Lennox Berkeley: Nelson - Opera in three acts
Elizabeth Bainbridge (mezzo-soprano), Eiddwen Harrhy (soprano), Brian Rayner Cook (baritone), Philip O'Reilly, David Johnston (tenor), Roger Heath, Mary Thomas (mezzo-soprano), Margaret Kingsley (mezzo-soprano), Richard Angas (bass), Eric Shilling (baritone), Richard Jackson (baritone), Francis Egerton...
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, October 2021, Historical Choice
Berkeley doesn’t altogether escape [Britten's] musical influence, but there’s an inherent flow to the drama...David Johnston leads a strong British cast, and inhabits the title role with confidence,...
Lennox Berkeley: Nelson - Opera in three acts
Elizabeth Bainbridge (mezzo-soprano), Eiddwen Harrhy (soprano), Brian Rayner Cook (baritone), Philip O'Reilly, David Johnston (tenor), Roger Heath, Mary Thomas (mezzo-soprano), Margaret Kingsley (mezzo-soprano), Richard Angas (bass), Eric Shilling (baritone), Richard Jackson (baritone), Francis Egerton...
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Awards:
-
BBC Music Magazine, October 2021, Historical Choice
Berkeley doesn’t altogether escape [Britten's] musical influence, but there’s an inherent flow to the drama...David Johnston leads a strong British cast, and inhabits the title role with confidence,...
About
The opera centres on the love affair of Horatio Nelson, and Emma, Lady Hamilton. Completed in 1951, it was first performed in full in 1954. The British Embassy in Naples is the scene of a birthday party for Nelson, arranged to celebrate his victory at the Nile. He appears with ‘the sadness of the world upon his lips’ and while the other guests are dancing, Nelson, with Emma Hamilton, the Ambassador’s wife, beside him, hears a servant foretell his future unhappiness. This releases the passionate feelings of the couple for each other and the conflict in their lives.
Artists
Elizabeth Bainbridge (mezzo-soprano), Eiddwen Harrhy (soprano), Brian Rayner Cook (baritone), Philip O'Reilly, David Johnston (tenor), Roger Heath, Mary Thomas (mezzo-soprano), Margaret Kingsley (mezzo-soprano), Richard Angas (bass), Eric Shilling (baritone), Richard Jackson (baritone), Francis Egerton (tenor), Harry Nicoll, Stephen Varcoe, Anthony Smith, The BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, Elgar Howarth
Contents and tracklist
- Elizabeth Bainbridge (mezzo-soprano), Eiddwen Harrhy (soprano), Brian Rayner Cook (baritone), Philip O'Reilly, David Johnston (tenor), Roger Heath, Mary Thomas (mezzo-soprano), Margaret Kingsley (mezzo-soprano), Richard Angas (bass), Eric Shilling (baritone), Richard Jackson (baritone), Francis Egerton (tenor), Harry Nicoll, Stephen Varcoe, Anthony Smith
- The BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers
- Elgar Howarth
Awards and reviews
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BBC Music MagazineOctober 2021Historical Choice
October 2021
Berkeley doesn’t altogether escape [Britten's] musical influence, but there’s an inherent flow to the drama...David Johnston leads a strong British cast, and inhabits the title role with confidence, if not always tonal sophistication, as the music moves between recitative, rhythmic tension and the lyrical, especially in the love duets with Eiddwen Harrhy’s Emma.
July 2022
David Johnston does his admirable best to project the elusive character of the national hero, but it is Eiddwen Harrhy’s impulsive, sensual Emma who dominates... With Elgar Howarth at the helm and the BBCSO under full sail, it is hard to imagine Nelson receiving better advocacy.
