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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

This item is currently out of stock at the UK distributor. You may order it now but please be aware that it may be six weeks or more before it can be despatched.

Excerpt, Sullivan, A: The Beauty Stone

Work length2:59

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Rory MacDonald, BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Recorded: 29 January-3 February 2013
Recording Venue: BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales, UK

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, Elin Manahan Thomas, Stephen Gadd, 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)

Track length1:41

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Maidens and men of Mirlemont town (Chorus)

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Dear Mary Mother, unto thee I bring (Laine)

Track length3:36

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

Track length5:08

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

Track length4:34

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Appearance of Laine

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Change of Scene

Track length1:17

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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, Elin Manahan Thomas, Adrian Partington, Alan Opie, Richard Suart, Olivia Gomez, Rebecca Evans, David Stout, Stephen Gadd, Sarah Maxted, Catherine Wyn-Rogers

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

Track length2:34

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Maidens and men of Mirlemont town (Chorus)

Track length2:13

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My name is crazy Jacqueline (Jacqueline, Devil)

Track length4:09

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

Track length2:49

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

Track length1:56

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

Track length3:13

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

Track length2:13

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I am Barbe of Bovigny (Barbe, Chorus)

Track length2:16

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

Track length1:04

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

Track length2:15

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

Track length2:02

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

Track length2:30

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

Track length4:06

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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)

Track length2:22

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Melos

Track length1:13

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Though she should dance (Chorus)

Track length2:07

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

Track length5:43

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

Track length2:18

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

Track length3:41

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

Track length2:31

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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)

Track length2:00

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

Track length2:07

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

Track length4:10

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Change of Scene

Track length1:43

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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)

Track length3:55

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

Track length3:54

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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, Madeleine Shaw, Rebecca Evans, Elin Manahan Thomas, Alan Opie

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

Track length4:20

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Why dost thou sigh and moan? (Jacqueline)

Track length2:02

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

Track length3:23

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

Track length2:31

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Change of Scene

Track length0:35

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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)

Track length2:02

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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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