William Alwyn pondered an opera based on August Strindberg's play Miss Julie, a seething story of sex and class, as early as the 1950s, but he was dissatisfied by the libretto he received and resolved to write one himself. He did well: his text is a fine example of concision and plain language. Listen to the matter-of-fact, "Miss Julie is crazy" from her lust object, the valet Jean, at the beginning of Act 1. However, by 1977 when the opera had its premiere, fashions had passed Alwyn by, and modernism ruled the roost even ...
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William Alwyn pondered an opera based on August Strindberg's play Miss Julie, a seething story of sex and class, as early as the 1950s, but he was dissatisfied by the libretto he received and resolved to write one himself. He did well: his text is a fine example of concision and plain language. Listen to the matter-of-fact, "Miss Julie is crazy" from her lust object, the valet Jean, at the beginning of Act 1. However, by 1977 when the opera had its premiere, fashions had passed Alwyn by, and modernism ruled the roost even in Britain. The opera was recorded once, on the Lyrita label in 2004, but otherwise largely forgotten until the present conductor, Sakari Oramo, revived it in a 2019 concert production. The same conductor and singers, led by the superb Anna Patalong, are featured on this studio recording, and about the only complaint is that this work belongs on the operatic stage rather than just in the studio. It is an extremely compelling piece of musical drama that sweeps the listener inexorably...
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