anyway,glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you, Pengelli, for your gracious thoughts; and in kind, I'm ordering _Blodwen_ from the UK based upon yours and others comments, and am studying the vocal score available online.  Fascinating, and good!  How could I have missed this??  My defense of Bunn and Fitzball is partially based upon my sense that English-language countries trash their native librettists far more readily than Italians or the French, for example, and on poetic or textual grounds.  Most criticism I read of libretti like Count Pepoli's for _I puritani_ or Cormon and Carré's for _Les pêcheurs de perles_ (if you want two notoriously "weak" books) focuses on their dramatic content, rather than the quality of their poetry or the language they use.  I remember as a kid reading Bunn's libretto to _The Bohemian Girl_ on its own as it is helpfully printed at the front of the old Schirmer vocal score; the Count's charge to Thaddeus on finding him in the wardrobe in Act 3 (all right, this does sound a little silly put this way, but it's what happens) "Depart, ere my thirsty weapon stains/These halls with the blood of thy recreant veins" drove me to to the dictionary to look up "recreant"!  Also, there is a certain ebullient sonority about it that I quite relish.  Getting the British public to accept opera in their own language meant giving a bit of the dramatic language they expected in both melodrama (Fitzball in particular wrote quite a number) and more overtly literary drama (like Sheridan Knowles's plays).  Dickens was accounted a fine actor, but his great vehicle was Wilkie Collins's melodrama _The Frozen Deep_, which is strong meat indeed.  And present-day libretti presenting potetial future "howlers"? -- well, let's just say there are mixed opinions on _Doctor Atomic_!

Anyway, _Blodwen_ and _Lurline_ are both coming through Amazon UK as they are unavailable yet directly over here.  What _we_ need here in the US are recordings of William Henry Fry's _Leonora_, which is an above-average bel canto piece with excellent orchestration, and Chadwick's _The Padrone_, which ought to be a real shocker.  Thanks again, Pengelli.