Offer,Britten: The Rape of Lucretia

Sarah Connolly (Lucretia), Christopher Maltman (Tarquinius), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Bianca), Mary Nelson (Lucia), Leigh Melrose (Junius), Clive Bayley (Collatinus), Orla Boylan (Female Chorus) & John Mark Ainsley (Male Chorus)

English National Opera, Paul Daniel (conductor) & David McVicar...

The main cast delivers a superlative response from start to finish, headed by baritone Christopher Maltman's bull-like Tarquinius and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly's harrowingly intense Lucretia...Top-flight... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2014, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 4th Nov 2013
Catalogue No: OA1123D
Label: Opus Arte

Opera

April 2014

Recording of the Month

Britten: The Rape of Lucretia

Recorded live at the Aldeburgh Festival, The Maltings, Snape, 2001
Sarah Connolly (Lucretia), Christopher Maltman (Tarquinius), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Bianca), Mary Nelson (Lucia), Leigh Melrose (Junius), Clive Bayley (Collatinus), Orla Boylan (Female Chorus) & John Mark Ainsley (Male Chorus)
English National Opera
Paul Daniel (conductor) & David McVicar (stage director)

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About

Sarah Connolly's 'outstanding' (The Guardian) portrayal of the wronged Roman noblewoman, written originally for Kathleen Ferrier, lies at the heart of David McVicar's powerfully stark production for English National Opera as 'an everyday sort of woman who could be living at any time or place.' Her nemesis is the arrogant Tarquinius of Christopher Maltman, 'who made the air tingle with danger' (Financial Times). Filmed by the BBC at Snape Maltings during the production’s premiere run at the 2001 Aldeburgh Festival.

Hugely acclaimed Aldeburgh/ENO production from 2001.

Britten’s “chamber opera” was premiered at Glyndebourne in 1946, representing a stylistic departure from the grander Peter Grimes the previous year.

Based on the legend of Lucretia who is raped by the Roman tyrant Tarquinius but kills herself rather than live with the shame.

Contains scenes of sexual violence.

Extra features: Cast gallery.

Running time: 120 minutes

Subtitles EN/FR/DE/JP/KO

Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS

Artists

English National Opera, Paul Daniel (conductor) & David McVicar (stage director)

Reviews

January 2014

The main cast delivers a superlative response from start to finish, headed by baritone Christopher Maltman's bull-like Tarquinius and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly's harrowingly intense Lucretia...Top-flight instrumental playing enhances an impressive release.

February 2014

McVicar typically finds clarity and purpose amid the opera's convoluted story-telling...Connolly's performance sets a standard that's perhaps as important to The Rape of Lucretia as Jon Vickers was to Peter Grimes. Daniel makes every note count in this ultra-spare score.

February 2014

Ainsley is superb...Melrose as Junius brilliantly brings out the weakness of character...Bayley's Collatinus is nobe of bearing and deeply touching both vocally and physically...Connolly is quite simply magnificent as Lucretia, taking the audience with her throughout...superbly well sung, played and acted.

12th March 2014

[Maltman] gets right into the physicality of the role, projecting himself forward with all the character’s lascivious selfishness...Connolly makes a wonderful Lucretia, too. She is dignified and noble throughout...In many ways the greatest revelations come from the Male and Female chorus, both excellently sung. Add in the expert playing of the ENO chamber ensemble and Paul Daniel’s intelligent conducting, and you have a winner on your hands.

April 2014

Rather than lavish praise on the whole cast, I would only single out Christopher Maltman’s insecure Tarquinius, rather more than just a thug, and Leigh Melrose (Junius), who uses body language to turn what can seem like a subsidiary role into a major player, the cynical opportunist using human pain for political advantage. Paul Daniel leads a perfectly paced reading with members of the ENO orchestra.

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Offer,Britten: The Rape of Lucretia

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