476 227-2

teddy tahu rhodes

the

teddy tahu rhodes

“ voice

32

the“ voice

GEORGES BIZET 1838-18751 Votre toast (Toreador’s Song) from Carmen 5’04

Frasquita Alison MorganMercédès Jenny Duck-ChongCarmen Sally-Anne Russell

VINCENZO BELLINI 1801-18352 Ah! Per sempre io ti perdei (Ah! Forever I have lost you)

from I Puritani (The Puritans) 4’29

CHARLES GOUNOD 1818-18933 Avant de quitter ces lieux (Before I leave these parts) from Faust 4’16

PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY 1840-18934 Ya vas lyublyu (Yeletsky’s Aria) from Pikovaya Dama (The Queen of Spades) 5’11

GIACOMO PUCCINI 1858-19245 Questo amor (This love) from Edgar 3’20

RICHARD WAGNER 1813-18836 O du, mein holder Abendstern (Song of the Evening Star) from Tannhäuser 5’38

GEORGES BIZET7 Au fond du temple saint (In the depths of the holy temple)

from Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers) 5’41David Hobson tenorThomas Woods conductor

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH 1685-17508 Mache dich, mein Herze, rein (Purify yourself, my heart)

from Matthäuspassion (St Matthew Passion), BWV244 6’15

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH9 Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder (Give me back my Jesus)

from Matthäuspassion (St Matthew Passion), BWV244 2’53Anna McDonald solo violin

4

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL 1685-17590 Why do the nations from Messiah, HWV56 2’27

PERCY GRAINGER 1882-1961! Shallow Brown from Sea Chanty Settings No. 3 6’49

TRADITIONAL (arr. Sean O’Boyle)@ O Waly, Waly 5’44

Jane Sheldon soprano

FANNIE ROSE HOWIE 1868-1916 (arr. Sean O’Boyle)£ Hine e Hine 4’53

PARAIRE TOMOANA c.1875-1946 (arr. Sean O’Boyle)$ Pokarekare Ana 4’27

Alison Morgan solo soprano, Jenny Duck-Chong solo alto

Total Playing Time 69’10

Teddy Tahu Rhodes

Antony Walker conductor

Thomas Woods conductor 7 only

Sinfonia Australis 1-7, !-$

Orchestra of the Antipodes 8-0

Cantillation 1, !, $

5

In the beginning was The Voice, but as a childgrowing up in Christchurch, New Zealand, TeddyTahu Rhodes couldn’t have imagined that hissecond album for ABC Classics would bear thevery title of his innate gift. ‘I’d always had avoice that was good to sing with in the schoolchoir,’ he says during final mastering of thealbum, ‘but I never knew that I had a voicewhich was going to take me anywhere.’ Whereit’s taken him, in fact, is onto the great operaticstages of the world, with the richness andpower of his voice now placing him among theelite singers of his generation. ‘Every year that goes by I think that it can’t getany better than the previous year,’ he says, ‘butnew opportunities come around and it’s justsomething that develops constantly.’

If he seems surprised at the success which hascome his way since making his Opera Australiadebut in 1998 he could be forgiven. ‘I have nofamily background in music whatsoever,’ he says.In fact, he comes from pioneering stock in NewZealand’s South Island, with his forebearsfarming in the district since the 1850s and oneof his grandfathers, George Rhodes, was at onetime the Mayor of Christchurch.

The Voice became apparent to others wellbefore Teddy himself was prepared toacknowledge it. ‘When I went to university andstarted taking lessons I was singled out assomeone with huge potential but as far asknowing where it could take me, there wasn’t

any one point when I thought I could sing,’ hesays, still sounding a little incredulous. Havingbeen a member of the New Zealand Youth Choirat 17, his self-doubt meant that for an entire yearhe avoided taking the obligatory lessons whichcame with membership of the elite vocal group.By the time he became a ChristchurchUniversity student, however, he couldn’t avoidthe issue any longer. Ostensibly studying for aCommerce degree, he took on additional musicperformance units ‘and from there it snowballedpretty rapidly.’

After graduation he moved to London to furtherhis vocal studies at the Guildhall School of Musicand in the same year, aged 23, he won theMobil Song Quest – New Zealand’s majoroperatic singing competition. But with theoperatic world at his feet, he decided to returnhome to New Zealand after only a year. ‘Being aNew Zealander is something that you don’t getout of your blood very easily,’ he says. Back inhis hometown, the 24-year-old gave awayprofessional singing and for the next seven yearspursued a career in IT at a manufacturing firmand subsequently became an accountant for alaw firm in Christchurch.

