FREE UK SHIPPING OVER £35!

Vaughan Williams - Hugh the Drover: A Celebration of the 1924 Recording

£13.34

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

Label: Albion Records

Cat No: ALBCD060

Barcode: 5060158190607

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Vocal/Choral

Release Date: 28th June 2024

Works

Traditional

Comin' thro the rye
O Sally, my dear (arr. Cecil Sharp)
Poor Old Horse (arr. Cecil Sharp)
The Nightingale (arr. Cecil Sharp)

Vaughan Williams, Ralph

A Selection of Collected Folk Songs, Vol.1

» no.12 I will give my love an apple

Hugh the Drover (abridged)
Hugh the Drover

» Song of the Road

Linden Lea

Artists

Mary Lewis (soprano)
Tudor Davies (tenor)
Marie Howes (soprano)
Jane Powell (soprano)
Maggie Teyte (soprano)
Nellie Walker (contralto)
Constance Willis (contralto)
John Coates (tenor)
Robert Gwynne (tenor)
James Johnston (tenor)
Trefor Jones (tenor)
William Waite (tenor)
Clive Carey (baritone)
Frederick Collier (baritone)
Peter Dawson (baritone)
Keith Falkner (baritone)
Harry Plunket Greene (baritone)
William Michael (baritone)
William Anderson (bass)
WT Best (piano)
Frank Howes (piano)
Samuel Liddle (piano)
Berkeley Mason (piano)
Gerald Moore (piano)
British National Opera Company
Philharmonia Orhestra

Conductors

Malcolm Sargent
James Robertson

Works

Traditional

Comin' thro the rye
O Sally, my dear (arr. Cecil Sharp)
Poor Old Horse (arr. Cecil Sharp)
The Nightingale (arr. Cecil Sharp)

Vaughan Williams, Ralph

A Selection of Collected Folk Songs, Vol.1

» no.12 I will give my love an apple

Hugh the Drover (abridged)
Hugh the Drover

» Song of the Road

Linden Lea

Artists

Conductors

Malcolm Sargent
James Robertson

About

Hugh the Drover, Vaughan Williams's first full-length opera, was completed before the First World War, but not performed until 1924. A premiere at the Royal College of Music on 4 July 1924 was followed on 14 July by the first professional production at His Majesty's Theatre in London. This was the beginning of the first of several nationwide tours by the British National Opera Company (BNOC), and the opera became very popular.

The conductor for BNOC was Malcolm Sargent, then only 29 years old, and this was his first opera. The lead singers, Tudor Davies and Mary Lewis, played Hugh and Mary, while the supporting cast included Constance Willis, Frederick Collier and Peter Dawson.

In September and October 1924, Sargent and the BNOC cast and orchestra found themselves in the recording studio, setting down roughly half the opera on ten 78rpm sides, the whole running to forty-three and a half minutes. This remained the only recording of the work until more complete recordings appeared in 1978 and 1994. Despite the limitations of the acoustic recording process, it is arguable that these early recordings have more than stood the test of time. The passion captured in 1924 has never been bettered.

Of course a recording of this importance has been remastered before - just once, by Pearl, in 1975, when it was just over half a century old. Techniques have developed since then, and Pete Reynolds has made a fresh master for Albion Records, direct from 78 rpm discs, resulting in a cleaner sound. Stephen Connock assembled the album, but recreating the libretto became a collaborative effort, since it was difficult to pin every word down following revisions in 1933 and 1956. It was at a late stage - just a few weeks ago - that the British Library, which has made a partial recovery from last year's cyber- attack, was able to retrieve early manuscripts and scores to enable us to clear the final question marks.

Remastered recordings of seven songs and folk songs, largely arranged or written by Vaughan Williams and Cecil Sharp, complete the album. Two of these feature John Coates and Maggie Teyte, who Vaughan Williams had considered for the lead parts in Hugh the Drover in 1911, but it was not then to be. Clive Carey, Marie Howes (singing with her brother Frank Howes) and Harry Plunket Greene were all associated with Vaughan Williams in different way, while James Johnston took the leading part of Hugh the Drover in a popular revival in 1950.

Cast (Hugh the Drover):
- Mary: Mary Lewis (soprano)
- Hugh the Drover: Tudor Davies (tenor)
- Aunt Jane: Constance Willis (contralto)
- The Constable: William Anderson (bass)
- John the Butcher: Frederick Collier (baritone)
- A Sergeant: Peter Dawson (baritone)
- A Showman: William Michael (baritone)

Sound/Video

Paused

1

Hugh the Drover – Act I: The Fair (Part 1) – The Showman
2

Hugh the Drover – Act I: The Fair (Part 2) – The Ballad of Tuesday Morning
3

Hugh the Drover – Act I: The Morris Men
4

Hugh the Drover – Act I: The Song of Hugh the Drover
5

Hugh the Drover – Act I: The Love Duet
6

Hugh the Drover – Act I: The Challenge and the Fight
7

Hugh the Drover – Act II: May Morning – Hugh in the Stocks
8

Hugh the Drover – Act II: Mary Sets Hugh Free
9

Hugh the Drover – Act II: Mary Joins Hugh in the Stocks
10

Hugh the Drover – Act II: The Sergeant Releases Hugh – Finale
11

Linden Lea
12

Comin’ thro’ the Rye (trad.)
13

I will give my love an apple (arr. Vaughan Williams)
14

O Sally, My Dear (arr. Sharp)
15

The Nightingale (arr. Sharp)
16

Poor Old Horse (arr. Sharp)
17

Hugh the Drover: Hugh’s Song of the Road

Also Available

I Love my Love: A Folk Song Collection

£13.34

(Albion Records)

Vaughan Williams - Serenade to Music

£13.34

(Albion Records)

Heirs and Rebels: Music by Vaughan Williams & Holst

£13.34

(Albion Records)

Vaughan Williams - Sir John in Love

£13.34

(Lyrita)

Great British Tenors

£11.91

(Heritage)

Error on this page? Let us know here

Need more information on this product? Click here

Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Vaughan Williams - Hugh the Drover: A Celebration of the 1924 Recording

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

Despatch Information

Contents

Works

Artists

Conductors

Works

Artists

Conductors

About

Sound/Video

Paused

Also Available

£13.34

£13.34

£13.34

£13.34

£11.91

Condition Information

Condition Information