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Birtwistle: Gawain

Marie Angel (Morgan le Fay), Anne Howells (Lady de Hautdesert), Francois Le Roux (Gawain), John Tomlinson (The Green Knight/Bertilak de Hautdesert), Penelope Walmsley-Clark (Guinevere), Richard Greager (Arthur), Omar Ebrahim (The Fool), Alan Ewing (Agravain), John Marsden (Ywain), Kevin Smith (Bishop...

Tomlinson pulls off the feat magnificently. There's a deep, grainy quality to his voice that catches the sorrow and cynicism of the Green Knight perfectly...Another strength of this recording... — BBC Music Magazine, October 2014, More…

Release Date: 19th May 2014
Catalogue No: NMCD200
Label: NMC
Length: 2 hours 15 minutes

Gramophone Awards

1996

Winner - Contemporary

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Contents

Birtwistle: Gawain

2:15:51

$66.00

$79.20

Marie Angel (soprano), Anne Howells (mezzo-soprano), Richard Greager (tenor), Penelope Walmsley-Clark (soprano), Omar Ebrahim (baritone), Alan Ewing (bass), John Marsden (tenor), Francois Le Roux (baritone), John Tomlinson (bass), Kevin Smith (counter-tenor)
Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Royal Opera Chorus
Elgar Howarth
Recorded: 20 April 1994
Recording Venue: Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, UK

Act I: Overture

1:17

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Act I: The Story Begins: Night after night (Morgan, The Lady)

6:23

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Act I: The Court: They tire me (Arthur, Guinevere, Morgan, The Lady)

5:15

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Act I: Three Riddles: There was a man (The Fool, Agravain, Ywain)

2:05

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Act I: Arthur's Response: How can I eat? (Arthur, The Fool, Morgan, The Lady, Guinevere)

2:24

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Act I: Door Knock; Prophesies and Threats: This is the hour of legacy or loss (Morgan, The Lady)

0:34

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Act I: Mystery of the Open Door: It's nothing (Arthur, Guinevere, Morgan, The Lady)

1:52

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Act I: Another Riddle: Something stranger than charity (The Fool)

0:46

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Act I: Door Knock; Prophesies and Threats: Now is the hour of legacy or loss (Morgan, The Lady)

0:33

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Act I: Entrance of the Green Knight: Now I shall test his strength (Morgan, The Lady)

1:07

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Act I: The Green Knight Rides into the Court

1:09

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Act I: The Green Knight's Challenge: Which of you is king? (The Green Knight, Baldwin, Ywain, Agravain, Gawain, Arthur, Morgan, The Lady)

9:14

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Act I: The Court's Reaction; Gawain Accepts the Challenge: God's name (Baldwin, Ywain, Agravain, Gawain, The Green Knight)

3:35

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Act I: The Raising of the Axe

1:13

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Act I: Time Frozen (Reprise; Prophesies; Riddles; Door Knock): This is the moment that waited for you (Morgan, The Lady, The Fool)

3:03

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Act I: Gawain Decapitates the Green Knight: God's Name! (The Green Knight, Guinevere, Baldwin, Arthur, Ywain, The Fool, Agravain, Morgan, The Lady)

1:15

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Act I: The Severed Head Instructs Gawain: My title is Knight of the Green Chapel (The Green Knight, Gawain)

4:05

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Act I: The Green Knight Rides Off

0:38

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Act I: The Court's Reaction: It's nothing (Arthur, The Green Knight, Guinevere, Morgan, The Lady)

1:48

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Act I: Duet: Prophesies and Threats: Now that you've seen its face (Morgan, The Lady, Arthur)

1:50

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Tableau I: Winter: Day (Women's Chorus)

0:52

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Tableau I: Winter: Night: Here is your second birth (Men's Chorus, Ywain, Agravain, Baldwin, Arthur, Guinevere, The Fool, Morgan)

1:11

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Tableau II: Spring: Day (Women's Chorus)

0:53

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Tableau II: Spring: Night: Here is your second skin (Men's Chorus, Ywain, Agravain, Baldwin, Arthur, Guinevere, The Fool, Morgan)

1:11

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Tableau III: Summer: Day (Women's Chorus)

0:56

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Tableau III: Summer: Night: Here is your second flesh (Men's Chorus, Ywain, Agravain, Baldwin, Arthur, Guinevere, The Fool, Morgan)

1:10

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Tableau IV: Autumn: Day (Women's Chorus)

0:53

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Tableau IV: Autumn: Night: Here is your second arm (Men's Chorus, Ywain, Agravain, Baldwin, Arthur, Guinevere, The Fool, Morgan)

1:11

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Tableau V: Winter II: Day (Women's Chorus)

0:53

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Tableau V: Winter II: Night: Here is your badge of steel (Ywain, Agravain, Baldwin, Arthur, Guinevere, The Fool)

1:09

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Tableau V: Winter II: Coda: Now with a single step (Morgan)

0:46

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Act II: Morgan le Fay's Prediction: Now with a single step (Morgan, Gawain)

5:19

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Act II: The Journey

1:32

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Act II: A Glimpse: Soon what you most love (Bertilak, The Lady)

0:15

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Act II: The Journey Continues: A single step (Morgan, Gawain)

1:34

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Act II: A Glimpse of the Future: Soon... what you want, you'll have (The Lady, Bertilak)

