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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, 4 out of 5 stars More…

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

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Excerpt, Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone

Work length2:59

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Rory Macdonald, BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Introduction

Track length2:59

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Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone, Act I Scene 1

Work length20:46

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Rory Macdonald, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Stephen Gadd, Elin Manahan Thomas, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, BBC National Chorus of Wales, Adrian Partington, Alan Opie
Recorded: 29 January-3 February 2013
Recording Venue: BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales, UK

Click, clack, click, clack (Simon, Joan)

Track length3:12

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Hobble, hobble, now we've caught her (Joan, Simon, Chorus)

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Maidens and men of Mirlemont town (Chorus)

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Dear Mary Mother, unto thee I bring (Laine)

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Who stands within? (Simon, Joan, Devil, Laine)

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Since it dwelt in that rock whose hallowed crest (Devil)

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Appearance of Laine

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Change of Scene

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Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone, Act I Scene 2

Work length33:20

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Rory Macdonald, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC National Chorus of Wales, Madeleine Shaw, Toby Spence, Llio Evans, Adrian Partington, Alan Opie, Richard Suart, Elin Manahan Thomas, Olivia Gomez, Rebecca Evans, David Stout, Sarah Maxted, Stephen Gadd, Catherine Wyn-Rogers

The bells are ringing o'er Mirlemont town (Chorus)

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Maidens and men of Mirlemont town (Chorus)

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My name is crazy Jacqueline (Jacqueline, Devil)

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The bells are ringing o'er Mirlemont town (Chorus) [II]

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Know ye all, both great and small (Nicholas, Philip)

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I am Loyse from St. Denis (Loyse, Saida, Philip, Nicholas, Chorus)

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In the hills beyond Florennes (Isabeau, Saida, Devil, Philip, Nicholas, Chorus)

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I am Barbe of Bovigny (Barbe, Chorus)

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Finale. Go, bring forth old Simon's daughter! (Chorus)

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Finale. By Our Lady, she is fair! (Philip, Nicholas, Saida, Chorus)

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Finale. Oh, turn thine eyes away (Saida, Philip, Chorus)

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Finale. In vain ye plead, some magic spell enthralls him! (Saida, Guntran, Devil, Joan, Simon, Philip, Chorus)

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Finale. I can but tell I knelt and prayed (Laine, Philip, Chorus)

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Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone, Act II Scene 1

Work length31:21

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Rory Macdonald, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC National Chorus of Wales, Rebecca Evans, Toby Spence, David Stout, Adrian Partington, Elin Manahan Thomas, Alan Opie

With cards and dice, and with wine and laughter (Chorus)

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Melos

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Though she should dance (Chorus)

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Safe in her island home, whose sloping glades (Saida, Chorus)

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Nay, see ye not this maid is fair? (Philip, Chorus)

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I love thee! I love thee! (Philip, Laine)

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I'll tell them what thou wast when first I knew thee (Guntran)

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How say you? Shame! My sword! my sword! (Philip, Laine, Devil, Saida)

Track length1:26

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Nay, wert thou more than all he said thou art (Laine, Philip)

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She's gone! Love's hour has come at last! (Saida, Devil, Philip)

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Lords of Sirault, Velaines, and St Sauveur (Guntran, Three Lords, Philip, Chorus)

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Change of Scene

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Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone, Act II Scene 2

Work length9:55

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Rory Macdonald, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Stephen Gadd, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Elin Manahan Thomas, Alan Opie, Rebecca Evans

Look yon, 'tis she! our little Laine! (Joan, Laine, Simon)

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I would see a maid who dwells in Zolden (Simon, Joan)

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Haste thee! Haste thee! (Devil, Laine, Joan, Saida, Simon)

Track length2:06

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Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone, Act II Scene 3

Work length10:00

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Rory Macdonald, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Madeleine Shaw, Toby Spence, Alan Opie, David Stout, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, BBC National Chorus of Wales, Elin Manahan Thomas, Adrian Partington

Up and down (Jacqueline, Devil)

Track length4:25

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Finale. There he stands, that lord ye knew (Guntran, Philip, Chorus)

Track length3:20

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Finale. My lord! (Laine, Philip, Joan, Chorus)

Track length2:15

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Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone, Act III Scene 1

Work length12:51

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Rory Macdonald, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Elin Manahan Thomas, Madeleine Shaw, Rebecca Evans, Alan Opie

Introduction - An hour agone 'twas the moon that shone (Laine)

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Why dost thou sigh and moan? (Jacqueline)

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Mine, mine at last! Poor vanquished slave, begone! (Saida)

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So all is lost for ever! And 'twas thou (Saida, Devil)

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Change of Scene

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Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone, Act III Scene 2

Work length7:41

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Rory Macdonald, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC National Chorus of Wales, Toby Spence, Adrian Partington, David Stout, Stephen Gadd, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Elin Manahan Thomas, Alan Opie

O'er Mirlemont city the banners are flying (Chorus)

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Exit of Guntran and Crowd

Track length0:49

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Finale. Hail to the lord of our land! (Guntran, Joan, Laine, Simon, Jacqueline, Philip, Devil, Chorus)

Track length4:50

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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

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.

Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone

2 CDs

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