Inevitably, however, The Voice could not be hiddenforever, and bit-part singing for Canterbury Operaeventually led to the larger role of Marcello in aproduction of Puccini’s La Bohème. ‘On the daybefore opening night the lead tenor was taken illand they brought Anson Austin across from

6

Australia to sing on the night,’ Teddy recalls.‘Anson went back to Opera Australia and said thatthey should hear me. I was still mucking aroundat that stage but Sharolyn Kimmorley flew acrossto hear me in New Zealand.’

But it was never going to be simple. Still uncertainof his prodigious gifts, the now 32-year-old didn’tturn up for his audition and the Opera Australiarepresentative flew back across the Tasmanwithout having heard him. ‘It sounds weak andlame,’ Teddy recalls, ‘but I just didn’t think I wasgood enough. It felt like if I turned up and failed,any little hope I had that I might one day be ableto do this was gone.’ Friends and colleagues thenprevailed, begging Kimmorley and Opera AustraliaArtistic Director Moffatt Oxenbould to give the shyaccountant a second chance. The very next dayTeddy flew to Australia and with that incrediblevoice booming through the audition studio he wasoffered a job on the spot.

‘In the end it was good that I had to fly across toAustralia and put myself on the line in front ofboth Sharolyn and Moffatt,’ Teddy says, ‘especiallyafter I’d already gotten off on a bad footing. Itwas character building. Now Sharolyn is mybiggest mentor and a great personal friend.’

He values such collegial support highly. ‘In thisbusiness you’re so dependent on people havingfaith in you, finding your talent and nurturing it,giving you the support and the opportunities youneed because it’s so hard to create them yourself.’

The raw young recruit was given the role ofDandini in Rossini’s La Cenerentola but neededadvice from the director about even the mostbasic stagecraft. ‘I was so green I didn’t evenknow how to stand on stage properly.Everything was exciting to me. Here I wassuddenly singing in the Sydney Opera House!’From there, one major role followed another,with Teddy effectively bypassing theapprenticeship or young artist schemes whichother emerging talents undergo. ‘I was on asteep learning curve,’ he says, ‘with every role Itook on being new.’ Now he’s in demand not justwithin the traditional repertoire but for newoperas as well.

So when he came to record The Voice, he had aworld of music at his disposal. ‘The idea was torecord an album which is a picture of me, ratherthan something that I’ve been told to sing.’When the final selection was made, most of thepieces were Romantic in style, and therecording gave Teddy the opportunity to balancepieces which he’s performed regularly with ariasthat he has always wanted to sing.

He’s appeared in many oratorios by Bach andHandel and often listens to Bach for pleasure, so the two arias from the mighty St MatthewPassion (1729) were a logical choice. ‘I’ve donethe St Matthew Passion a few times so withthese great musicians at my disposal I thought itwas a good opportunity to put this inspiring

7

9

music onto disc,’ he says. Gebt mir meinen

Jesum wieder (Give me back my Jesus) is thegreat bass aria from the Second Part andfeatures a prominent violin part which somethink represents the scattering of the 30 piecesof silver. Mache dich (Purify yourself), which isperformed as Jesus is being buried, features theoboe d’amore, but more importantly its 12/8time signature places heavy demands on thebreath control of the singer. Not that Teddy TahuRhodes seems to notice its formidable technicalchallenges. ‘Maybe it’s just part of having startedlate,’ he says of the ease with which he breathesthrough the aria’s notoriously extended phrases.‘I didn’t get hooked up on all the traps anddifficulties of performing the music before Iactually did it. I was able to do it vocally withoutfalling initially into the traps that younger artistsencounter. I’ve never found that technical side ofit difficult. Other things are, but not that!’

The same is true of the extraordinary basscoloratura in Why do the nations from Handel’sMessiah (1741). In its critique of slavery, thearia’s tempo is always swift, creating a sense ofrage at the impertinence of kings and rulers whotake the servants of the Lord into bondage.Teddy says he included it on this CD simplybecause it’s a great aria, and it’s one which hecontinued to sing even during those years whenhe made his living as an accountant.

The famous Toreador’s Song (Votre Toast) fromBizet’s Carmen (1875) is another favourite and is

often requested from him at corporate functionsas a kind of ‘party piece’. He’s already sung therole of Escamillo for Opera Australia and hasseveral more performances of it scheduled overcoming years. But for Teddy this aria, in whichthe great bullfighter recalls his adventures in thering, always reminds him of his own drama in anarena production of Carmen in Auckland. ‘I hadto ride a horse onto the arena and sing while inthe saddle,’ he says of the outdoor production ofBizet’s masterpiece. ‘I wasn’t a horseman at thetime and had to have two lessons before theshow opened. At the dress rehearsal in front of5,000 people I lost control of the horse and wasleft galloping out of the stadium literally half off,with my arms around its neck and not holdingonto the reins! It eventually threw me, whichwas kind of embarrassing. But I’ve sincebecome more capable on horseback!’

