The Immortal Hour

Disc: 1

1. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 1. A Wood, Dark and Mysteriou

2. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 2. By Dim Moon-Glittering Coa

3. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 3. Though You Have Travelled

4. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 4. Ye Know Not Who I Am...

5. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 5. I Have Come Hither...

6. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 6. Hail, Son of Shadow! ...

7. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 7. I Am Old; More Old, More A

8. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 8. Brother and Kin to All the

9. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 9. The Sound of Mocking Laugh

10. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 1. Scene 1. No. 10. Laugh Not, Ye Outcasts of

See all 34 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 1. By the Voice in the Corries...

2. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 2. The Bells of Youth Are Ringing in t

3. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 3. But This Was in the Old, Old, Far-O

4. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 4. Hail, Eochaidh, High King of Eiré,

5. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 5. Green Fire of Joy, Green Fire of Li

6. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 6. Etain, Speak, My Queen...

7. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 7. No, No, My Queen...

8. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 8. I, Too, Have Heard...

9. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 9. The Queen! ...

10. Immortal Hour, Opera: Act 2. No. 10. Hail, Eochaidh, King of Eiré! ...

See all 28 tracks on this disc

Tracks:

The Immortal Hour: Introduction
The Immortal Hour: By Dim Moon-Glimmering Coasts
The Immortal Hour: Though You Have Travelled
The Immortal Hour: Ye Know Not Who I Am
The Immortal Hour: I Have Come Hither
The Immortal Hour: Hail, Son Of Shadow
The Immortal Hour: I Am Old; More Old, More Ancient
The Immortal Hour: Brother And Kin To All The Twilight Gods
The Immortal Hour: [Mocking laughter]
The Immortal Hour: Laugh Not, Ye Outcasts
The Immortal Hour: Fair Is The Moonlight
The Immortal Hour: Hail, Daughter Of Kings
The Immortal Hour: Have You Forgot
The Immortal Hour: I Have Forgotten All
The Immortal Hour: A King Of Men
The Immortal Hour: Led Here By Dreams
The Immortal Hour: I Will Go Back To The Country Of The Young
The Immortal Hour: Sir, I Am Glad
The Immortal Hour: I Have Come To This Lone Wood
The Immortal Hour: Look O King!
The Immortal Hour: There Is No Backward Way For Such As I
The Immortal Hour: I Have Heard You Calling, Dalua, Dalua
The Immortal Hour: I've Seen That Man Before Who Came Tonight
The Immortal Hour: Yes, Woman, Yes, I Know
The Immortal Hour: But Sometimes..Sometimes...
The Immortal Hour: Good Folk, I Give You Greeting
The Immortal Hour: Good Sir, You Are Most Welcome
The Immortal Hour: At Last I Know Why Dreams Have Led Me Hither
The Immortal Hour: And Your Name, Fair Lord?
The Immortal Hour: Truly, I Now Know Full Well
The Immortal Hour: I, Too, Am Lifted With The Breath
The Immortal Hour: Who Laughed?
The Immortal Hour: Dear Lord, Sit Here. I Am Weary
The Immortal Hour: How Beautiful They Are, The Lordly Ones

Tracks:

The Immortal Hour: Act2 - By The Voice In The Corries
The Immortal Hour: The Bells Of Youth Are Ringing
The Immortal Hour: But This Was In The Old, Old Far - Off Days
The Immortal Hour: Hail, Eochaidh, High King Of Eire, Hail!
The Immortal Hour: Green Fire Of Joy, Green Fire Of Life
The Immortal Hour: Etain, Speak, My Queen
The Immortal Hour: No, No, My Queen
The Immortal Hour: I, Too, Have Heard Strange Delicate Music
The Immortal Hour: The Queen! Glory Of Years
The Immortal Hour: Hail, Eochaidh, King Of Eire!
The Immortal Hour: I Am A King's First Son
The Immortal Hour: Dagda, Lord Of Thunder And Silence
The Immortal Hour: Fair Lord, My Thanks I Give
The Immortal Hour: Have Not Great Poets Sung
The Immortal Hour: In The Days Of The Great Fires
The Immortal Hour: Hear Us, OEngus, Beautiful, Teriible Sun-Lord And Death - Lord
The Immortal Hour: But Now, Fair Lord, Tell Me The Boon You Crave
The Immortal Hour: I Have Seen All Things Pass And All Things Go
The Immortal Hour: Welcome, My Queen
The Immortal Hour: This Nameless Lord Has Asked A Boon From Me
The Immortal Hour: How Beautiful They Are, The Lordly Ones
The Immortal Hour: I Have Heard...I Have Dreamed That Song
The Immortal Hour: I Am A Song In The Land Of The Young
The Immortal Hour: I Am A Small Green Leaf In A Great Wood
The Immortal Hour: O Do Not Leave Me, Star Of My Desire!
The Immortal Hour: Hasten, Lost Love, Found Love!
The Immortal Hour: In The Land Of Youth There Are Pleasant Places
The Immortal Hour: They Play With Lances

Customer Reviews:

A BYWAY OF ENGLISH OPERA WELL WORTH INVESTIGATING.......2007-05-09

What if Richard Wagner had been quintessentially English? Now there's a thought. Would he have been like Rutland Boughton - nice, sometimes appealing, but rather ineffectual? Or would he still have been a despot and a monster?! On the surface, they had a lot in common. One was a wanted and exiled left-wing revolutionary who later wanted performances at his own theatre reserved for `ordinary working people', the other a committed socialist who wanted his music to be appreciated and be useful to the `working man' (his choral piece, Bethlehem, was first performed in modern dress as an act of solidarity with the miners and with the General Strike of 1926). One founded a Festival and a theatre on a Green Hill in Bavaria, revolutionary in its acoustics and in the works that were to be performed there, the other wanted to found a similar Festival on the Somerset Levels near a Green Hill/Tor at Glastonbury, a grandiose scheme that barely got off the ground. The key work to be performed at the first opera house was a massive 4-evening cycle based on Germanic myths, the key work for the other festival was to be a cycle of 5 operas based on the English Arthurian myths. The one developed the very Germanic theory of `Gesamtkunstwerk', the other the very English theory of `Choral Drama'.

It all leaves one feeling a little underwhelmed by Boughton, despite his ambitions. Yet he wrote the opera that had more consecutive performances than any other serious opera anywhere in the world. That was The Immortal Hour, first produced at his inaugural Glastonbury Festival in 1914 and later to run for 216 consecutive performances in London (+ another run of 160 performances the following year). In its day, it was as popular as a Lloyd Webber musical. And, if not in the Wagner class, it's a heck of a sight more musically interesting than Lord L-W. Admittedly, the Boughton symphonies and concerti are often let down by less than riveting basic melodic and thematic material. That's not true of the opera. Many of the motifs here really stick in the memory, not least the haunting evocation of `The Immortal Hour' itself. There are memorable arias and set-pieces, too. The song, "How beautiful they are, the lordly ones' became something of a party-piece for tenors between the wars. But Midir's big aria when he reminds Etain of her fairy history is a wonderful piece of invigorating vocal writing.

Dramatically the piece is flawed, it's true. Boughton lacked Wagner's ability to turn intractable dramatic material into tautly structured, psychologically penetrating music-drama. The Dalua Prologue is atmospheric but overlong. The knees-up at the court of King Eochaid also outstays its welcome (but, then, the same might be said of The Meister's Grail Knights!). But the scene in the peasant's hut when Eochaid and Etain fall for each other and the final scene when Midir lures Etain back to the Land of Faery and leaves her husband heartbroken are both moving and musically very satisfying.

The opera really didn't deserve the descent into total obscurity it suffered after the War. This recording helped to revive a limited renaissance in interest in Boughton's works. It probably remains the most satisfying of them and that makes it well worth listening to. Alan G. Melville and the ECO play the music as thought they believe in it and the result is uplifting and satisfying. Standing out among the singers are David Wilson-Johnson as King Eochaid and Maldwyn Davies as Midir. If you have any interest in the byways of English opera before Grimes, this is a disc well worth investigating.

A wonderful opera.......2002-07-06

This is a magical work in a late Wagnerian idiom. I don't mean bombastic, it's just a fluent, entirely integrated, richly-orchestrated work. This opera is almost completely forgotten, but it's life-enriching. Amazingly, Berkeley Opera did a production a few years ago.

If you try this work, I sincerely hope you will get as much from it as I have. For those who do find they like it, I highly recommend Walter Braunfels' opera The Birds, as well as Busoni's and Korngold's music.

Dark, Disturbing, but profoundly beautiful work.......1999-09-03

An epic opera based on the writings of William Sharp (writing under his pseudonym of Fiona Mcleod). The opera is strongly rooted in the Irish myths of the sidhe (the Celtic Faeries). It is a dark, brooding & exquisitely beautiful work, with much to teach, incidentally, about Pagan mythology. This recording certainly does justice to Boughton's work, which is just as well, as the chances of a production being staged seem remote, to say the least.

Yvonne Kenny - Great Operatic Arias / Philharmonia Orchestra · David Parry [in English]

Average customer rating:

Excellent collection of beautifully sung arias and songs
A treasurable record of a truly great musician

Yvonne Kenny - Great Operatic Arias / Philharmonia Orchestra · David Parry [in English]
George Frideric Handel , Henry Purcell , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Gioachino Rossini , Philharmonia Orchestra , Yvonne Kenny , and David Parry
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Yvonne Kenny Sings Great Operatic Arias, Vol. 2
Lehar - Merry Widow / Kenny, Skovhus, Kirchschlager, Turay, Kunzel, San Francisco Opera

ASIN: B00004TZS9
Release Date: 2000-08-22

Tracks:

Gianni Schicchi: Lauretta's Solo - 'Oh, My Beloved Father'
Idomeneo: Act III - Illia's Aria - 'Gentle Zephyrs, Soft Caressing'
The Indian Queen: Act I - Aerial Spirit's Solo - 'I Attempt From Love's Sickness'
Rinaldo: Act II - Almirena's Aria - 'Hear Thou My Weeping'
Linda From Chamonix: Act I - Linda And Carlo's Love Duet - 'Linda! Linda!'
The Pearl Fishers: Act II - Leila's Recitative And Aria - 'I'm All Alone Here In The Night' - 'As Once Before, With Night To Hide Him'
Thanks Be To You, O Gracious Patrons!, KV 383: Thanks Be To You, O Gracious Patrons!, KV 383 - Concert Aria For Soprano And Orchestra
King Arthur: Act V - Venus' Song - 'Fairest Isle'
Joshua: Achsah's Air - 'Oh! Had I Jubal's Lyre'
Semiramide: Act II - Semiramis And Arsaces' Duet - 'Dark Day Of Dread!
LaWally: Act I: Wally's Aria - 'I'll Float Into The Distance'
William Tell: Act II - Mathilde's Romance - 'Dark, Sombre Wood'
The Pearl Fishers: Act II - Leila And Nadir's Love Duet - 'Leila! Leila!' 'Lord Brahma! He Is Here!' - 'Your Heart Was Never Tuned To Mine'
The Rake's Progress: Act III - Anne's Lullaby - 'Gently, Little Boat'
The Mikado: Act II - Yum Yum's Song - 'The Sun, Whose Rays'
The Bird Seller: 'When You're Sent Roses In This Land'
Kiss Me, Kate,: Act I - Lilli Vanessi's Song: So In Love - 'Strange, Dear, But True, Dear'
The Immortal Hour: Act II - Midir's 'Faery Song' - 'How Beautiful They Are'

Customer Reviews:

Excellent collection of beautifully sung arias and songs.......2000-12-05

I am a newcomer to Yvonne Kenny's singing. Her performance at the Olympic Games in Sydney (at which she sang the Olympic Hymn) certainly left an impression on me. I was struck by the richness of voice, and this recital disk shows that quality off to great effect.

At this point in her career, Kenny's voice is not flashy; there are no coloratura fireworks or even high C's. What there is however, is someone who sings with clarity, charm, and ultimately with beauty. Kenny, like a great actor with the words, lets the music do the "talking" and proves an elegant and impassioned conduit for the composer whose work she is interpreting.

Hers is a mature voice, an intelligent voice perfect for Mozart and Strauss, the former of whom is represented here. On the disk she excels in the arias by Mozart, Purcell, and Handel. She also dispaches with class the songs of Gilbert/Sullivan and Cole Porter (in truly disarming fashion in the latter case). There is a elegance to her singing that is rare, but she does not sacrifice passion or committment. She comes across as a consumate musician above all.

On the technical side of things: Her diction is pristine. Enough said. She has one of the most beautiful middle registers of any soprano active today, and her vibrato is fresh and lively without being obtrusive. To be picky, the upper register can sound the tiniest bit forced. Yet taken into consideration with the rest of her efforts, this is a minor quibble which seems silly when I think of Kenny's deft negotiating of Handel's ornamentation or her solid trill throughout the disk.

Outstanding contributions also come from tenor Barry Banks in duets from "The Pear Fishers" and "Linda di Chamonix" (where he really shines) and mezzo Della Jones in a duet from "Semiramide".

This is one of the most satisfying recital disks I have ever heard, and I recommend it for anyone who is a fan of a simply beautiful voice.

A treasurable record of a truly great musician.......2000-08-26

Those who have not seen Yvonne Kenny in the theatre have really missed out. I have been fortunate to experience many of her great performances in the UK both in Handel and Mozart(perhaps the composers to whom her light, silvery soprano is best suited) but also her fabulous Feldmarschallin, a performance that for its subtlety and understanding of this enigmatic lady stands with the all time greats. It is partly preserved on a Chandos recording of Rosenkavalier highlights which for those unfamiliar with it is a real gem.

Kenny's voice has changed over the years both for better and worse. There is some scratchiness at the top nowadays (the aria from La Wally suffers seriously here and could perhaps with profit have been omitted) but her gorgeous timbre in the middle range remains seductive and fascinating, with its deliciously rounded production and seductive, resinous edge. She can still float a sensuous pianissimo. Above all, for a recording of arias in English. her diction is exemplary, and her understanding and use of text a model for others to follow.

The selection of works here is certainly eclectic and contains a number of relative rarities. Leila's and Mathilde's arias are beautiful pieces, beautifully sung; there is some lovely Handel and - especially - Purcell ("Fairest Isle" is all the more powerful for its simplicity) and the operetta and musical numbers are delivered with charm. She is probably too mature now for Ann Trulove, though "Gently, little boat" is touching. As a reminder of her past achievements in Bel Canto, she sings a duet from Semiramide and one from Linda di Chamonix ably partnered by Della Jones and Barry Banks respectively. Banks returns as Nadir to her Leila in a passionate account of an Act 2 scene from Pearl Fishers. The highlight of the set? Perhaps for me it is "So in Love" from Kiss me Kate, a performance that captures the bitterness and tragedy of this great piece perfectly.