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Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone

Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Toby Spence (tenor), Rebecca Evans (soprano), Alan Opie (baritone), Stephen Gadd (baritone), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo-soprano), Madeleine Shaw (mezzo-soprano), David Stout (bass), Richard Suart (baritone), Olivia Gomez (soprano), Sarah Maxted (mezzo-soprano) &...

a deftly woven score, intriguingly cast in several registers...Sullivan's sophisticated add another layer of delight. The recording and presentation are admirable...I wish Toby Spence's epicurean... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2014, More…

Release Date: 4th Nov 2013
Catalogue No: CHAN10794(2)
Label: Chandos
Length: 2 hours 8 minutes

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Contents

Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone

2:08:57

$48.00

$57.60

$84.00

Stephen Gadd (baritone), Richard Suart (baritone), Rebecca Evans (soprano), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo-soprano), Olivia Gomez (soprano), Sarah Maxted (mezzo-soprano), Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Alan Opie (baritone), Toby Spence (tenor), David Stout (bass), Madeleine Shaw (mezzo-soprano), Llio Evans (soprano)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC National Chorus of Wales
Rory Macdonald
Recorded: 29 January-3 February 2013
Recording Venue: BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales, UK

Introduction

2:59

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Act I Scene 1: Duet: Click, clack, click, clack (Simon, Joan)

3:12

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Act I Scene 1: Chorus with Solos: Hobble, hobble, now we've caught her (Chorus, Joan, Simon)

1:41

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Act I Scene 1: Semi-Chorus: Maidens and men of Mirlemont town (Chorus)

1:03

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Act I Scene 1: Prayer: Dear Mary Mother, unto thee I bring (Laine)

3:36

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Act I Scene 1: Quartet: Who stands within? (Simon, Joan, Devil, Laine)

5:08

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Act I Scene 1: Recitative and Song: Since it dwelt in that rock whose hallowed crest (Devil)

4:34

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Act I Scene 1: Appearance of Laine

0:15

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Act I Scene 1: Change of Scene

1:17

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Act I Scene 2: Full Chorus: The bells are ringing o'er Mirlemont town (Chorus)

2:34

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Act I Scene 2: Full Chorus: Maidens and men of Mirlemont town (Chorus)

2:13

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Act I Scene 2: Duet: My name is crazy Jacqueline (Jacqueline, Devil)

4:09

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Act I Scene 2: The bells are ringing o'er Mirlemont town (Chorus)

2:49

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Act I Scene 2: Scene: Know ye all, both great and small (Nicholas, Philip)

1:56

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Act I Scene 2: Scene: I am Loyse from St. Denis (Loyse, Chorus, Saida, Philip, Nicholas)

3:13

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Act I Scene 2: Scene: In the hills beyond Florennes (Isabeau, Chorus, Saida, Devil, Philip, Nicholas)

2:13

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Act I Scene 2: Scene: I am Barbe of Bovigny (Barbe, Chorus)

2:16

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Act I Scene 2: Finale: Go, bring forth old Simon's daughter! (Chorus)

1:04

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Act I Scene 2: Finale: By Our Lady, she is fair! (Philip, Chorus, Nicholas, Saida)

2:15

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Act I Scene 2: Finale: Oh, turn thine eyes away (Saida, Philip, Chorus)

2:02

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Act I Scene 2: Finale: In vain ye plead, some magic spell enthralls him! (Saida, Guntran, Devil, Chorus, Joan, Simon, Philip)

2:30

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Act I Scene 2: Finale: I can but tell I knelt and prayed (Laine, Philip, Chorus)

4:08

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Act II Scene 1: Chorus of Knights and Dames: With cards and dice, and with wine and laughter (Chorus)

2:22

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Act II Scene 1: Melos

1:13

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Act II Scene 1: Chorus of Knights and Dames: Though she should dance (Chorus)

2:07

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Act II Scene 1: Song: Safe in her island home, whose sloping glades (Saida, Chorus)

5:43

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Act II Scene 1: Nay, see ye not this maid is fair? (Chorus, Philip)

2:18

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Act II Scene 1: Duet: I love thee! I love thee! (Philip, Laine)

3:41

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Act II Scene 1: Song: I'll tell them what thou wast when first I knew thee (Guntran)

2:31

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Act II Scene 1: How say you? Shame! My sword! my sword! (Philip, Laine, Devil, Saida)

1:26

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Act II Scene 1: Nay, wert thou more than all he said thou art (Laine, Philip)

2:00

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Act II Scene 1: She's gone! Love's hour has come at last! (Saida, Devil, Philip)