0:12

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Act II: The Journey Continues: A day, another day, a week of days (Morgan, Gawain)

1:36

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Act II: A Glimpse of the Future: Soon you'll see its face (The Lady, Bertilak)

0:11

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Act II: The Journey Continues: Another mile, another day, another week (Morgan, Gawain)

1:52

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Act II: A Glimpse of the Future: This is the hour of vanity or choice (The Lady, Bertilak)

0:12

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Act II: The Journey Continues: Mile after mile, day after day, week after week (Morgan, Bertilak, The Lady)

2:13

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Act II: Castle de Hautdesert: Welcome, welcome, welcome (Bertilak, The Lady, Morgan, Gawain)

1:17

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Act II: Dance Aria: Now we shall learn (The Lady, Morgan, Bertilak)

1:50

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Act II: Bertilak de Hautdesert's Welcome and Gawain's Foreboding: My food, my wine, my hearth (Bertilak, Morgan, Gawain)

3:51

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Act II: The First Lullaby: Lie down without fear of the dark (Morgan, Gawain)

2:31

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Act II: The First Hunt and Temptation: The door was unlocked (The Lady, Gawain)

4:25

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Act II: An aside from Morgan le Fay 1: A gift he must not refuse (Morgan)

0:31

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Act II: Bertilak de Hautdesert's Return 1: Who's there...? (Gawain, Morgan, Bertilak)

1:30

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Act II: The Second Lullaby: Lie down without fear of the dark (Morgan, Gawain)

2:24

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Act II: The Second Hunt and Temptation: Are you Gawain? (The Lady, Gawain)

3:18

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Act II: An aside from Morgan le Fay 2: A word he must not hear (Morgan, Gawain)

0:42

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Act II: Bertilak de Hautdesert's Return 2: Here's your trophy (Bertilak, Gawain)

0:57

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Act II: The Third Lullaby: Lie down without fear of the dark (Morgan, Gawain)

2:37

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Act II: The Third Hunt and Temptation: Winter sun on melting snow: it's blinding (The Lady, Gawain, Morgan)

5:28

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Act II: An aside from Morgan le Fay 3: Who's there...? (Gawain, Morgan)

0:28

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Act II: Bertilak de Hautdesert's Return 3: I hunted all day (Bertilak, Gawain)

1:07

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Act II: Prophesies and Threats: Soon - the moment that waited for you (Morgan, The Lady, Gawain)

3:43

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Act II: The Green Chapel: Fear of death (The Green Knight, Gawain)

2:01

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Act II: Gawain Faces Death: Now I acquit myself (Gawain, Morgan, The Green Knight)

2:51

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Act II: Gawain's Reprieve: The first blow (The Green Knight, Gawain, Morgan)

4:04

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Act II: The Joruney Back Begins

0:28

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Act II: The Court (Riddles and Prophesies): Arthur - join us (Guinevere, Arthur, The Fool, Morgan)

4:31

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Act II: Gawain's Return: Gawain (Members of the Court, Arthur, Ywain, Agravain, The Fool, Baldwin, Guinevere, Morgan)

3:35

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Act II: Gawain's Epilogue: I left this place (Gawain)

2:27

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Act II: Coda: Now, at the year's dead end (Morgan)

3:08

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About
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About

This production of Gawain for the Royal Opera House, recorded by BBC Radio 3, was supported by the Arts Council of England, The Friends of Covent Garden, The John S Cohen Foundation and The Po-Shing Woo Charitable Foundation. It was originally released on Collins Classics.

The re-issue of this recording was made possible thanks to the generosity of trusts, foundations and individuals who donated to our 2013 Opera Appeal. The other two releases being Judith Weir's ‘The Vanishing Bridegroom’ and Gerald Barry's ‘The Importance of Being Earnest,’ - to be issued autumn 2014.

Artists

Marie Angel (Morgan le Fay), Anne Howells (Lady de Hautdesert), Francois Le Roux (Gawain), John Tomlinson (The Green Knight/Bertilak de Hautdesert), Penelope Walmsley-Clark (Guinevere), Richard Greager (Arthur), Omar Ebrahim (The Fool), Alan Ewing (Agravain), John Marsden (Ywain), Kevin Smith (Bishop Baldwin)

The Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Elgar Howarth

Reviews

October 2014

Tomlinson pulls off the feat magnificently. There's a deep, grainy quality to his voice that catches the sorrow and cynicism of the Green Knight perfectly...Another strength of this recording is the weirdly intense vocal sound of Marie Angel...As for the orchestral playing, it catches both the dark fatalistic quality of the score and its moments of beauty.

10th May 2014

Birtwistle’s difficult vocal lines and ritualistic patterns need a high level of commitment from the listener: this is an opera best experienced with eyes as well as ears. But for those prepared to submit to its baleful orchestral sound and riddle-strewn tale, Howarth and his fine cast...provide a definitive experience.

August 2014

Tomlinson as the Green Knight has peerless authority and you can hear his every word...Francois Le Roux here, after a slow start, fleshes out the character of Gawain in Act 2 and becomes a worthy adversary.

Opera Now

It’s a listening experience that’s not for the faint-hearted: from the first downbeat, Birtwistle’s music pins you to the spot with its densely scored, dissonant harmonies and dramatic, sinewy vocal lines...The cast put in sterling efforts across the board, but it is Tomlinson’s Green Knight/Bertilak that really carries the performance.

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