Sir Arthur Sullivan is best known for his famous collaboration with W.S. Gilbert, a supreme partnership the fruits of which have tended to overshadow Sullivan’s other musical endeavours. The Beauty Stone falls into this category of neglected works. A serious operatic work of epic duration, it was a surprising flop at its premiere in 1898, a time when Sullivan was at the height of his career. The audience was expecting something more in the mould of the composer’s fleet and nimble comic operas, and was unprepared for a work of such size and seriousness. Subsequently, Sullivan made dramatic edits to the score, removing some of the work’s most delightful music, but in this new recording all of the omitted music has been restored. The strength of the opera is undoubtedly its many fine melodies, superb orchestration, and excellent characterisation, as well as a vivid atmosphere suitably suggestive of the romantic mediaeval setting of the plot. This, the premiere commercial recording of the work is cast with some of the finest singers on the stage today and is conducted by Rory Macdonald, one of Britain’s most talented, dynamic young conductors. This release follows the highly regarded recording of Sullivan’s Ivanhoe.

Artists

Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Toby Spence (tenor), Rebecca Evans (soprano), Alan Opie (baritone), Stephen Gadd (baritone), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo-soprano), Madeleine Shaw (mezzo-soprano), David Stout (bass), Richard Suart (baritone), Olivia Gomez (soprano), Sarah Maxted (mezzo-soprano) & Llio Evans (soprano)

BBC National Chorus of Wales, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Rory Macdonald