Vaughan Williams: The Poisoned Kiss

Vaughan Williams: The Poisoned Kiss

Vaughan Williams: The Poisoned Kiss
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CD Details

Performer: Neal Davies
Performer: Richard Suart
Performer: Roderick Williams
Composer: Ralph Vaughan Williams
Conductor: Richard Hickox
Performer: Emer McGilloway
Performer: Pamela Helen Stephen
Orchestra: BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Performer: Gail Pearson
Performer: Helen Williams
Performer: Janice Watson
Performer: James Gilchrist
Performer: John Graham-Hill
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 2003-11-25
Music Label: Chandos
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. Overture
  2. No. 2 Opening Chorus: 'Secret Are The Sounds...'
  3. No. 3 Scena - Gallanthus: 'What's That?'
  4. No. 4. Scena Angelica: 'Day Is Dawning'
  5. No. 5. Duet - Gallanthus: 'It's Really Time...'
  6. No. 6 Ensemble - Hob, Lob And Gob: 'Here We Come...'
  7. No. 7 Duet And Chorus - Dispacus: 'I'm A Sorcerer Bold'
  8. No. 8 Duet - Amaryllus - 'It's True I'm Inclined...'
  9. No. 9 Ensemble - Tormentilla: 'Hush, Lovely Cobra'
  10. Amaryllus: 'Desist, lest You Die!'
  11. No. 10 Duet - Amaryllus: 'I KNow We See...'
  12. Amaryllus: 'Blue Larkspur In A Garden'
  13. No. 11 Ensemble - Dispacus: 'Who's In My Forest?'
  14. Dispacus: 'North Wind, South Wind'
  15. Tormentilla: 'Angelica?'
  16. Amaryllus And Gallanthus: 'O, Come To Our Arms'
  17. No. 12 Song - Tormentilla: 'O Who Would Be...'
  18. No. 13 Finale - Dispacus: 'All Is Ready!'
  19. No. 14 Introduction
  20. No. 15 Chorus - 'Here We Come'
  21. No. 16 Song And Chorus - Angelica And Flower Girls: 'By All The Powers...'
  22. No. 17 Trio - Lob: 'Ho There!'
  23. No. 18 Duet - Angelica: 'It Does Not Appear...'
  24. No. 19 Trio - Third Medium: 'If You Want To Escape'
Music CD 2
  1. No. 20 Chorus - 'Tormentilla! Tormentilla!'
  2. No. 21 Song And Duet - Tormentilla; 'There Was...'
  3. No. 22 Ensemble - Amaryllus: 'was Here It Bade...'
  4. No. 23 Serenade - Amaryllus: 'Dear Love, Behold...'
  5. No. 24 Duet - Tormentilla: 'Sleeping Or Waking'
  6. Tormentilla: 'You Must Not Kiss Me'
  7. No. 26 Finale. Tormentilla: 'Too Dark For Me...'
  8. No. 27 Introduction
  9. No. 28 Trio - Mediums: 'Behold Our Mystic...'
  10. No. 29 Ensemble - Empress: 'Monstrous Vision!'
  11. No. 30 Ballad - Empress: When I Was Young...'
  12. No. 31 Ensemble - Empress: 'You Can Leave Us'
  13. No. 32 Duet - Tormentilla: 'Is My Love Alive?'
  14. Empress: 'Love Breaks All Rules...'
  15. No. 33 Invocation - Empress: 'Imps And Demons'
  16. No. 34 Ensemble - Empress: 'Come, O Gentle Powers'
  17. No. 35 Duet - Empress: 'Can You, Can You Remember'
  18. No. 36 Quartet - All: Love In A Hut...'
  19. No. 37 Sextet - First Medium: 'Horrid Monster!'
  20. No. 38 Duet - Gallanthus: 'It's The Proper Thing To Do'
  21. No. 39 Finale - Chorus: 'Love Has Conquered!'

Music reviews of Vaughan Williams: The Poisoned Kiss

Music Review: Some tantalizing music well captured by Hickox & Company.
Rating: 5 Stars

According to Stephen Connock's well written booklet essay, Ralph Vaughan Williams began composing "The Poisoned Kiss" in 1927 while working on both "Sir John in Love" and "Job." Vaughan Williams was truly an emerging composer at the time, but "The Poisoned Kiss" had virtually no luck on stage (dated and contrived text particularly in extensive dialogues throughout were the main reasons for this). Evelyn Sharp, a well-known journalist and author of fairytales in her own right, was chosen as the librettist for this project (and she was known for her satire). Ms. Sharp based her libretto on Dr. Richard Garnett's "The Poison Maid" (adapted by Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Rappaccini's Daughter", the themes of which that was developed into "The Scarlet Letter"). However, Ms. Sharp faced, as did Vaughan Williams, the dilemma between balancing the work between comedy and drama. Because the composer deemed the music not amusing enough and the libretto long-winded and scrappy, revisions took place in 1936. Clearly Gilbert & Sullivan were the main influences here, but the dilemma remained as to the question of the aforementioned balance. After the much abridged performance took place on May 12th, 1936 in the Arts Theatre, Cambridge, the composer remained dissatisfied and took the opportunity to purchase rights to the text from Ms. Sharp's executors (she passed on in June of 1955) for further revisions, which commenced in 1956-1957. His second wife, Urusula Vaughan Williams, polished the dialogue and made the libretto closer to Richard Garnett's story.

Clearly Vaughan-Williams had much love and faith in his work. And while the opera has its shortcomings, it is worth appreciation. The story unfolds as follows: Tormentella, Dipsacus' daughter and a young Empress, is in love with Prince Amaryllus, himself a young magician and the son of Empress Persicaria. They were forbidden to marry, however, and Dipsacus hated Empress Persicaria and vowed revenge. He brought up his daughter on poisons so that any man who kisses her would die. His hope is that the Prince would kiss his daughter for him to exact his revenge. However, the elder Empress knew of this and brought her son up on antidotes so that the first kiss would not be fatal. It worked, but his eventual separation from her was heart-wrenching to say the least. Realizing the love between the Prince and the young Empress, Empress Persicaria relented and summoned Dipsacus. Differences were healed and the couple became married (as Tormentella's companion Angelica married Gallanthus, a squire).

A fairly interesting story, though its simplicity would be more suitable for an operetta than an opera (the length here is somewhat tiresome) and the marriage between the elements of drama, tragedy, and comedy is not wholly comfortable (and it's easy to lose track at one point or another). But the music holds firm interest. Vaughan Williams' imagination never wanes and his opera contains some of his most illuminous music (never too far from the magical yet introspective Third Symphony of 1916-1921) Try, for instance the Tormentella aria "Hush Lovely Cobra" in track IX which is as dreamingly beautiful and haunting as one will expect from this great Englishman (something Lehar would appreciate I'll venture to claim or Kodaly - just listen to the final scene of Hary Janos for some alluring parallelisms).

This album is rewarding in every way, with Hickox bringing out the burning inspiration of the score from start to finish (and responded wonderfully by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Adrian Partington Singers). The cast is especially flawless, storytelling in its aims and characterization that pays off enormously. Pamela Helen Stephen (Angelica) and Janice Watson show obvious love for this music & Roderick Williams (Gallanthus) is superb. The recording is first class and the presentation is one of the best I've seen in quite some time (Stephen Connock is excellent in his essay and synopsis). Furthermore, Chandos continues to show its usual high ingenuity by printing the eliminated spoken dialogues in the shaded areas within the libretto for easy references.

From what I understand, this album is up for a Gramophone Award by year's end (operatic category). No wonder.
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