2:07

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Act II Scene 1: Lords of Sirault, Velaines, and St Sauveur (Guntran, Three Lords, Philip, Chorus)

4:10

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Act II Scene 1: Change of Scene

1:43

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Act II Scene 2: Trio: Look yon, 'tis she! our little Laine! (Joan, Laine, Simon)

3:55

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Act II Scene 2: Duet: I would see a maid who dwells in Zolden (Simon, Joan)

3:54

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Act II Scene 2: Quintet: Haste thee! Haste thee! (Devil, Laine, Joan, Saida, Simon)

2:06

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Act II Scene 3: Duet: Up and down (Jacqueline, Devil)

4:25

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Act II Scene 3: Finale: There he stands, that lord ye knew (Guntran, Chorus, Philip)

3:20

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Act II Scene 3: Finale: My lord! (Laine, Philip, Joan, Chorus)

2:15

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Act III Scene 1: Introduction - Song: An hour agone 'twas the moon that shone (Laine)

4:20

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Act III Scene 1: Song: Why dost thou sigh and moan? (Jacqueline)

2:02

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Act III Scene 1: Recitative and Song: Mine, mine at last! Poor vanquished slave, begone! (Saida)

3:23

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Act III Scene 1: Scene: So all is lost for ever! And 'twas thou (Saida, Devil)

2:31

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Act III Scene 1: Change of Scene

0:35

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Act III Scene 2: Chorus and Dance: O'er Mirlemont city the banners are flying (Chorus)

2:02

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Act III Scene 2: Exit of Guntran and Crowd

0:49

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Act III Scene 2: Finale: Hail to the lord of our land! (Chorus, Guntran, Joan, Laine, Simon, Jacqueline, Philip, Devil)

4:52

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About
Reviews
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About

Sir Arthur Sullivan is best known for his famous collaboration with W.S. Gilbert, a supreme partnership the fruits of which have tended to overshadow Sullivan’s other musical endeavours. The Beauty Stone falls into this category of neglected works. A serious operatic work of epic duration, it was a surprising flop at its premiere in 1898, a time when Sullivan was at the height of his career. The audience was expecting something more in the mould of the composer’s fleet and nimble comic operas, and was unprepared for a work of such size and seriousness. Subsequently, Sullivan made dramatic edits to the score, removing some of the work’s most delightful music, but in this new recording all of the omitted music has been restored. The strength of the opera is undoubtedly its many fine melodies, superb orchestration, and excellent characterisation, as well as a vivid atmosphere suitably suggestive of the romantic mediaeval setting of the plot. This, the premiere commercial recording of the work is cast with some of the finest singers on the stage today and is conducted by Rory Macdonald, one of Britain’s most talented, dynamic young conductors. This release follows the highly regarded recording of Sullivan’s Ivanhoe.

Artists

Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Toby Spence (tenor), Rebecca Evans (soprano), Alan Opie (baritone), Stephen Gadd (baritone), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo-soprano), Madeleine Shaw (mezzo-soprano), David Stout (bass), Richard Suart (baritone), Olivia Gomez (soprano), Sarah Maxted (mezzo-soprano) & Llio Evans (soprano)

BBC National Chorus of Wales, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Rory Macdonald

Reviews

January 2014

a deftly woven score, intriguingly cast in several registers...Sullivan's sophisticated add another layer of delight. The recording and presentation are admirable...I wish Toby Spence's epicurean lord had more and stronger material, but a magic stone, as the opera proves, can't work every miracle.

28th December 2013

thanks to the discovery of Sullivan’s autograph score, it comes to life in this sparkling recording...The medieval-mystery plot may be hokum, but there are enough scenes of musical depth to justify a reassessment.

January 2014

Opie revels in his Faustian role...[Thomas's] youthful soprano voice is well focused throughout and her identification with the part is never in doubt...Evans offers a vivid and dramatic profile of Saida...There's some lovely playing from the BBC NOW, particularly in the score's more reflective moments.

16th December 2013

[Macdonald's] exacting skill in the handling of pace, dynamics and texture is very much admired. The teasing out of nuances in the score allows the listener to appreciate the reasons why Sullivan is set on a higher plane than many of his contemporaries...A most enjoyable find.

17th November 2013

Sullivan’s score is charming, if hardly vintage, and is delivered here with brio by Rory McDonald and leading G&S lights

7th November 2013

It has never been recorded by professional singers before, and Rory Macdonald seems to have prepared with academic scrupulousness...it's very strongly cast, too, but there's no sense of an important rediscovery here.

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