Dive into the rich tapestry of Lennox Berkeley's "Ruth," a captivating chamber music album that brings to life the biblical story of Ruth through a series of beautifully composed scenes. Released in 2010 by mpLive, this album is a testament to Berkeley's mastery of the genre, offering a profound and engaging listening experience that spans nearly 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Composed by the esteemed English composer Lennox Berkeley, "Ruth" is a three-act opera that delves into the timeless themes of love, loyalty, and redemption. Each of the 37 tracks on this album is meticulously crafted, featuring a stellar cast of vocalists and musicians who bring the narrative to life with stunning clarity and depth. The album includes notable performances by April Cantelo, Thomas Hemsley, Anna Pollak, and Sir Peter Pears, among others, all conducted by the renowned Sir Charles Mackerras.
The album begins with an announcer setting the stage, followed by an introduction by Lord Harewood, who provides historical and cultural context for the opera. The scenes that follow are a blend of solo arias, duets, and choral pieces, each contributing to the overarching narrative. From the poignant "Once More I See Your Green and Golden Hills, O Judah" to the triumphant "Rejoice, O Israel, Rejoice," the music is both evocative and powerful, showcasing Berkeley's ability to convey complex emotions through his compositions.
"Ruth" is not just a collection of songs; it is a fully realized opera that tells a compelling story through music. The album's duration and the intricacy of its composition make it an ideal choice for those who appreciate the depth and richness of chamber music. Whether you are a seasoned fan of Lennox Berkeley's work or a newcomer to his compositions, "Ruth" offers a rewarding and immersive listening experience that highlights the beauty and complexity of this timeless tale.
2010 Music Preserved2010 Music Preserved
Tracks
Ruth, Op. 50: AnnouncerLennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50: Introduction by Lord HarewoodLennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 1: PreludeLennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 1: "Once More I See Your Green and Golden Hills, O Judah"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 1: "Turn Back, My Daughters"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 1: "Almighty Father, Let My Cry Come Unto Thee"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 1: "Ah, Must I Leave Thee? Must We Part?"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 1: "Wither Thou Goest, I Will Go"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 1: "See! Is This Naomi?"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 1: "Now, Call Me Not Naomi, Call Me Mara"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 1: "Where, O Where Is Naomi?"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50: Introduction to Scene 2 by Lord HarewoodLennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "Gold Grows the Barley on Hillside and Valley"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "Greetings, Men of Judah"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "The Scattered Ear of Corn"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "Come, Let Us Go Forth Together"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "Stay, Men of Judah"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "I Had No Wish to Anger Them"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "Ah, Let Not Anger Fill Your Eyes!"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "Whence Cometh This to Me"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "The Scatter'd Ear of Corn"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 2: "Introduction to Scene 3 by Lord Harewood"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Opening...This Is the Place! Come Daughter"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Fear Not, Beloved Ruth"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Golden Ripe the Barley Grows"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Lord of the Harvest, What Are Thy Commands?"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Winter Time Is the Time to Plough"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Across the Field the Long Slow Line of Reapers Goes A-Reaping"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Dance, Come Dance, Dance Within the Bring"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "O Clap Your Hands, All Ye People!"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Go Now, My Daughter"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Master!"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Thou Comest in the Stillness of the Night"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Lo, My Beloved, My Soul's Delight, to Thee I Give My Hand"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Behold This Maid"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Rejoice, O Israel, Rejoice"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Ruth, Op. 50, Scene 3: "Announcer"Lennox Berkeley, Una Hale, April Cantelo, Anna Pollak, Sir Peter Pears, Thomas Hemsley, Chorus and Orchestra of The English Opera Group, Sir Charles Mackerras
Sir Lennox Berkeley, born into an aristocratic family in Oxford in 1903, was a seminal figure in 20th-century English music, renowned for his compositions and teaching. He studied at Oxford University and later with the esteemed Nadia Boulanger in Paris, where he befriended notable composers such as Francis Poulenc, Igor Stravinsky, and Darius Milhaud. Berkeley's music is celebrated for its light textures, piquant harmonies, and a distinctly French refinement, reflecting the influences of his mentors and peers. His works span a wide range of forms, including operas, orchestral pieces, piano compositions, and chamber music, with a particular reputation for his choral works, notably the Stabat Mater. Converting to Roman Catholicism in 1929, Berkeley's faith significantly inspired his compositions. Throughout his career, he was known for his dedication to music and his special bond with his son, Michael Berkeley. Berkeley's legacy continues to be promoted by the Lennox Berkeley Society, ensuring his contributions to English music endure.
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Berkeley: Ruth - Lennox Berkeley - Vinyl LP
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