Valentin’s Aria, Avant de quitter ces lieux

(originally set to the English words ‘Even BravestHeart May Swell’) from Gounod’s Faust (1859) isnew to Teddy’s repertoire. ‘I’ve sung in Faust butI sang the bass role of Méphistophélès,’ he says.‘In recent years I’ve been more able to attemptbaritone roles so these days I’m now more likelyto sing Valentin than Méphistophélès. It’s musicwhich I find so beautiful and I’ve always tried tofind the chance to sing it.’ In the aria, Valentin isgoing off to war and prays for the safety of hissister Marguerite while he is away. And if he

8

should die, he asks that he may be able towatch over his beloved sister from heaven.

Bellini’s aria Ah! Per sempre io ti perdei (Ah!

Forever I have lost you) from I Puritani (ThePuritans) (1835) on the other hand is a tale oflost love, with the Puritan Colonel Sir RiccardoForth lamenting to his friend Sir BrunoRobertson that his beloved Elvira has beenpledged to another. ‘I heard a friend of minesinging the aria in the finals of the BBC CardiffSinger of the World competition,’ Teddy says. ‘Ifell in love with it and wished that I’d chosen themusic before I got there. I also heard DmitriHvorostovsky sing it. It’s a beautiful piece ofmusic, and having heard really good singers singit, I thought I’d like to have a go as well.’

Another work which Teddy heard Hvorostovskysinging is Ya vas lyublyu, Yeletsky’s aria fromTchaikovsky’s Pikovaya Dama (The Queen ofSpades) (1890). ‘I’m quite a fan of him as asinger, and who knows whether I’ll ever get achance to perform this aria in an operaperformance,’ he says. ‘It’s a romantic piece ofmusic and again I simply fell in love with it.’ Inthe aria itself, Prince Yeletsky confesses to Lisathat he loves her beyond all measure and woulddo anything for her, but that he feels she is notforthcoming and doesn’t trust him enough.

But while the Bellini and Tchaikovsky arias maybe new territory for Teddy, the minnesinger

Eschinbach’s Song of the Evening Star (O du,

mein holder Abendstern) from Wagner’sTannhäuser (1845) is a work he’s sung for manyyears. In the famous aria, performed as nightfalls in Act Three, the singer confesses his lovefor Elisabeth. ‘It was really the first aria I everaired in public to anyone of authority anywhereanytime,’ he says of his performance of it as a19-year-old in the initial stages of the DameMary Leo Scholarship. ‘It was for New Zealand’smost promising singer. My singing teacher atthe time – an Australian named Mary AdamsTaylor – said that one day I would realise howhard this piece of music is. I’ve sung it manytimes now and even though I didn’t realise itback then, I now find it extraordinarily difficultmusic to sing! I won the competition with it, so I have a soft spot for it.’

Teddy’s favourite melody on the CD, however, isQuesto amor (This love) – sung by the humbleFrank who is infatuated with the scornful gipsyTigrana in Puccini’s early opera Edgar (1889). ‘It’sthe most glorious and wonderful piece of music,’Teddy says. ‘This man says he will throw himselfat her feet and love her forever, even though shelaughs at him and his love for her. It’s so sad butthe power of the music is immensely strong. It’sabsolute unrequited love – he gets nothing back!Regardless of what she thinks of him, she stillhas his love. I think that’s really great!’

1110

While several of the album’s arias centre onfictional tales of thwarted love, the gloriousPokarekare Ana derived from a genuine case ofstar-crossed infatuation. In 1912, Hawkes Bay-born Maori writer and composer (and former AllBlack coach) Paraire Tomoana was preventedfrom marrying his teenaged lover Kuini, so hecomposed an early version of this soaringmelody to win over her reluctant family. Itworked and not only did Kuini soon become hissecond wife, but the revised version of the songcontinues to inspire New Zealanders, becomingsynonymous with the nation itself.

