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Alwyn - Miss Julie | Chandos CHSA52532

Alwyn - Miss Julie

£27.76

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

Label: Chandos

Cat No: CHSA52532

Barcode: 0095115525326

Format: Hybrid SACD

Number of Discs: 2

Genre: Opera

Release Date: 3rd July 2020

Contents

Artists

Anna Patalong (soprano)
Rosie Aldridge (mezzo-soprano)
Samuel Sakker (tenor)
Benedict Nelson (bass-baritone)
BBC Symphony Orchestra

Conductor

Sakari Oramo

Works

Alwyn, William

Miss Julie

Artists

Anna Patalong (soprano)
Rosie Aldridge (mezzo-soprano)
Samuel Sakker (tenor)
Benedict Nelson (bass-baritone)
BBC Symphony Orchestra

Conductor

Sakari Oramo

About

‘Why has this intense, brilliantly orchestrated, claustrophobically gripping masterpiece been so neglected since its 1977 premiere?’ asked Richard Morrison in The Times of the concert performance in the Barbican that preceded this recording.

Miss Julie is Alwyn’s last large-scale work, written in 1973-76. Alwyn set his own libretto, based on Strindberg’s 1888 play of that title. The naturalistic drama and lifelike characters of that play appealed to Alwyn from an early age – in fact, he previously attempted to compose an opera on Miss Julie in the 1950s. That attempt failed, because of differences with his then librettist, Christopher Hassall. Alwyn believed that in opera, the action should be self-explanatory, arias should serve a dramatic purpose (as opposed to sheer vocal display), characters should sing to each other and not to the audience, ensembles should be minimised and the text should be set to vocal lines that reflect natural speech patterns. These views were distilled over his extensive career as a film composer, which taught him that music could do more than establish characterisation, suggest mood, and heighten atmosphere: in some cases it could also communicate the unspoken thoughts of an onscreen character even when these were at odds with what he or she was presenting visually.

Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra support an outstanding cast featuring Anna Patalong in the title role in this acclaimed revival of Alwyn’s neglected masterpiece. Recorded in Surround Sound and available on Hybrid SACD.

Cast:
- Miss Julie: Anna Patalong (soprano)
- Jean, the Count’s valet: Benedict Nelson (bass-baritone)
- Kristin, the cook: Rosie Aldridge (mezzo-soprano)
- Ulrik, the gamekeeper: Samuel Sakker (tenor)

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