A little change of pace for me since I've not offered any opera or much in the way of extended vocal works. Here is a unique recording conducted by Max Goberman: a setting of John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera as orchestrated and realized by Maestro Goberman. This set dates from 1962 and here in the monaural edition, we are offered one of the last records cut by Goberman prior to his early death at age 50.
For those that do not know the Beggar's Opera, it is a parody and pastiche created by lyricist John Gay and set to popular tunes of the day, many by then renowned Italian opera composer George Frederick Handel. Italian opera was widely popular in England during the first three decades of the 18th century and composers like Handel made gobs and gobs of money writing in a genre that few, if any, Englishmen could understand. Gay sought to satirize this craze with a bawdy parody which incorporated the simple English language of the people along with the air of the English "aristocratic" voice. The result of his efforts was a revolution in tastes as Italian opera collapsed and composer's, like Handel, would have to recreate themselves. In Handel's case, his genius conjured up an entirely new art form, the English biblical oratorio. Ironically, true opera in English would be slow to germinate, reaching its full flower two centuries after The Beggar's Opera with Britten's string of masterpieces.
For collector's, the name of Max Goberman needs no introduction. At the time of his death, he was in the middle of several pathbreaking series of the complete recorded orchestral works of Vivaldi and Haydn. Goberman combined scholarship with solid podium skills and he left us with a recorded legacy which at its best forces us to hear works with a "new" ear. This I think is the mark of a great musician. The Beggar's Opera presented here was the germination of years of research and Goberman adapted it for the modern audiences on Broadway since the theatre is where he began his career. Goberman's adaptation updates the language so American audiences can better understand the dialogue - 18th century English was a far different dialect and much is incomprehensible to the modern ear. Goberman's reorchestration is tasteful, minimal and quite atune to what we would call HIP.
I have included the cast information though admittedly, none of the singer's within the set ring a bell with me. The orchestra is unnamed and its too bad since they acquit themselves marvellously. This set was a co-production between Everest and the Library for Recorded Masterpieces.
Enjoy something out of the ordinary!
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