Similarly, Hine e Hine became famous in NewZealand after Maori international singing starFannie Rose Howie (known by the stage nameof Princess Te Rangi Pai) composed it in 1905.Its uplifting melody and emotions, urging thesinger to be sad no longer, emerged fromHowie’s own personal experience as shesimultaneously confronted crises in her health,career and family life. ‘Hine e Hine used to bethe tune that was played each night at theclosing down of the two New Zealand televisionstations,’ Teddy says. ‘A little kiwi would climbthe satellite dish, tuck himself in at night underthe stars, and this music would be played.’ Thesong is a lullaby which never fails to stir theheart. But Teddy’s major concern with boththese New Zealand tracks is to maintain theirtruth to the Maori culture from which theyemerged. ‘They are both traditional lullabies andMaori culture is a very important part of NewZealand’s life,’ he says. ‘I think the arrangements

are really beautiful so I’m hoping that they’reconsidered true to their cultural origins.’

Another traditional tune – although this timefrom the British Isles – is O Waly, Waly

(sometimes known by its first line ‘The water iswide’), which Teddy sings with Sydney sopranoJane Sheldon. ‘I first heard Jane singing at aconcert in which I performed with the SydneyPhilharmonia and we were doing a new workwith Cantillation,’ he says. ‘Jane sang a solo andit was completely mesmerising and beautiful.Actually it was kind of intimidating it was sogood! I’m so thankful that she participated onthis recording because she is such a gorgeoussinger.’ The song was inspired by the 17th-century story of Lady Barbara Erskine who wasfalsely accused of adultery, resulting in the endof her marriage to Lord Douglas in 1681. Itsubsequently spawned multiple variations (even‘There is a tavern in the town’ has beenidentified as a likely derivative) on both sides ofthe Atlantic.

Another inspired collaboration is that with DavidHobson in the famous duet Au fond du temple

saint (In the depths of the holy temple) fromBizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The PearlFishers) (1863). Set in ancient Ceylon, the ActOne duet features village leader Zurga and hislifelong fisherman friend Nadir, who have justended a protracted dispute and in this, arguablythe most famous baritone/tenor duet in theoperatic repertoire, they pledge never tojeopardise their friendship again. ‘I met David at

Opera Australia,’ Teddy says of the singer whorose to fame as Rodolfo in the company’sfamous production of La Bohème. ‘I’ve sungwith him before when we did a concert at awinery in Canberra but apart from that we’venever been on the same stage together inopera. This was our first opportunity to recordtogether.’ The soaring lines of the duet bringsome technical challenges because of its hightessitura but for Teddy the real challenge is theduet’s sheer popularity. ‘It must have been doneby almost every other baritone and tenor inhistory and is ranked as number 1 in pieces ofclassical music people want to hear, so it’s gotto be good!’ he laughs.

Less well-known but equally appealing isShallow Brown by ground-breaking Australiancomposer Percy Grainger. Its simple, folk-likeappeal (Grainger was an inveterate folk musiccollector) was featured in the movie Passion, butTeddy first came across it when asked to sing itduring an appearance with the Sydney vocalensemble Cantillation. ‘It was actually for a CDthey were doing but in the end we decided toinclude it on my one, to balance out the othertracks – Pokarekare Ana and also the Toreador’sSong – on which Cantillation also appear.’

It’s here, among these many voices, that TheVoice delivers at its best.

Martin Buzacott

12 13

Toreador’s SongESCAMILLO

1 Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre, I can return your toast,señors, señors, car avec les soldats, gentlemen, for soldiers –oui, les toréros peuvent s’entendre, yes – and bullfighters understand each other;pour plaisirs ils ont les combats! fighting is their game!Le cirque est plein, c’est jour de fête, The ring is packed, it’s a holiday,le cirque est plein du haut en bas. the ring is packed from top to bottom.Les spectateurs, perdant la tête, The spectators, losing their wits,les spectateurs s’interpellent à grand fracas! yell at each other at the top of their voices!Apostrophes, cris et tapage Exclamations, cries and uproarpoussés jusques à la fureur! carried to the pitch of fury!Car c’est la fête du courage! For this is the celebration of courage,c’est la fête des gens de cœur! this is the celebration of people with heart!Allons! en garde! ah! Let’s go! On guard! Ah!

Toréador, en garde! Toreador, on guard!Et songe bien, oui, songe en combattant, And remember, yes, remember as you fight,qu’un œil noir te regarde that two dark eyes are watching youet que l’amour t’attend! and that love awaits you!Toréador, l’amour t’attend! Toreador, love awaits you!

CHORUSToréador, en garde! Toreador, on guard!Et songe bien, oui, songe en combattant, And remember, yes, remember as you fight,qu’un oeil noir te regarde that two dark eyes are watching youet que l’amour t’attend! and that love awaits you!

