On a routine tour of duty in December 1900 the supply ship Hesperus discovered the Flannan Isles lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides to be empty, the three keepers apparently having disappeared into thin air. Peter Maxwell Davies’ haunting and thrilling chamber opera The Lighthouse is heard here in its classic première recording. It shows what might have become of the three men, marooned in their storm-bound tower and overwhelmed by ghostly visions and crazed desperation, creating a dramatic imagining of a story which remains a mystery to this day.

Universally acknowledged as one of the foremost composers of our time, Peter Maxwell Davies has made a significant contribution to musical history through his wide-ranging and prolific output. He lives in the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland, where he writes most of his music.

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The Europadisc Review

Alongside Sir Harrison Birtwistle, the other great British musical figure to celebrate his 80th birthday this year is the Master of the Queen's Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The two composers studied together at the Royal Manchester College of Music in the 1950s, and during the 1960s they collaborated in the pioneering Pierrot Players. In 1970 they went their separate ways, with 'Max' relaunching the Pierrot Players as The Fires of London, with which he had a long and fruitful musical relationship. At the same time, he made his main residence in the Orkney Islands, whose surroundings have since provided an inspirational backdrop for so much of his music.

This year's anniversary celebrations bring not only several new releases, but also significant reissues of both composers' music. Among the most welcome of the latter are two operas that originally appeared on the now-defunct Collins Classics: Birtwistle's Gawain (now reissued on NMC here) and the present recording of Davies's chamber opera The Lighthouse (1980), made in Manchester in February 1994.

The Lighthouse has established itself as one of the most popular and durable of Davies's musico-dramatic works, with recent productions including a notable staging by English Touring. The work is based on the real-life mystery of a lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides found abandoned in December 1900. As Davies writes in his liner notes to this Naxos disc, 'My opera does not offer a solution to the mystery but indicates what might be possible under the tense circumstances of three men being marooned in a storm-bound lighthouse long after the time they expected to be relieved.' It was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival in September 1980.

The opera is cast in two parts, the first of which (the Prologue) takes place at the Court of Enquiry following the discovery of the empty lighthouse by the three-man crew of a supply ship. The crew members are 'questioned' by the French horn from the twelve-piece orchestra, their answers increasingly hinting at the dark mysteries of the abandoned tower. The same three singers then take the roles of the lighthousemen for the main Act set in the structure itself. Blazes, Sandy and Arthur are each contrasting in character, leading to increasing tension. To while away the time and lessen the tensions between them, they take turns in singing songs: a rough street ballad, a love song, and a devout Salvation Army-style hymn. These give ample opportunity for Davies to demonstrate his gift for parody, and as each song progresses it reveals darker secrets about its performer, gradually resulting in a psychological crisis for all three characters; finally, the empty building is discovered by the supply ship crew, who sense the dark events that have taken place.

Davies's music is tremendously evocative and atmospheric, and his use of the limited instrumental resources is highly inventive and stylistically eclectic. Tenor Neil Mackie (who sang in the first production), baritone Christopher Keyte and bass Ian Comboy (as the devout but sinister Arthur) are excellent in projecting both the text (Davies's own libretto) and the volatile states of mind of the isolated men. With the composer himself conducting the BBC Philharmonic, this can be regarded as a definitive recording, and at the asking price it's also a considerable bargain.

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Part 1: The Court of Enquiry
2

Part 2: The Cry of the Beast
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Part 2: Blazes' Song
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Part 2: Sandy's Song
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Part 2: Arthur's Song

Alongside Sir Harrison Birtwistle, the other great British musical figure to celebrate his 80th birthday this year is the Master of the Queen's Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The two composers studied together at the Royal Manchester College of Music in the 1950s, and during the 1960s they collaborated in the pioneering Pierrot Players. In 1970 they went their separate ways, with 'Max' relaunching the Pierrot Players as The Fires of London, with which he had a long and fruitful musical relationship. At the same time, he made his main residence in the Orkney Islands, whose surroundings have since provided an inspirational backdrop for so much of his music.

This year's anniversary celebrations bring not only several new releases, but also significant reissues of both composers' music. Among the most welcome of the latter are two operas that originally appeared on the now-defunct Collins Classics: Birtwistle's Gawain (now reissued on NMC here) and the present recording of Davies's chamber opera The Lighthouse (1980), made in Manchester in February 1994.

The Lighthouse has established itself as one of the most popular and durable of Davies's musico-dramatic works, with recent productions including a notable staging by English Touring. The work is based on the real-life mystery of a lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides found abandoned in December 1900. As Davies writes in his liner notes to this Naxos disc, 'My opera does not offer a solution to the mystery but indicates what might be possible under the tense circumstances of three men being marooned in a storm-bound lighthouse long after the time they expected to be relieved.' It was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival in September 1980.

The opera is cast in two parts, the first of which (the Prologue) takes place at the Court of Enquiry following the discovery of the empty lighthouse by the three-man crew of a supply ship. The crew members are 'questioned' by the French horn from the twelve-piece orchestra, their answers increasingly hinting at the dark mysteries of the abandoned tower. The same three singers then take the roles of the lighthousemen for the main Act set in the structure itself. Blazes, Sandy and Arthur are each contrasting in character, leading to increasing tension. To while away the time and lessen the tensions between them, they take turns in singing songs: a rough street ballad, a love song, and a devout Salvation Army-style hymn. These give ample opportunity for Davies to demonstrate his gift for parody, and as each song progresses it reveals darker secrets about its performer, gradually resulting in a psychological crisis for all three characters; finally, the empty building is discovered by the supply ship crew, who sense the dark events that have taken place.

Davies's music is tremendously evocative and atmospheric, and his use of the limited instrumental resources is highly inventive and stylistically eclectic. Tenor Neil Mackie (who sang in the first production), baritone Christopher Keyte and bass Ian Comboy (as the devout but sinister Arthur) are excellent in projecting both the text (Davies's own libretto) and the volatile states of mind of the isolated men. With the composer himself conducting the BBC Philharmonic, this can be regarded as a definitive recording, and at the asking price it's also a considerable bargain.

Maxwell Davies - The Lighthouse

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Maxwell Davies - The Lighthouse

Usually available for despatch within 2-3 working days

Despatch Information

Contents

Works

Artists

Conductor

Works

Artists

Conductor

About

Sound/Video

Paused

Europadisc Review

Also Available

£14.51

£19.97

£11.78

£11.78

£11.78