{"product_id":"paco243-cd","title":"PRITCHARD: Britten - Gloriana (Première, 1953) - PACO243 - CD","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRITTEN\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eGloriana\u003c\/i\u003e, Op. 53\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eWorld première recording, 8 June 1953\u003cbr\u003eBBC broadcast • Original 1953 version • Ambient Stereo\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration: 2:24:56\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eQueen Elizabeth I - \u003cb\u003eJoan Cross\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRobert Devereux, Earl of Essex - \u003cb\u003ePeter Pears\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCovent Garden Opera Chorus\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCovent Garden Orchestra\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003econducted by \u003cb\u003eJohn Pritchard\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PACO243.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eGLORIANA: CEREMONY AND SOLITUDE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\"\u003eBritten’s \u003ci\u003eGloriana\u003c\/i\u003e was written for one of the most conspicuous occasions imaginable: the Coronation season of Elizabeth II. Yet the opera he and his librettist William Plomer produced was anything but conventional pageantry. Their subject was the ageing Elizabeth I, caught between the demands of sovereignty and her dangerous attachment to Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. The idea had emerged during a skiing holiday early in 1952, when Britten, Peter Pears and George Lascelles, Earl of Harewood, discussed the absence of a modern English “national opera”. Harewood suggested Lytton Strachey’s \u003ci\u003eElizabeth and Essex\u003c\/i\u003e as a possible source, and Britten quickly recognised in it a theme that suited him perfectly: the collision between public duty and private emotion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\"\u003ePlomer’s libretto drew on Strachey, but also on Elizabeth’s own words and writings, while one of Essex’s lute songs uses verse attributed to Essex himself. Britten responded with his most overtly ceremonial score, employing large choral scenes, dances, pageantry and music suggestive of the Elizabethan period. But beneath the public splendour lies a much more intimate drama. Again and again ceremony gives way to solitude: the Queen is acclaimed by her people, then shown alone; political authority alternates with emotional vulnerability; the brilliant dances and formal entertainments of court life lead eventually to betrayal, rebellion and the signing of Essex’s death warrant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\"\u003eThe opera was composed at remarkable speed between the autumn of 1952 and March 1953. Even the catastrophic North Sea flood of January 1953, which inundated Britten’s Aldeburgh home and threatened his manuscripts, scarcely halted the work. Imogen Holst helped rescue the papers, and Britten continued writing amid the disruption, completing the score less than three months before the first performance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\"\u003eThat première took place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 8 June 1953, six days after the Coronation. John Pritchard conducted, Basil Coleman produced, John Piper designed the sets and costumes, and John Cranko provided the choreography. Joan Cross created Elizabeth, with Peter Pears as Essex, Monica Sinclair as the Countess of Essex, Geraint Evans as Mountjoy and Jennifer Vyvyan as Lady Rich. Many belonged to the circle of performers already closely associated with Britten’s operas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\"\u003eThe first night has passed into history as one of British opera’s great disasters, but the truth is more complicated. This was no ordinary première audience. The house was filled with royalty, politicians, diplomats and visiting dignitaries who had remained in London for the Coronation festivities. Britten had been commissioned to write an opera for a national celebration, yet had produced a searching study of an ageing monarch who must sacrifice personal happiness to the office she occupies. The mismatch between occasion and subject was profound. The opera offered neither patriotic reassurance nor a flattering Tudor pageant, but a ruler whose authority is inseparable from age, jealousy and emotional loss. The gala audience was restrained, and sections of the press were openly hostile, objecting as much to Britten’s portrayal of Elizabeth as to the music itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\"\u003eOther contemporary reactions were considerably more favourable. Critics listening to the BBC relay praised the work’s invention, pageantry and psychological insight, while Andrew Porter mounted an extensive defence of both its dramatic construction and its music. Reports of the première describe sustained applause from the Queen, and the second performance is said to have received eleven curtain calls. The famous “Gloriana fiasco” was therefore not a simple story of universal rejection, but a difficult first night rapidly hardened into legend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\"\u003eThe opera nevertheless disappeared from Covent Garden after its initial run, and its reputation recovered only gradually. A major revival in 1966, for which Britten revised parts of the score, helped establish that \u003ci\u003eGloriana\u003c\/i\u003e could succeed powerfully once freed from the ceremonial expectations surrounding its birth. The BBC broadcast preserved here is therefore of particular importance. It allows us to hear the original 1953 conception, before those later revisions, and to encounter the work through the very medium in which some of its earliest listeners responded most warmly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; text-align: left;\"\u003eMore than seventy years on, \u003ci\u003eGloriana\u003c\/i\u003e seems far less an embarrassing Coronation miscalculation than a characteristically perceptive Britten opera. Asked to celebrate monarchy, he chose instead to explore its cost. The splendour is certainly there, but so are loneliness, compromise and mortality. In that tension between public image and private truth lies the work’s enduring strength.\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"font-size: 24px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRITTEN\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eGloriana\u003c\/i\u003e, Op. 53\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eOpera in Three Acts\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCD 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e (68:44)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e01.\u003c\/span\u003e RADIO Introduction \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(0:58)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct 1, Scene 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e02.\u003c\/span\u003e Prelude \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:18)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e03.\u003c\/span\u003e The Tournament \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(4:04)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e04.\u003c\/span\u003e Recitative \u0026amp; Fight \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:23)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e05.\u003c\/span\u003e Entrance of the Queen \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:30)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e06.\u003c\/span\u003e Recitative \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:04)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e07.\u003c\/span\u003e The Two Lords' Explanation \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:20)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e08.\u003c\/span\u003e Raleigh's Song \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:37)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e09.\u003c\/span\u003e Ensemble of Reconciliation \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(4:56)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e10.\u003c\/span\u003e Recitative \u0026amp; Final March \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:30)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct 1, Scene 2\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e11.\u003c\/span\u003e Prelude \u0026amp; Dialogue \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:02)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e12.\u003c\/span\u003e The Queen's Song \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:02)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e13.\u003c\/span\u003e Cecil's Song of Government \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:44)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e14.\u003c\/span\u003e Recitative \u0026amp; Essex's Entry \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:19)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e15.\u003c\/span\u003e First Lute Song \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:38)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e16.