ESCAMILLOTout d’un coup, on fait silence, Suddenly everyone falls silent,on fait silence, ah! que se passe-t-il? ah – what’s happening?Plus de cris, c’est l’instant! No more shouts, this is the moment!Le taureau s’élance The bull comes boundingen bondissant hors du toril! out of the toril!Il s’élance! Il entre, il frappe! He charges! He comes in, he strikes!

14 15

Un cheval roule, entraînant un picador! A horse rolls over, dragging down a picador!“Ah! bravo Toro!” hurle la foule; “Ah! Bravo bull!” roars the crowd;le taureau va, il vient, the bull turns, comes back,il vient et frappe encore! comes back and strikes again!En secouant ses banderilles, Shaking his banderillas,plein de fureur, il court! full of rage, he runs about!Le cirque est plein de sang! The ring is full of blood!On se sauve, on franchit les grilles. Men jump clear, leap the barriers.C’est ton tour maintenant! It’s your turn now!Allons! en garde! ah! Let’s go! On guard! Ah!

Toréador, en garde! etc Toreador, on guard! etc

CHORUSToréador, en garde! etc Toreador, on guard! etc

MERCEDES, FRASQUITA, CARMEN, ESCAMILLOL’amour! Love!

Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

Ah! Per sempre io ti perdeiRecitative

2 Or dove fuggo io mai? Dove mai celo Now where can I fly to? Where can I hidegli orrendi affanni miei? Come quei canti from the troubles that afflict me? Like those songsmi risuonano all’alma amari pianti! bitter tears echo in my soul.O Elvira, Elvira, O Elvira, Elvira,o mio sospir soave, O my gentle breath of life,per sempre io ti perdei! for ever are you lost to me!Senza speme ed amor, Without hope and lovein questa vita or che rimane a me? what remains in this life for me?

AriaAh! Per sempre io ti perdei, Ah! Forever I have lost you,fior d’amore, o mia speranza: flower of love, my hope:ah! la vita che m’avanza ah! Life from nowsarà piena di dolor! will be full of deepest pain!

Quando errai per anni ed anni When for years and years I wanderedin poter della ventura at the mercy of fortune,io sfidai sciagura e affanni I defied grief and disasternella speme del tuo amor. in the hope of your love.

Carlo Pepoli

Valentin’s AriaRecitative

3 O sainte médaille O holy medallionQui me viens de ma sœur, which comes to me from my sister,Au jour de la bataille on the day of battle,Pour écarter la mort, to keep death at bay,Reste là sur mon cœur! rest there over my heart!

AriaAvant de quitter ces lieux, Before I leave these parts,Sol natal de mes aïeux, birthplace of my father’s raceA toi, Seigneur et Roi des cieux, to Thy care, O Lord and Ruler of the skiesMa sœur je confie. my sister I entrust to Thee.Daigne de tout danger From every danger Toujours la protéger, always protect her,Cette sœur, si chérie. my sister, so dearly loved.Délivré d’une triste pensée Freed from care and worry,J’irai chercher la gloire au sein des ennemis I will go to seek glory in the enemy’s midst,Le premier, le plus brave au fort de la mêlée, foremost and bravest in the thick of the fight,J’irai combattre pour mon pays. I will go to battle for my country.Et si, vers lui, Dieu me rappelle, And, if Thy will be that I perish,Je veillerai sur toi fidèle, I will watch faithfully over you,O Marguerite! O Marguerite!Avant de quitter ces lieux, etc. Before I quit these parts, etc.O Roi des cieux, jete les yeux, O King of Heaven, look down from aboveProtège Marguerite, Roi des cieux! and protect Marguerite, King of Heaven!

Jules Barbier and Michel Carré

Yeletsky’s AriaRecitative

4 Vy tak pechalny, dorogaya, You are so downcast, my dear,Kak budto gore yest u vas… as though you had some grief…Dovertes mne! Confide in me!Postoite na odno mgnovenye! Wait one moment!Ya dolzhen, dolzhen vam skazat! I simply must speak to you!AriaYa vas lyublyu, lyublyu bezmerno, I love you, love you beyond all measure,Bez vas ne myslyu dnya prozhit, I cannot conceive a day without you,Ya podvig sily bezprimernoi I am ready to accomplish for your sakeGotov seichas dlya vas svershit, a heroic task requiring matchless strength.No, znaite: serdtsa vashevo svododu But be assured; I do not wish in any wayNichem ya ne khochu stesnyat, to restrict the liberty of your heart,Gotov skryvatsya vam v ugodu I am ready to hide my feelings in order to please youI pyl revnivykh chuvstu unyat, and master the heat of jealousy,Na vsyo, na vsyo dlya vas gotov ya! I am ready to do anything, anything for you!Ne tolko lyubyashchim suprugom; I should like to be not simply a loving husbandSlugoi poleznym inogda, or sometimes a useful servant,Zhelal by ya byt vashim drugom I uteshitelem vsegda. but your friend and always your consoler.No yasno vizhu, chuvstvuyu teper ya, Yet I see clearly, and feel it nowKuda sebya v mechtakh zavlyok, how I allowed myself to be misled by my dreams,Kak malo v vas ko mne doverya, how little trust you have in me, how alien andKak chuzhd ya vam i kak dalyok! how remote I seem to you.Akh! ya terzayus etoi dalyu, Oh! I am tormented by this remoteness,Sostrazhdu vam ya vsei dushoi, all my soul shares in your suffering,Pechalyus vashei ya pechalyu your sadness is mine,I plachu vasheyu slezoi! your tears, I weep them too!Akh! ya terzayus etoi dalyu, Oh! I am tormented by this remoteness,Sostrazhdy vam yawsei dushoi! All my soul shares in your suffering!

