Robin Hood recording (2010)

The Recording

In March 2010, Victorian Opera Northwest made the first ever recording of Macfarren's Robin Hood, the first performance of the opera for over 100 years. It has now been released on Naxos 8.660306-07.   John France in a MusicWeb International review wrote "This is a CD that all opera fans ought to have. Some people will ignore it simply because it was written by an Englishman during Queen Victoria's reign. They would be utterly misguided to do so. This is a great work; possibly the composer's masterpiece and is a light opera (not operetta) that can hold its best up against anything offered by the Italians and the French and the Germans from the same period."

 

The Naxos CD booklet contains an essay on Macfarren and English Opera and on the opera and some notes on editing the score. A libretto is available from www.naxos.com/sharedfiles/PDF/8.660306-07_sungtext.pdf# .

In addition, Victorian Opera Northwest has made available the following items:

- A 40 page collectors' CD booklet with illustrations and full libretto with track indexing

- A facsimile of the original Covent Garden 1860 production libretto.

- The vocal score with background notes.

Both these and the Naxos recording (2CDs) may be purchased from Victorian Opera Northwest, see the sales page.

 

The cast of the recording

Robin Hood (Locksley)  .. .. .. ..  .. .. .. .

De Bracey (sheriff of Nottingham)   .. .. .

Sompnour (collector of taxes)  .. .. .. .. .

Allan (young peasant)  .. .. ..  .. .. .. .. ..

Little John (outlaw) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Much (the miller's son)  .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .

 

Maid Marion (sheriff's daughter) .. .. .. ..

Alice (her attendant) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .

 

Chorus Master .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Asst. Conductor .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Musical Director .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Nicky Spence

George Hulbert

Louis Hurst

Andrew Mackenzie-Wicks

John Molloy

Alex Knox

 

Kay Jordan

Magdalen Ashman

 

Marc Hall

Duncan Ward

Ronald Corp

 Victorian Opera Northwest Orchestra and Chorus

Recorded in March 2010

 

Track and Number List

Clips from the recording are marked in bold below. The numbers on the left refer to the track and the numbers in brackets to the musical number in the score, a new edition of which was prepared by Dr. Valerie Langfield.

 

CD 1

1          

Overture 

 

ACT I     The High Street of Nottingham

2  (1a)

3  (1b)

4  (2)

5  (3)

6  (4)

7  (5) 

8  (6a)

9  (6b)

10 (7)

Chorus

Alice & chorus

Robin & Marian

Robin, Marian & Sheriff

Marian

Sompnour

Allan, Robin & chorus

Robin

 

Intro.   Clang! Clang! It is a merry

Ballad   The hunters wake

Duet    When lovers are parted

Trio   A dark and troublous time

Ballad    True love

Scena & song    The monk within his cell

Scena & song    Be not severe

Ballad    Englishmen by birth

Finale    May the saints protect

 

ACT II Scene 1    The Greenwood

11 (8a)

12 (8b)

13 (9a)

14 (9b)

   

Outlaws

Robin, Much, John, Sompnour

Robin & Greenwood men

Entr'acte

Part Song The wood, the wood

Scene    A good fat deer

Ballad    The grasping Normans

 

ACT II Scene 2    A corridor in the Castle

15 (10)

16 (11)

17 (12)

Marian

Sheriff

Marian & Alice

Scena    Hail happy morn

Ballad    From childhood's dawn

Duet    To the fair

 

ACT II Scene 3   The Fair outside Nottingham

18 (13a)

Allan, Alice, Robin, Marian

Chorus    How bright is the day

 

CD 2

 

ACT II Scene 3   The Fair outside Nottingham (continued)

1  (13b)

2  (13c)

3  (13d)

4  (13e)

5  (13f)

6  (13g)

 

Villagers

Robin

Sheriff, Marian,Alice,Allan &company

Marian, Alice, Robin, Allan, Sheriff

Sheriff & company

Dances    Round dance & Tilting at the Quintain

Scene    Hoodman blind

Song    My own, my guiding star

Ensemble    Merry laughter

Quintet    My heart from its terror

Finale    My children thus your lives

 

ACT III Scene 1   The Castle Garden

7  (14)

8  (15)

9  (16)

10 (17)

 

Allan & Alice

Sheriff

Sheriff & Sompnour

Entr'acte

Duet    Greatest plague on earth

Scena    My child has fled

Duet    To King Richard at once

 

ACT III Scene 2   The Greenwood

11 (18)

12 (19)

Citizens

Marian & Greenwood men

Part Song    Now the sun has mounted

Song    Sons of the greenwood

 

ACT III Scene 3   A prison interior

13 (20)

Robin, Marian & chorus

Scena    Vain was the proud ambition

 

ACT III Scene 4   The Castle Courtyard

14 (21a)

15 (21b)

Full company

Full company

Finale    Hark, to that doleful bell

Finale ultimo    We've made a slight mistake