\u003c\/span\u003e Second Lute Song \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(3:52)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e17.\u003c\/span\u003e The First Duet for the Queen \u0026amp; Essex \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(3:56)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e18.\u003c\/span\u003e Soliloquy \u0026amp; Prayer \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(4:56)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct 2, Scene 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e19.\u003c\/span\u003e Prelude \u0026amp; Welcome \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(3:53)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e20.\u003c\/span\u003e The Masque \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(9:49)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e21.\u003c\/span\u003e Finale \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:48)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct 2, Scene 2\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e22.\u003c\/span\u003e Prelude \u0026amp; Song \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:21)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e23.\u003c\/span\u003e Duet \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:20)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e24.\u003c\/span\u003e Double Duet \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:45)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e25.\u003c\/span\u003e Quartet \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(3:38)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCD 2\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e (76:12)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct 2, Scene 3\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e26.\u003c\/span\u003e Pavane \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:46)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e27.\u003c\/span\u003e Conversation \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:24)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e28.\u003c\/span\u003e Galliard \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:05)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e29.\u003c\/span\u003e Conversation \u0026amp; the Queen's Entrance \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:05)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e30.\u003c\/span\u003e Lavolta \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:29)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e31.\u003c\/span\u003e Conversation \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(0:43)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e32.\u003c\/span\u003e Morris Dance \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:34)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e33.\u003c\/span\u003e Recitative \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(0:28)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e34.\u003c\/span\u003e The Queen's Burlesque \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:38)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e35.\u003c\/span\u003e Quartet \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:27)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e36.\u003c\/span\u003e March \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(0:34)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e37.\u003c\/span\u003e The Queen's Announcement \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:07)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e38.\u003c\/span\u003e Ensemble \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(3:05)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e39.\u003c\/span\u003e Coranto \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:34)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct 3, Scene 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e40.\u003c\/span\u003e Prelude \u0026amp; Chatter \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:55)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e41.\u003c\/span\u003e Essex's Intrusion \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(0:55)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e42.\u003c\/span\u003e The Second Duet of the Queen \u0026amp; Essex \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(7:56)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e43.\u003c\/span\u003e The Dressing-Table Song \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:24)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e44.\u003c\/span\u003e The Entrance of Cecil \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:09)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e45.\u003c\/span\u003e Cecil's Report \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(0:47)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e46.\u003c\/span\u003e Discussion \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(0:52)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e47.\u003c\/span\u003e The Queen's Decision \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:34)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct 3, Scene 2\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e48.\u003c\/span\u003e Ballad - Rondo \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(9:38)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct 3, Scene 3\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e49.\u003c\/span\u003e Prelude \u0026amp; Verdict \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(5:12)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e50.\u003c\/span\u003e Cecil's Warning \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:09)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e51.\u003c\/span\u003e The Queen's Dilemma \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:46)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e52.\u003c\/span\u003e Trio \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:21)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e53.\u003c\/span\u003e Lady Essex's Pleading \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(2:25)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e54.\u003c\/span\u003e Penelope Rich's Pleading \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:46)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e55.\u003c\/span\u003e Epilogue \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(9:09)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e56.\u003c\/span\u003e RADIO Conclusion \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e(1:16)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCast\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eQueen Elizabeth I - \u003cb\u003eJoan Cross\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nRobert Devereux, Earl of Essex - \u003cb\u003ePeter Pears\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFrances, Countess of Essex - \u003cb\u003eMonica Sinclair\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nCharles Blount, Lord Mountjoy - \u003cb\u003eGeraint Evans\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nPenelope, Lady Rich - \u003cb\u003eJennifer Vyvyan\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nSir Robert Cecil - \u003cb\u003eArnold Matters\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nSir Walter Raleigh - \u003cb\u003eFrederick Dalberg\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nHenry Cuffe - \u003cb\u003eRonald Lewis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nLady-in-Waiting - \u003cb\u003eAdele Leigh\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nBlind Ballad-Singer - \u003cb\u003eInia Te Wiata\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nRecorder of Norwich - \u003cb\u003eMichael Langdon\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nHousewife - \u003cb\u003eEdith Coates\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nSpirit of the Masque - \u003cb\u003eWilliam McAlpine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nMaster of Ceremonies - \u003cb\u003eDavid Tree\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nCity Crier - \u003cb\u003eRhydderch Davies\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nSir John Harington - \u003cb\u003eLeonard Law\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFrench Ambassador - \u003cb\u003eRonald Firmager\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCovent Garden Opera Chorus\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCovent Garden Orchestra\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003econducted by \u003cb\u003eJohn Pritchard\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003eBasil Coleman, producer\u003cbr\u003eJohn Piper, designs\u003cbr\u003eJohn Cranko, choreography\u003cbr\u003eDouglas Robinson, chorus master\u003cbr\u003eCharles Taylor, leader\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003eWorld première recorded live by the BBC at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, 8 June 1953.\u003cbr\u003eOriginal 1953 version.\u003cbr\u003eXR remastering by \u003cb\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal duration: 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