Modest Il’yich Tchaikovsky and Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

1716

In the depths of the holy templeNADIR

7 Au fond du temple saint In the depths of the holy temple

Paré de fleurs et d’or, decked with gold and flowers

Une femme apparaît! A woman appears!

Je crois la voir encore! I can still see her!

ZURGA

Une femme apparaît! A woman appears!

Je crois la voir encore! I can still see her!

NADIR

La foule prosternée The kneeling crowd

La regarde, étonnée, looks at her, astonished,

Et murmure tous bas: and softly murmurs:

Voyez, c’est la déesse! Behold, it is the goddess

Qui dans l’ombre se dresse who rises out of the darkness

Et vers nous tend les bras! And stretches her arms toward us!

ZURGA

Son voile se soulève! Her veil is raised

Ô vision! ô rêve! O vision! O dream!

La foule est à genoux! The crowd is on its knees!

NADIR ET ZURGA

Oui, c’est elle! Yes, it is she!

C’est la déesse plus charmante et plus belle! It is the goddess most lovely and most beautiful!

Oui, c’est elle! Yes, it is she!

C’est la déesse qui descend parmi nous! It is the goddess who steps down among us!

Son voile se soulève et la foule est à genoux! Her veil is raised and the crowd is on its knees!

NADIR

Mais à travers la foule Through the crowd

Elle s’ouvre un passage! She opens a pathway!

19

Frank’s Aria5 Questo amor, vergogna mia, I want to reject and forget

Io spezzar, scordar vorrei, This love which makes me feel shame,Ma d’un’orrida malìa But my emotions are enslavedSono schiavi i sensi miei. To a horrible enchantment.Mille volte al ciel giurai I have sworn a thousand times to heavenDi fuggirla!… To flee her!…E a lei tornai! And then I come back to her!…Di fuggirla!… To flee her!…E a lei tornai! And then I come back to her!…Ella ride del mio pianto, She laughs at my tears,Del mio sdegno si fa scherno She mocks my indignationEd io, vil, col cuore infranto, And I, vilely, my heart crushed,Ai suoi piedi mi prosterno… Prostrate myself at her feet…Ai suoi piedi mi prosterno… Prostrate myself at her feet…E lei sola io sogno, e bramo! And I dream of, and long only for her!Ah, sventura! Ah, misfortune!Io l’amo! Io l’amo! I love her! I love her!

Ferdinando Fontana

Song of the Evening Star6 Wie Todesahnung Dämmrung deckt die Lande, Dusk covers the land like a portent of death,

umhüllt das Thal mit schwärzlichem Gewande; enveloping the valley in a dark-hued garb;der Seele, die nach jenen Höh’n verlangt, the soul that yearns for those heightsvor ihrem Flug durch Nacht und Grausen bangt. is fearful of its flight through night and horrors.Da scheinest du, o lieblichster der Sterne, Then, O fairest of stars, you shine,dein sanftes Licht entsendest du der Ferne; sending your gentle light from far away;die nächt’ge Dämmrung theilt dein lieber Strahl, through nocturnal darkness your friendly beam penetrates,und freundlich zeigst du den Weg aus dem Thal. and faithfully you show the way out of the valley.O du, mein holder Abendstern, O you, my beauteous evening star,wohl grüsst’ ich immer dich so gern; how gladly I have always greeted you;vom Herzen, das sie nie verrieth, from the heart which never betrayed her,grüsse sie, wenn sie vorbei dir zieht, greet her when she passes,wenn sie entschwebt dem Thal der Erden, when she soars up from the mortal vale,ein sel’ger Engel dort zu werden! a blessed angel in heaven!

Richard Wagner

18

Et fidèle à ma promesse, And faithful to my promise,Comme un frère je veux te chérir! Like a brother I will cherish you!C’est elle, c’est la déesse It is she, it is the goddessQui vient en ce jour nous unir! Who today reunites us!Oui, partageons le même sort, Yes, let us share the same fate,Soyons unis jusqu’à la mort! Let us be friends to the death!

Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré

Mache dich8 Mache dich, mein Herze, rein, Make yourself pure, my heart,

Ich will Jesum selbst begraben. I want to bury Jesus myself.Denn er soll nunmehr in mir From now on he shall find in meFür and für His sweet restSeine süsse Ruhe haben. For ever and ever.Welt, geh aus, lass Jesum ein! World, begone, let Jesus in!

Gebt mir9 Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder! Give me back my Jesus!

Seht, das Geld, den Mörderlohn, See, the money, the wages of murder,Wirft euch der verlorne Sohn The prodigal son throwsZu den Füssen nieder! Down at your feet!Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder! Give me back my Jesus!

Why do the nations0 Why do the nations so furiously rage together,

and why do the people imagine a vain thing?The kings of the earth rise up,and the rulers take counsel[s] together against the Lord,and against His anointed.

Charles Jennens

Shallow Brown! Shaller Brown, you’re goin’ ter leave me,

Shaller, Shaller Brown;

21

ZURGASon long voile déjà Her long veil alreadyNous cache son visage! Hides her face from us!

NADIRMon regard, hélas! My eyes, alas!La cherche en vain! Follow her in vain!

ZURGAElle fuit! She is gone!

NADIRElle fuit! She is gone!Mais dans mon âme soudain But suddenly in my soulQuelle étrange ardeur s’allume! What a strange ardour burns!

ZURGAQuel feu nouveau me consume? What is this new fire that consumes me?

NADIRTa main repousse ma main! Your hand spurns mine!

ZURGATa main repousse ma main! Your hand spurns mine!

NADIRDe nos cœurs l’amour s’empare Love masters our heartsEt nous change en ennemis! And changes us into enemies!

ZURGANon, que rien ne nous sépare! No, nothing must part us!

NADIRNon, rien! No, nothing!

ZURGA ET NADIRJurons de rester amis! Let us swear to remain friends!Oh oui, jurons de rester amis! Oh yes, let us swear to remain friends!Oui, c’est elle! C’est la déesse! Yes, it is she! It is the goddess!En ce jour qui vient nous unir, On this day she has brought us together again,

20

O, down in the meadows the other day,A-gath’ring flowers both fine and gay,A-gath’ring flowers both red and blue,I little thought what love can do.

I leaned my back against some oakThinking that he was a trusty tree;But first he bended, and then he broke;And so did my false love and I.

A ship there is, she sails the sea,She’s loaded deep as deep as can be,But not so deep as the love I’m in:I know not if I sink or swim.

O! love is handsome and love is fine,And love’s a jewel while it is new;But when it is old, it groweth cold,And fades away like morning dew.

Traditional

Hine e Hine£ E hia moe a-naa koe…hine e hine Sleepiness comes over you…hine e hine

E hia moe a-naa koe…hine e hine Sleepiness comes over you…hine e hineA-na ka to te ra…whiti te ma-rama Sinking to rest the sun…rising the moon on highKa to-he te a-roha…hine e hine Loving slumbers nigh…hine e hine

Ka tau te maa-ri-e e…hine e hine Sleep in heavenly peace…hine e hineKa tau te maa-ri-e e…hine e hine Sleep in heavenly peace…hine e hineTi-ra-ma nga whetu…kopu o te ata Twinkling stars a-high…Venus of the dawnPare-a-rau i-i te po…hine e hine Jupiter in the night…hine e hine

Ro-ngo-mau te whe-nu-a…hine e hine Peace over all the earth…hine e hineRo-ngo-mau te whe-nu-a…hine e hine Peace over all the earth…hine e hineKia hari ki-a koa…pu-mau te a-ro-ha Be happy be joyous…love the comforter isTe nga-kau o ma-tua…hine e hine My heart in sweet caress…hine e hine

Fannie Rose Howie

23

Shaller Brown, you’re goin’ ter leave me,Shaller, Shaller Brown.

Shaller Brown, don’t ne’er deceive me,Shaller, Shaller Brown;Shaller Brown, don’t ne’er deceive me,Shaller, Shaller Brown.

You’re goin’ away accrost the ocean,Shaller, Shaller Brown;You’re goin’ away accrost the ocean,Shaller, Shaller Brown.

