Description: Gerhard: The Plague; Walton: Façade; Stravinsky: The Soldier’s Tale/2 CDs Decca Gerhard: The Plague; Walton: Façade; Stravinsky: The Soldier’s TaleAntal Dorati; William WaltonA trio of twentieth-century classics, sardonic and timely tales, in long-unavailable Decca/Argo recordings from the 1970s. Roberto Gerhard’s imagination was immediately fired by reading Albert Camus’ 1947 novel, La Peste, about a French-Algerian town in the sudden grip of bubonic plague. He determined to make a musical setting (The Plague), and after its premiere in 1964 few were left unmoved, or in any doubt about the work’s significance as a bitter, retrospective allegory on the evils of Nazism so recently extinguished. Now that Gerhard’s score has taken on a new and unwonted relevance, this reissue of its first recording on Decca should win new converts to his music. It is led with remarkable sympathy by Antal Doráti, the Hungarian-born conductor who had become a friend of the composer as well as a mainstay of the Decca and Mercury catalogues. It was through Gerhard that Doráti met William Glock, who engaged him as principal conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Originally issued by Argo, the 1972 recording of Walton’s Façade enjoys a unique authority as the composer’s only stereo version of the score, featuring Peggy Ashcroft and Paul Scofield as narrators. Though Walton arranged and revised the score many times after its scandalous premiere in 1922, for the Argo recording he returned to his 1951 version scored for the original combination of six instruments. Ashcroft – in the tradition of Façade’s author and first narrator, Edith Sitwell – and Scofield declaim the absurdist texts with all their famed resources of nuance, timing and eloquence. To record The Soldier’s Tale in 1975, Decca acquired the services of Glenda Jackson, known worldwide at the time for her Oscar-winning performance in Women in Love (1969) and Ken Russell’s next film, The Music Lovers (1970), in which she played the unfortunate wife of Tchaikovsky. She was joined in Decca’s Hampstead studios by the Irish actor and founder of Dublin’s Gate Theatre, Micheál Mac Liammóir, and none other than Rudolf Nureyev, who gave a somewhat stilted, authentically arch performance as the Soldier of the tale. They were backed by a small ensemble of expert London-based musicians, headed by the former leader of the London Symphony Orchestra, Erich Gruenberg, in a rare, complete recording of Stravinsky’s original version of the score, with a new translation of the narrative. ROBERTO GERHARD (1896–1970)The PlagueAlec McCowen, narratorNational Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Washington D.C.Antal Doráti SIR WILLIAM WALTON (1902–1983)FaçadeDame Peggy Ashcroft, Paul Scofield, recitersLondon SinfoniettaSir William Walton IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882–1971)The Soldier’s TaleGlenda Jackson, narratorRudolf Nureyev, soldierMicheál Mac Liammóir, The DevilInstrumental Ensemble directed by Gennady Zalkowitsch Recording Producers: James Mallinson (Gerhard); Michael Bremner (Walton); Christopher Raeburn (Stravinsky: music), Harley Usill (Stravinsky: narration)Balance Engineers: Kenneth Wilkinson, Colin Moorfoot, Michael Mailes (Gerhard); Stanley Goodall (Walton); Iain Churches (Stravinsky: music), Kevin Daly (Stravinsky: narration)Recording Locations: Constitution Hall, Washington D.C., USA, 11 May 1973 (Gerhard); Abbey Road Studio 1, London, UK, 5–7 May 1969 (Walton: music), Air Studios, London, UK, 9, 10, 16–18 & 21 February 1972 (Walton: recitation); Decca Studios, Tollington Park, London, UK, 5 September 1975 (Stravinsky: music), Argo Studios, London, UK, September 1975 (Stravinsky: narration)Original Releases: Decca ‘Headline’: HEAD 6 (Gerhard): November 1974; Argo ZRG 649 (Walton): May 1972; Argo ZNF 15 (Stravinsky): June 1977 PICTURES ARE OF THE ACTUAL CD WE ARE OFFERING ebay Top Rated Plus seller program We care as much about your item as you do which is why each item is carefully packaged to ensure safe delivery. We ship within one day (excluding weekends & holidays) from your payment and upload tracking information automatically. Faster Shipping For U.S. shipments you have the option at checkout of switching to USPS Ground Advantage or USPS Priority Mail, for an extra charge. Can you combine multiple orders into one shipment? We will always do our best to combine orders when possible. If it is not working during ordering, put multiple items in your cart & request an invoice. If we see that shipping was overcharged, we will issue a refund. Late Delivery In the event of your order being delayed or lost in the post, we will do our best to provide a suitable resolution. While we aim to deliver your order in the time frame specified, transit delays outside of our control can occur. Because of this, we would ask that you allow the following amount of time before contacting us about your late order(s): US – 21-35 days International – 31-40 days CD Jewel Cases are not graded and not guaranteed original They are fragile and unfortunately can break in shipping. If they arrive cracked we advise just buying a new one for about 35 cents and replacing it. We do not accept returns solely for broken/worn jewel cases. What is your return policy? Hassle-free returns accepted within 30 days with free US return shipping. Refer to eBay Return policy for more details. You are covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee if you receive an item that is not as described in the listing. International Buyers – Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying. It is illegal and against eBay policy to list a lower value on customs forms. eBay handles all international shipping for us - we don't see that money or even your address. U.S. State Sales Tax / International VAT eBay collects and remits US Sales Tax for almost 30 states, plus foreign VAT for AU, NZ, and the EU. We do not receive or deal with this money at all.
Price: 22.99 USD
Location: Los Angeles, California
End Time: 2025-01-14T18:01:48.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Return policy details:
Type: Album
Country/Region of Manufacture: Australia
Language: English
Composer: Igor Stravinsky, Sir William Walton, Roberto Gerhard
Conductor: Antal Dorati, Sir William Walton, Gennady Zalkowitsch
Run Time: 143:26
UPC: 028948422005
Number of Discs: 2
Format: CD
Release Year: 2021
Genre: Classical Artists
Artist: Gerhard / Walton / Stravinsky / Dorati
Record Label: Eloa, Eloquence Australia
Release Title: Gerhard: the Plague / Walton: Facade / Stravinsky: the Soldier's Tale