Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Donald Macleod finds opera to be alive and well in the 21st century. On the show, works by Boesmans, Ferneyhough and Barry that are to varying degrees 'comic'.

In conversation with novelist, critic and opera librettist Paul Griffiths, Donald Macleod gives opera a health-check, and finds it to be alive and well in the 21st century. Today they consider works by Philippe Boesmans, Brian Ferneyhough and Gerald Barry that in different ways and to varying degrees fall within the tradition of comic opera.

Gerald Barry
The Importance of Being Earnest:
Act 2, conclusion - 'And this is what you call Bunburying!?'
Peter Tantsits, tenor (Jack Worthing)
Joshua Bloom, baritone (Algernon Moncrieff)
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Thomas Adès, conductor

Philippe Boesmans
Yvonne, princesse de Bourgogne: Act 4 scene 2
Paul Gay, bass-baritone (Le Roi Ignace)
Victor von Halem, bass (Le Chambellan)
Mireille Delunsch, soprano (Le Reine Marguerite)
Klangforum Wien
Sylvain Cambreling, conductor

Brian Ferneyhough
Shadowtime: Scene 5 - Pools of Darkness (11 Interrogations)
Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart
Nieuw Ensemble
Jurjen Hempel, conductor

Gerald Barry
The Importance of Being Earnest: Act 2, excerpt
Barbara Hannigan, soprano (Cecily Cardew)
Hilary Summers, contralto (Miss Prism)
Joshua Bloom, baritone (Algernon Moncrieff)
Joshua Hart, speaker (Dr Chasuble)
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Thomas Adès, conductor.

1 hour

Last on

Thu 7 Dec 2017 12:00

Music Played

  • Gerald Barry

    The Importance of being earnest - And this is what you call Bunburying!

    Orchestra: Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. Conductor: Thomas Adès. Singer: Barbara Hannigan. Singer: Hilary Summers.
    • NMC : D-197.
    • NMC.
    • 12.
  • Philippe Boesmans

    Yvonne, princesse de Bourgogne - Act 4 scene 2

    Ensemble: Klangforum Wien. Singer: Mireille Delunsch. Singer: Yann Beuron. Singer: Victor von Halem. Singer: Paul Gay. Conductor: Sylvain Cambreling.
    • Philippe Boesmans ‎– Yvonne, Princesse De Bourgogne.
    • CYPRES.
    • 2.
  • Brian Ferneyhough

    Shadowtime - Scene 5 Pools of Darkness (11 Interrogations)

    Performer: Nicolas Hodges. Performer: Mats Scheidegger. Conductor: Jurjen Hempel. Narrator: Nicolas Hodges. Ensemble: Neue Vocalsolisten. Ensemble: Amsterdam Nieuw Ensemble.
    • Brian Ferneyhough Shadowtime.
    • 4.
  • Gerald Barry

    The Importance Of Being Earnest - Act 2, extract

    Singer: Alan Ewing. Singer: Peter Tantsits. Singer: Katalin Károlyi. Ensemble: Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. Conductor: Thomas Adès.
    • The Importance of Being Earnest.
    • NMC.
    • 8.

Broadcast

  • Thu 7 Dec 2017 12:00

Vaughan Williams Today

Vaughan Williams Today

Programmes, concerts and features celebrating Vaughan Williams's 150th anniversary.

Beethoven Unleashed – the box set

Beethoven Unleashed – the box set

The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems

Composers A to Z

Composers A to Z

Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod’s best stories from the last 20 years

Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem

What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?

A man out of time – why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...

The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.

Composer Help Page

Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.