大象传媒

Ethel Smyth's one-act dramatic opera set in a German forest in the Middle Ages. John Murray conducts a cast of British soloists with the 大象传媒 Singers and 大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra. Der Wald is a taut, brooding drama where the simplicity of village life comes under threat from the uncontrollable desires unleashed by the darkness of the forest. Richly orchestrated, harmonically daring, and demanding a huge expressive range from the cast, the narrative drives relentlessly forward from wedding to tragedy in a single act, observed pitilessly by the eternal spirits of the forest. Smyth wrote it between 1899 and 1901 to a German libretto by Henry Brewster. It was her second opera and it was premiered in 1902 at the K枚nigliches Opernhaus in Berlin. This performance uses Smyth鈥檚 own English version of the libretto.

Landgrave Rudolf ..... Morgan Pearse (baritone)
Iolanthe, his mistress ..... Claire Barnett-Jones (mezzo-soprano)
Heinrich, a young woodcutter ..... Robert Murray (tenor)
Peter, a woodman ..... Matthew Brook (bass)
Roschen, Peter's daughter, betrothed to Heinrich ..... Natalya Romaniw (soprano)
A Pedlar, with a bear ..... Andrew Shore (baritone)
Peasants, Huntsmen, Chorus of Wood Spirits ..... 大象传媒 Singers
大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra
John Andrews (conductor)

Synopsis
In the prologue, wood spirits sing of the peace of the eternal forest. The action begins on the day before the wedding of R枚schen with the young woodcutter Heinrich. Peasants celebrate the happy event and buy trinkets from a pedlar to give to R枚schen, who sings of her happiness. Suddenly a weird horn-call is heard: it signals the sinister Iolanthe, mistress of Rudolf, the local Landgraf. Heinrich comes to find R枚schen, bringing with him a forbidden present: a newly-killed deer, which they hide down the well. The lovers look forward to the morrow, and R枚schen goes into her cottage. Iolanthe next comes upon Heinrich and, impressed with his good looks, attempts to lure him into her service. He refuses and she vows vengeance. Her chance comes when the deer is revealed in the well. Iolanthe forces Heinrich to choose between going with her, or suffering the penalty for killing the deer. He chooses the latter, and her huntsmen stab him. In the epilogue, the wood spirits resume their commentary on the transience of human concerns.

(Synopsis with kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes)