 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kritzerland is proud to present a two-CD set of the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning American Opera:
THE CRUCIBLE
Music by Robert Ward
Libretto by Bernard Stambler
From the play by Arthur Miller
The Original 1961 New York City Opera Production
Conducted by Emerson Buckley
We are very happy and proud to issue Robert Ward’s opera of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible in a very much improved brand new mastering. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Crucible is a powerful, emotional, lyrical, and altogether amazing American opera, one of the finest ever written, which is why it’s produced frequently and has been since its premiere. It was commissioned by the New York City Opera and first performed there on October 26, 1961 to audience acclaim. It featured a first-class cast including Chester Ludgin, Francis Bible, Norman Treigle, and Patricia Brooks, with settings by Paul Sylbert and costumes by Ruth Morley. The same cast performed the opera in San Francisco four years after its New York premiere, and it’s been produced the world over, most recently in a production in Germany directed by film director Hugh Hudson. Even though the New York Times review was dismissive in a very pedantic way, the critic had to admit several times that for the audience it was “a grand success,” and that “the audience loved it.” And audiences have been loving it ever since.
Ward’s musical language is wonderfully tonal, filled with exquisite melodies, musical tension, and dramatic power, all with Ward’s peculiarly American sound, perfectly reflecting the passions and mounting hysteria on view (Miller’s play was his way of making a strong statement about the hysteria of HUAC and McCarthyism – how better than to correlate it to the Salem witch hunts and trials) – and Stambler’s libretto stays very true to Miller’s play. The performances are perfection. With sung-through musical theater like Les Miserables and others, The Crucible would probably be at home in a Broadway theater these days alongside other classic American operas like Porgy and Bess, Street Scene, and Regina.
The Crucible was issued in a two-LP set on CRI Records in 1962. It was subsequently issued on CD in 1987, but that release suffered from muddy sound and low-level mastering. For this release, licensed from New World Records who now owns the CRI catalog, masterful mastering engineer James Nelson has gone in and done right by this great score – his fresh, new mastering brings out all the detail and depth of the original recording, and we think anyone who’s had the previous issue will be delighted with this new mastering.
Robert Ward was a wonderful composer – his piano concerto and symphonies are major works and remain in the catalog still. His music is of the classic American school of Copland and Hanson and Roy Harris – accessible, beautiful, and even fun in a way music rarely is these days. He passed away in 2013 at the ripe old age of ninety-five.
The Crucible is a two-CD set limited to 500 copies only and priced at $23.98, plus shipping. CDs will ship by the last week of November, but never fear, we’ve actually been averaging three to five weeks early in terms of shipping ahead of the official ship date. To place an order, see the cover, or hear audio samples, just visit www.kritzerland.com.
ATTENTION INDIEGOGO CONTRIBUTORS: IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE THIS RELEASE YOU MUST OPT-IN BY SENDING US AN E-MAIL – SEND TO kritzerland@gmail.com. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE IT, YOU DON”T NEED TO DO ANYTHING. IF YOU ARE NOT AN INDIEGOGO CONTRIBUTOR, ORDER AS YOU NORMALLY WOULD. THANK YOU.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just so you know why this release is perhaps my happiest moment in years. I discovered this opera by accident when I was fourteen years old. It was a life-changer for me - I'd never heard an opera before, but I was in my first semester of high school and we were doing The Crucible. I saw this LP in a record store and was so intrigued I just bought it. And hearing the glorious music I fell head over heels in love with it and the music of Robert Ward. Many years later in 1988 I created Bay Cities and our first album was all Robert Ward. We became very friendly and ultimately issued about six CDs of his brilliant music. But not The Crucible, which is what I wanted most to issue - that was already out on another label, sounding not so hot, I may add. And that label has somehow has been selling it ever since, even though I cannot imagine their license was longer than any of the Bay Cities' licenses with CRI, the label that first issued The Crucible on LP. Well, a week-and-a-half ago I was thinking about it again, did some research and found out who now owns the CRI catalog, wrote them and the publisher and one day later we had a deal for us to do it. Couldn't believe it. And James Nelson's new mastering is absolutely stunning, making this sound as it did back when it first came out, at long last. I hope you'll listen to the samples - I purposely put up several orchestral cues because as you'll hear Mr. Ward would have been a great film composer had he gone down that road. And that's the story.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excellent release of an excellent piece! I rate Ward pretty highly too -- I encourage everyone to listen to the samples at least. Major congrats on this Bruce! And with it being your first opera as a teenager it's a "Kritzerland first" in more than one way!
But I gotta bone to pick with you...the Rachmaninov/Bennett was a "Kritzerland first" classical release, but then you described the Ogermann as a "Kritzerland second" (classical release)...well, if we're back at a "Kritzerland first" again because this is an opera, then the Ogermann also deserved to be called a "Kritzerland first" because (correct me if I'm wrong) it included the first ballet you've released on the label.
Yavar
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good one, Bruce - I've never listened to this opera, and now I'm glad I waited.
