Sir Richard Rodney Bennett: The Mines of Sulphur (2005)

by Beth Clayton (mezzo-soprano), Brandon Jovanovich (tenor), Brian Anderson (tenor), Caroline Worra (soprano), Dorothy Byrne (mezzo-soprano), James Maddalena (baritone), Kristopher Irmiter (bass baritone), Michael Todd Simpson (baritone)

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett's 1965 opera The Mines of Sulphur was commissioned by Sadler's Wells and was very well received at its premiere. It went on to have productions at numerous European opera houses, including La Scala, but quickly faded into obscurity. Performances at Glimmerglass Opera in 2004, in a joint production with the New York City Opera, were hugely successful and resulted in this Chandos recording. Set in rural England in the seventeenth century, the opera tells the story of Rosalind, a gypsy, in league ... Read More

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett's 1965 opera The Mines of Sulphur was commissioned by Sadler's Wells and was very well received at its premiere. It went on to have productions at numerous European opera houses, including La Scala, but quickly faded into obscurity. Performances at Glimmerglass Opera in 2004, in a joint production with the New York City Opera, were hugely successful and resulted in this Chandos recording. Set in rural England in the seventeenth century, the opera tells the story of Rosalind, a gypsy, in league with Tovey, a tramp, and Boconnion, a deserter, who murders a wealthy landowner for his treasure. Before they can leave his mansion, they offer refuge to a band of traveling players in exchange for a performance of a play, leading to a devastating conclusion. Part of the opera's strength lies in Beverley Cross' taut and dramatic libretto. The music is atonal, although not strictly serial, so there are few hummable tunes, but Bennett is a natural stage composer and an evocative... Read Less