Stanford: The Travelling Companion: world premiere recording

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The principals are all first-rate, especially Julien Van Mellaerts as the companion and Kate Valentine as the conflicted princess. As the wizard (and first ruffian from the opening scene) Ian... — Fanfare, March/April 2020 More…

Release Date: 27th Sep 2019
Catalogue No: SOMMCD274-2
Label: Somm
Length: 2 hours 1 minute

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Stanford: The Travelling Companion, Op. 146

Work length5:40

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

New Sussex Opera Orchestra
Toby Purser

Prelude (Live)

Track length5:40

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

The Travelling Companion, Op. 146, Act I Scene 1

Work length14:38

$3.00

$3.90

$5.25

David Horton, Ian Beadle, Felix Kemp

Ah! What a Storm (Live)

Track length6:02

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

This Is the Place (Live)

Track length4:34

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Goodnight Companion (Live)

Track length4:02

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

The Travelling Companion, Op. 146, Act I Scene 2

Work length18:48

$4.00

$5.20

$7.00

Lucy Urquhart, Tamzin Barnett, Julien Van Mellaerts
New Sussex Opera Chorus

Who's for a Kingdom, Who's for a Queen? (Live)

Track length6:52

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

What Do They Mean? (Live)

Track length3:40

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

So 'Tis! (Live)

Track length2:49

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

I Have My Chance? (Live)

Track length5:27

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Stanford: The Travelling Companion, Op. 146, Act II

Work length25:29

$6.00

$7.80

$10.50

Kate Valentine, Pauls Putnins, David Horton, Lucy Urquhart, Julien Van Mellaerts, Felix Kemp
New Sussex Opera Orchestra, New Sussex Opera Chorus
Toby Purser

How Shall I Understand? (Live)

Track length8:17

$2.00

$2.60

$3.50

Suitors? Suitors? (Live)

Track length4:12

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Only His Bones (Live)

Track length2:51

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Oyez! Oyez! If Any Here Desires (Live)

Track length3:40

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Oyez! Oyez! Sir, You That Have Desired (Live)

Track length6:29

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Stanford: The Travelling Companion, Op. 146, Act III Scene 1

Work length11:49

$2.00

$2.60

$3.50

David Horton, Julien Van Mellaerts, Kate Valentine
New Sussex Opera Orchestra
Toby Purser

’Tis a Still Night (1) [Live]

Track length6:42

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

’Tis a Still Night (2) [Live]

Track length5:07

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

The Travelling Companion, Op. 146, Act III Scene 2

Work length24:38

$6.00

$7.80

$10.50

Ian Beadle
New Sussex Opera Chorus

Goblin's Dance (Live)

Track length9:02

$2.00

$2.60

$3.50

Gather Round (Live)

Track length3:53

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

I Pray You Let Me Rest (Live)

Track length4:13

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

The Princess Dances (Live)

Track length2:58

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

I Cannot Dance Tonight (Live)

Track length4:32

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Stanford: The Travelling Companion, Op. 146, Act IV

Work length20:36

$5.00

$6.50

$8.75

Kate Valentine, Julien Van Mellaerts, Felix Kemp, Tamzin Barnett, David Horton, Pauls Putnins
New Sussex Opera Orchestra, New Sussex Opera Chorus
Toby Purser

Sunlight at Last! (Live)

Track length3:28

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Suitor, Suitor (Live)

Track length2:46

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

John! By Permission of Our Lord the King (Live)

Track length2:45

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Now I Am Most Unhappy (Live)

Track length5:47

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Come In with Us! (Live)

Track length5:50

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

About
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About

SOMM Recordings is delighted to announce the World Premiere recording of Charles Villiers Stanford’s opera The Travelling Companion. The live recording features Julien Van Mellaerts in the title role and a cast that includes David Horton (John), Kate Valentine (The Princess), Pauls Putnins (The King), Ian Beadle (The Wizard) and Felix Kemp (The Herald) with Toby Purser conducting the New Sussex Opera Orchestra and Chorus. First staged in 1925 and the last of Stanford’s nine completed operas, The Travelling Companion is based on a fantasy-laced story by Hans Christian Andersen with a libretto by Henry Newbolt (whose Songs of the Sea and Songs of the Fleet Stanford had previously set). It finds the composer at his most economic but expressive – a last, remarkable demonstration of his brilliance as an orchestrator. The result, says Stanford biographer Jeremy Dibble in his authoritative booklet notes, “seems like an antidote to the heavier textures of Wagner and Richard Strauss and rivals the fairy-tale operas of the Russians”. Anticipating Puccini’s Turandot, at the heart of The Travelling Companion is a Princess whose suitors must answer an impenetrable riddle to win her hand or die when they fail. There are intimations of Britten’s Peter Grimes, too, in the sophisticated use of the Chorus, leading Jeremy Dibble to observe: “If Stanford’s last opera was given time to establish itself in the repertoire, not only would it provide an entirely new perspective of this highly versatile and imaginative composer, but it might also change our view of our operatic history”. This first recording of The Travelling Companion was recorded live at Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden in December, 2018. Previous SOMM recordings of Stanford’s music include two “essential listening” recommendations from Gramophone for String Quartets Nos.3, 4 & 7 (SOMM0185) and from MusicWeb International for Partsongs (SOMM0128).

Reviews

March/April 2020

The principals are all first-rate, especially Julien Van Mellaerts as the companion and Kate Valentine as the conflicted princess. As the wizard (and first ruffian from the opening scene) Ian Beadle is suitably menacing, while David Norton’s hero—apart from a few moments
of vocal unsteadiness—is as ardent and noble as anyone could wish.

November 2019

It’s a very decent recorded operatic debut for Stanford, and enthusiasts – and the curious – are unlikely to be disappointed…[Purser] sounds like he’s been conducting Stanford operas for decades, so eloquent is his phrasing, and so naturally does he let the music blossom and soar.

November 2019

This world premiere recording of Stanford's 1916 opera The Travelling Companion, is another extremely enterprising and valuable release from SOMM and presented in their typically detailed and well-produced style.

December 2019

New Sussex Opera has done a splendid job in bringing this opera back to life for this recording...Toby Purser conducts with a fine sense of the music’s nobility and there are sympathetic, if occasionally taxed, performances from David Horton as the wayfarer, Julien Van Mellaerts as the nameless stranger and Kate Valentine as the princess. The chorus sings gutsily.

Opera Now November 2019

the music is big on atmosphere and colour. It is tuneful and engaging…

Stanford: The Travelling Companion

2 CDs

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