And clever you, between this and the growing list of releases I've had my eye on - this just pushed me over the edge to contribute to the Levi Indiegogo campaign to get the 10-CD package*. Man, you're tapping me out this year!
*This is a good deal for Kritzerfans, as it gives you the chance to choose 10 CDs for a $50-buck savings, plus helping to bankroll the first-ever staging of a Sherman Brothers show. (Which means I guess that Bruce is just giving these CDs away to help make this possible - but I'm not gonna let that make me feel guilty.)
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/levi-a-new-musical-by-the-sherman-brothers/x/10688627
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes, the Indiegogo is a great way to save if anyone's missed out on the last releases - fifty bucks and no postage charge - pretty good.
The reaction to this one is very heartening - I knew few here would even open the thread let alone listen to the samples - a shame. This is what I posted about the sense of discovery and adventure that was my childhood and teen years in the Yoko Kanno thread:
Users on this board have an aversion to trying many things out of their tiny comfort zones and yes it is a shame, whether it's film music or classical music they may not be aware of that if they gave a chance to they might learn and love. The people who took the chance on our Rachmaninov/Bennett release are loving it. If people even bothered to listen to the Claus Ogerman samples they'd find a composer who would have written amazing film scores (he began as a film composer in Germany). The musical closed-mindedness is not particular to any generation - but I would not be the person I am today if I'd not taken the musical chances I did as a young boy. I was open to EVERYTHING - no, I didn't love it all, but I wouldn't have discovered things that were life-changers for me had I not had an open mind - not just music, everything, but especially music. And it was my love of film music and musicals back then that sometimes led me to discover classical music, opera, and jazz. This was not a journey I began in my teens - I began it when I first listened to music - perhaps four or five years old - consciously listened. There is NOTHING like the thrill of discovery - I saw a Bill Evans album called Conversations With Myself - liked the cover, loved that it had the Spartacus Love Theme and was intrigued by the man who sat hunched at the piano - and by the concept that he overdubbed himself twice on top of his original track. I took that chance and that, for me, remains one of the single greatest albums in the history of albums. I didn't think, "I don't know anything about this so I'm not buying it."
I heard Brubeck's Take Five while flipping around the radio dial - couldn't believe it - called the station, the DJ was fascinated that someone so young would be taken by it, and he befriended me and taught me so much about other jazz artists. Open your minds, folks, truly.
As to this Yoko Kanno - I first misread the thread title that Yoko Ono was the new John Williams. She's very talented, certainly, but since no one has mentioned it, she is definitely from the Joe Hisaishi school and reminds me of him, and he is a wonderful melodist and composer. I'm going to get a couple of Kanno's soundtracks now so I can know more. Yes, I still have an open mind - and no, I don't love everything I take a chance on - but I take the damn chance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The interest here is STAGGERING 
|
|
|
|
|
|
The interest here is STAGGERING
If FSM's disc of concert works by Maurice Jarre is one of FSM's poorest sellers, then there's likely even less interest in an opera by a composer who had no association with film and TV music.
Perhaps Kritzerland might receive a little more interest (though not staggering) in Ward's The Crucible if this album was posted inside the opera forum over at TalkClassical's site?
Speaking for myself, I'm planning to buy this album eventually and will add it to the thread on Pulitzer Prize music over on FSM's other side.
[on a tangent, do these "first"s imply that James Nelson of Digital Outland is now concentrating his efforts on restoring/mastering recordings from the contemporary classical field?]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I said the interest HERE is staggering and was, of course, joking.
Realistically speaking, the opera would have to be based on Star Wars or at least Planet of the Apes...
I'm writing the opera of Planet of the Apes based on the twelve-tone scale with an extra tone, thirteen tones none of which are tones you ever need to hear, which makes them so interesting, tone-wise. I'm working on Taylor's final aria right now - "Damn them, damn them all to hell" which I'm writing in the keys of F# and Gb.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Oct 15, 2017 - 5:32 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Last Child
(Member)
|
I said the interest HERE is staggering and was, of course, joking.
Realistically speaking, the opera would have to be based on Star Wars or at least Planet of the Apes...
I'm writing the opera of Planet of the Apes based on the twelve-tone scale with an extra tone, thirteen tones none of which are tones you ever need to hear, which makes them so interesting, tone-wise. I'm working on Taylor's final aria right now - "Damn them, damn them all to hell" which I'm writing in the keys of F# and Gb.
Now that you flesh it out, I'm thinking how "Jesus Christ Superstar" could be rewritten to resemble POTA very easily. Goldsmith's track names tell a similar story, but using just a few from JC Superstar:
"Heaven on Their Minds" – Cornelius
"This Taylor must die!" - 3 Ape Judges
"Damned For All Time" - Taylor
"King Herod's Song" - Dr. Zaius
"I Don't Know How to Love Him" - Nova (hummed since she cant speak)
"Thirty-Nine Lashes" - Escape-Chase scene
Cornelius: "Zira, must you betray me....with a kiss?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
These are shipping on Thursday, really early Happy to say we've had more pre-orders on this title than Fuller at Fox (!), Betting on Zero, or the other two classical releases, although those both did pretty well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
