Barry, G: The Importance of Being Earnest

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Barry, G: The Importance of Being Earnest

Barbara Hannigan (Cecily), Peter Tantsits (Jack Worthing), Joshua Bloom (Algernon), Katalin Károlyi (Gwendoline), Hilary Summers (Miss Prism), Alan Ewing (Lady Bracknell), Benjamin Bevan (Lane/Merriman), Joshua Hart (Dr Chasuble)

BCMG, Thomas Adès

Surely this is not only the best operatic treatment of Oscar Wilde since Salome, but also one of the few absolutely essential operas of the last 20 years...This performances features at least... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2015, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 22nd Sep 2014
Catalogue No: NMCD197
Label: NMC
Length: 79 minutes

BBC Music Magazine

January 2015

Opera Choice
BBC Music Magazine Awards

2016

Opera Finalist
Gramophone Magazine

October 2014

Editor's Choice

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Barry, G: The Importance of Being Earnest

Work length1:19:29

$37.00

$48.10

$75.85

Barbara Hannigan (soprano), Katalin Karolyi (mezzo-soprano), Hilary Summers (contralto), Peter Tantsits (tenor), Joshua Bloom (baritone), Alan Ewing (bass), Benjamin Bevan (bass), Matt Durkan (baritone), Rob Jenkins (tenor), Joseph Hart (narrator)
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Thomas Ades
Recorded: 26 April 2012
Recording Venue: BBC Radio 3 live at the Barbican Hall, London

Act I: Auld Lang Syne

Track length1:15

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Act I: Did you hear what I was playing? (Algernon, Lane, Jack, Choir)

Track length4:36

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Act I: Lady Bracknell and Miss Fairfax (Lane, Lady Bracknell, Algernon, Gwendolen, Jack)

Track length3:29

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Act I: Freude, schoner Gotterfunken (Lady Bracknell)

Track length1:15

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Act I: Miss Fairfax, ever since I met you (Jack, Gwendolen)

Track length2:56

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Act I: Mister Worthing! (Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen, Jack)

Track length1:58

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Act I: I feel bound to tell you (Lady Bracknell, Jack)

Track length2:05

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Act I: Are your parents living? (Lady Bracknell, Jack)

Track length2:10

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Act I: What should I do? (Jack, Lady Bracknell)

Track length1:24

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Act I: What should I do? (reprise) (Jack, Lady Bracknell)

Track length1:26

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Act I: Will you stop!! (Jack, Algernon, Lane, Gwendolen)

Track length2:42

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Act II: Garden at the Manor House: Cecily, Cecily! (Miss Prism, Cecily)

Track length3:31

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Act II: I wish Uncle Jack would allow (Cecily)

Track length0:19

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Act II: Freude, schoner Gotterfunken (Miss Prism, Cecily, Merriman)

Track length3:18

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Act II: You are my little cousin Cecily (Algernon, Cecily)

Track length1:08

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Act II: Mister Worthing! (Miss Prism, Chasuble, Jack, Cecily, Algernon)

Track length2:44

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Act II: He's going to send me away (Algernon, Cecily, Merriman)

Track length1:08

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Act II: Cecily, ever since I looked (Algernon, Cecily, Merriman)

Track length2:00

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Act II: You must not laugh at me (Cecily, Algernon)

Track length2:51

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Act II: Miss Fairfax (Merriman, Cecily, Gwendolen)

Track length3:32

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Act II: Orchestral Interlude

Track length1:12

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Act II: I had no idea (Gwendolen, Cecily, Jack, Algernon)

Track length3:49

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Act II: And this is what you call Bunburying!? (Jack, Algernon)

Track length2:31

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Act III: Orchestral Introduction (Cecily)

Track length2:34

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Act III: Your Christian names (Gwendolen, Cecily, Jack, Algernon)

Track length0:51

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Act III: Lady Bracknell (Merriman, Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen, Jack, Algernon, Cecily)

