{"product_id":"arnold-s-6-overtures-op-8-macbeth-incidental-music","title":"ARNOLD, S.: 6 Overtures, Op. 8 \/ Macbeth (Incidental Music)","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eS. ARNOLD \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003eOvertures: in B?, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eop. 8\/1; \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003ein D, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eop. 8\/2; \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003ein F, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eop. 8\/3; \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003ein D, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eop. 8\/4; \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003ein G, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eop. 8\/5; \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003ein D, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eop. 8\/6. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eMacbeth: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eIncidental Music. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003ePolly: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eOverture \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e?\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Kevin Mallon, cond; Toronto Camerata \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e? \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12U\"\u003eNAXOS\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e 8557484 (76:27) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eEven though his name is lost to all but musicologists and then only a precious few of them, Samuel Arnold (1740?1802) was a gifted musician, highly respected theater composer, conductor, and an outstanding musical historian in Georgian England. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eArnold was the son of Thomas Arnold and probably Princess Amelia, a student of Handel. Arnold studied with Bernard Gates, a pupil of John Blow, and from the mid 1760s was active as a composer for the summer concerts at London?s pleasure gardens. By 1769, Arnold?s struggle to stay afloat financially ended abruptly when he came face-to-face with financial ruin as the result of a £10,000 embezzlement. However, the resourceful Arnold rekindled his relationship with the London theaters in 1777, when George Colman the Elder secured Arnold?s talents as house composer for the Little Theater in the Haymarket. Additional positions included posts as organist at the Chapel Royal and Westminster Abbey and head of the Academy of Ancient Music. In 1786, Arnold commenced editing a complete edition of Handel?s works and had completed 180 volumes by his death in 1802. Arnold is buried in Westminster Abbey, along with two of England?s other musical greats, Handel and Purcell. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eSamuel Arnold wrote no less than 60 works for the stage, including \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Maid of the Mill\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, the first English opera to have action finales in the manner of its European counterparts, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Castle of Andalusia\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003e Turk and No Turk,\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e and the oratorio \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Prodigal Son\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e (1773), the last work performed at Oxford on the occasion of Arnold?s receiving the degree of doctor of music from Oxford University; all of these further solidified Arnold?s reputation as a first-rate composer for the English theater. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eGenerally, composers active at the time would assemble works in sets of six or 12 for publication, as with the six concertos of Handel?s op. 3 and the dozen that make up his op. 6. Arnold?s half-dozen overtures fall into that pattern. There were exceptions to the rule, though, notable examples being Thomas Arne?s seven trio sonatas and William Boyce?s eight overtures and three \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003econcerti grossi\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe six overtures recorded on this Naxos release from the spring of 1996 were composed for the concerts at Marylebone Gardens and published in parts by John Welcker, c. 1771. They are high-spirited works and, as noted by Dr. Robert Hoskins in his excellent annotations, are composed in a ?homophonic idiom, with fast tempos, pleasing tunefulness, and colourful contrasts [that] had resonances with the gardens? audiences.? Although Arnold?s idiom is indebted to that of Johann Christian Bach and composers of the Mannheim school, there is a decidedly English ring to each work. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eApropos overtures, that to \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ePolly\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, the long-delayed successor to Gay and Pepusch?s \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Beggar?s Opera\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, didn?t grace the boards in London until 1777. It came on the heels of a revival of \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Beggar?s Opera\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e that included new music written by Thomas Linley. Arnold?s curtain raiser is nothing more than a medley of 13 tunes from the prequel to \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ePolly\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e. On the occasion of the premiere, a critic wrote in \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Morning Post\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e that ?the airs were arranged and blended with great judgement? and ?we do not remember any Overture being more enjoyed.? \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe eight tracks that comprise Arnold?s music to \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eMacbeth\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e were composed for a 1778 production of Shakespeare?s masterpiece at Colman?s Little Theater, but the critics weren?t as kind as they were to \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ePolly\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e the previous year, complaining of botched lines, provincial dialects, and inappropriate costumes. While there is newly composed music in the score, Arnold also relied upon traditional Scottish tunes, including \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Braes of Ballenden\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eLochaber\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e and a march from Henry Purcell?s incidental music to \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eBonduca. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eArnold?s op. 8 set is the strongest music on this Naxos release, being characterized by that typical English bent for a sprightly tune in the outer movements and uncomplicated lyrical material in the slower central sections. Beneath this seemingly simple exterior though, one finds enviable craft in the alternation and working out of thematic material, not to mention refined phrasing, and some interesting and colorful timbres. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eKevin Mallon and the Toronto Camerata?incorrectly identified on the cover as the Toronto Chamber Orchestra?have recorded several discs for Naxos, including symphonies of Ordonez and Vanhal, as well as CDs of violin concertos of Saint-Georges and flute concertos of C. P. E. Bach. The band?s playing is consistent from release to release: it is always alert, in tune, and successfully carries the message of the music in question, whether profound or not. This latest release in its discography is well presented with charm and elegance in bright and resonant sound, making for empathetic interpretations that unquestionably bestow long-belated credit to the bulk of the material, i.e., the op. 8 Overtures. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Michael Carter \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49705700458776,"sku":"747313248421","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/818149.jpg?v=1777571586","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/arnold-s-6-overtures-op-8-macbeth-incidental-music","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}