Stanford’s The Travelling Companion to be released on 27th September 2019

[Kevin]

http://www.thestanfordsociety.org/2019/05/23/recording-of-stanfords-the-travelling-companion-to-be-released-in-september-2019/

I was just talking about this, found it today. Very, very excited. Stanford, along with Raff, are my favourite unsungcomposers. I find both Stanfords and Raff's chamber music to be exemplary.

[Alan Howe]

Here it is:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8668741--stanford-the-travelling-companion

[JeremyMHolmes]

Excerpts can be listened to here:

https://somm-recordings.com/recording/stanford-the-travelling-companion/?_ga=2.255675854.770735991.1568096543-310011283.1565952979

[Kevin]

I wonder if this will lead to recordings of A much ado about nothing and the Critic?(his other successful operas)

Gosh I would go nuts for them!

[Mark Thomas]

We can only hope, but in the meantime this is a hugely welcome release. The excerpts on the Somm website sound very attractive.

[Alan Howe]

...whereas I thought they sounded remarkably dull. Hey ho. I remain to be convinced - but the whole opera may do the job, of course.

[Mark Thomas]

Well, I am a fully paid up member of the Stanford fan club...

[Alan Howe]

...whereas I tend to pick and choose. But I'll be following reactions to this release with interest.

[Gareth Vaughan]

The excerpts on the Somm site are all mixed up. They do not match the words identifying each. For example: No. 2 is actually No. 23 and No. 23 is actually No. 3, so it is impossible to get any sense of structure from the extracts at all.

[Kevin]

The excerpts on the Somm site are all mixed up. They do not match the words identifying each. For example: No. 2 is actually No. 23 and No. 23 is actually No. 3, so it is impossible to get any sense of structure from the extracts at all.

That is correct: they are all mixed up unfortunately and are very short snippets at that. And keep in mind it's a chamber orchestra performing, I see in the booklet there were only 17 string players... which would not be ideal but it is what it is.

I believe the work was heavily influenced by Parsifal which Stanford loved above all Wagner operas expect Meistersinger. So, I guess if you don't like Parsifal you won't like The Travelling Companion. A big bonus is it's half the length of that work.

[Alan Howe]

Only 17 strings? Oh dear.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I thought the strings sounded thin. If it is modelled on Parsifal there may be a lot of sections where the strings divide which will render the sound texture even worse.

[Kevin]

It's a massive shame but we're unlikely to get another recording in our lifetimes.

[Alan Howe]

Why on earth couldn't they have drafted in some more string players?

[Kevin]

I don't know why. But even with the reduced strings the usually dismissive Rupert Christiansen of The Telegraph gave the staged performance a good review: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/travelling-companion-review-new-sussex-operatouring-accomplished/