Track length2:49

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Act III: Mister Worthing, is Miss Cardew (Lady Bracknell, Jack)

Track length2:32

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Act III: Pretty child! (Lady Bracknell, Algernon, Cecily)

Track length2:09

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Act III: I am Miss Cardew's guardian (Jack, Lady Bracknell, Chasuble)

Track length1:42

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Act III: Miss Prism! (Lady Bracknell, Chasuble)

Track length1:21

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Act III: Twenty-eight years ago (Lady Bracknell, Orchestral Players)

Track length1:10

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Act III: Lady Bracknell (Miss Prism)

Track length1:26

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Act III: But where did you deposit the handbag? (Jack, Miss Prism, Gwendolen)

Track length1:08

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Act III: What do you think this means (Chasuble, Lady Bracknell)

Track length1:49

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Act III: Is this the handbag? (Jack, Miss Prism, Lady Bracknell)

Track length2:18

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Act III: Lady Bracknell, who am I? (Jack, Lady Bracknell, Algernon, Gwendolen, Cecily)

Track length1:48

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Act III: Explosion! (All, Jack, Gwendolen, Chasuble, Miss Prism, Algernon, Cecily)

Track length2:33

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About

This release 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 Harrison Birtwistle's Gawain.

The Importance of Being Earnest was jointly commissioned by the LA Philharmonic and the Barbican in London, and received its world premiere staging at Opéra national de Lorraine à Nancy in 2013.

Two further productions were staged the same year at the Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre, and on tour with NI Opera.

The Importance of Being Earnest received a 2013 RPS Award for Large-Scale Composition.

‘The world now has something rare: a new genuinely comic opera and maybe the most inventive Oscar Wilde opera since Richard Strauss's Salome more than a century ago.’

The Los Angeles Times Gerald Barry's riotous opera brings out the savagery beneath the genteel Edwardian manners of Wilde's play: its score includes gunshots, whistling and speaking from the orchestral players, marching boots, and the smashing of 40 dinner plates, while its characters – among them Lady Bracknell sung by a bass and Cecily by a stratospheric soprano – shout at each other through gales, quote Schiller's Ode to Joy (in German) and make polite conversation through megaphones.

'It’s all completely bonkers, but I went in grumping and came out grinning. What more can you ask?' The Telegraph

Reviews

January 2015

Surely this is not only the best operatic treatment of Oscar Wilde since Salome, but also one of the few absolutely essential operas of the last 20 years...This performances features at least three ideal incarnations: Barbara Hannigan's cut-glass Cecily, Peter Tantsits's spot-on Jack and Hilary Summers's true-contralto Miss Prism, who hits every note asked of her.

October 2014

Barry magnifies the fizzing quality into a relentlessly high-wire act that has the audience relishing the stamina of the performers, here under the needle-sharp control of ringmaster-in-chief Thomas Ades.

25th September 2014

In the Barbican, the sheer size of the hall seemed to dilute the impact of Barry’s fabulously inventive score, with its machine-gun delivery of great swathes of text, ricocheting instrumental lines, and surreal references...On disc, all those can be enjoyed, the sheer virtuosity with which Barry puts it all together appreciated

27th September 2014

Barry treats Wilde’s words cavalierly, yet he presents an irresistible portrait of buttoned-up English stereotypes on the edge of madness, panic, rage and despair. Highlights are Alan Ewing’s (bass) Lady Bracknell and Barbara Hannigan’s Cecily.

Opera Now

The mind boggles as to how any singer can manage to memorise and execute Barry’s fiendish vocal parts, but Adès’ cast more than rises to the challenge. It’s a true ensemble effort, though if pushed to pick a stand-out performance, the pyrotechnics of soprano Barbara Hannigan as Cecily are pretty unbeatable.

Classical Music

Alan Ewing and especially Barbara Hannigan (in plate-smashingly good form) are superb, and conductor Thomas Adès keeps everything moving along at a cracking pace. Buy it for your handbag.

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Barry, G: The Importance of Being Earnest

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