You’ll ever be my heart’s devotion,Shaller, Shaller Brown;You’ll ever be my heart’s devotion,Shaller, Shaller Brown.

For your return my heart is burning,Shaller, Shaller Brown;For your return my heart is burning,Shaller, Shaller Brown.

Shaller Brown, you’re goin’ ter leave me,Shaller, Shaller Brown;Shaller Brown, don’t ne’er deceive me,Shaller, Shaller Brown.

Traditional as sung by John Perring to Percy Grainger

O Waly, Waly@ The water is wide I can’t cross o’er,

And neither have I wings to fly.Give me a boat that will carry two,And both shall row, my love and I.

22

Sinfonia Australis

Antony Walker

conductor

Anna McDonald

leader

Violin

Anna McDonaldMatthew BruceCaron ChanMyee ClohessyPetra DavisAlice EvansZillah HawleyShuti HuangGabrielle JohnsonMichelle KellyBenjamin LiLaura McCrowNarine MelconianLeigh MiddenwayLucie MillerAlexandra MitchellMichele O’YoungElizabeth PogsonDaniel RosenbaumMirka RozmusMartin SilvertonJennifer TaylorEmily Ward

Viola

Amanda MurphyValmai CogginsJennifer CurlRosemary Curtin

Stefan DuweGreg FordSimon ForresterMarianne Yeomans

Cello

Daniel YeadonJamie HeyJames BeckAnthea CotteeSally MaerOliver MillerRosemary Quinn

Double Bass

Kees BoersmaEd BastienMardy ChillingworthDavid CooperKirsty McCahonAndrew Meisel

Flute

Melissa FarrowLamorna NightingaleJulia Sharrett

Oboe

Shefali PryorGina PontoniScott Marshall

Cor Anglais

Alexandre Oguey

Clarinet

Margery Smith

Sue NewsomeRich Doumani

Bassoon

Andrew BarnesDoug EyreVicki Grant

Horn

Rob JohnsonJames McCrowMarnie SebireGreg StephensOliver RedfernGraham NichollsPhil Wilson

Trumpet

Leanne SullivanHelen GillPeter Miller

Trombone

Nigel CrockerRos JorgensenBrett Page

Tuba

Brendon Lukin

Harp

Vanessa SouterGenevieve Lang

Timpani

Brian Nixon

Percussion

Rebecca Lagos

Orchestra of the

Antipodes on period

instruments

Antony Walker

conductor

Anna McDonald

leader

Violin

Anna McDonaldMatthew BruceMyee ClohessyAlice EvansMark IngwersenLeigh MiddenwayElizabeth Pogson

Viola

Nicole ForsythValmai CogginsStefan Duwe

Cello

Daniel YeadonRosemary Quinn

Double Bass

Kirsty McCahon

Oboe

Kirsten BarryOwen Watkins

Harpsichord

Erin Helyard

Chamber Organ

Neal Peres da Costa

25

Pokarekare Ana$ Pokarekare ana So ruffled are the waters

Nga wai o wai-a-pu Of the WaiapuWhiti atu ko-e hi-ka Should you wade across, beloved,Ma-rino ana e How tranquil they become

E hi-ka e…ha-e-re ra O my beloved, farewell to theeKa mate aha-u…I te aro-ha…e I’ll surely die for love of thee

Tuhi tuhi taku re-ta I have written you a letterTuku atu taku ri-ngi And enclosed within my ringKai kite to-i-wi Should your people receive itRaru-raru ana e How troubled they’ll become

E hi-ka e…ha-e-re ra O my beloved, farewell to theeKa mate aha-u…I te aro-ha…e I’ll surely die for love of thee

E kore te aro-ha My love will never witherE maroke I te ra In the rays of the sunMaku-ku to-nu My tears will ever pour loveI aku roi-mata e How moistened they become

E hi-ka e…ha-e-re ra O my beloved, farewell to theeKa mate aha-u…I te aro-ha…e I’ll surely die for love of thee

Kua whati taku pe-ne My pen is now brokenKua pau aku pe-pa My paper depletedKo taku a-ro-ha Yet my love, beloved,Mau tonu ana e How clinging it becomes

E hi-ka e…ha-e-re ra O my beloved, farewell to theeKa mate aha-u…I te aro-ha…e I’ll surely die for love of thee

Paraire Tomoana

24

Executive Producers Robert Patterson, Lyle ChanRecording Producers Ralph Lane (1-6, 8, 9,

@ -$), Virginia Read (7, 0, !)Associate Producer and Engineer Virginia Read(except 0)Editor and Mastering Virginia ReadRecording Engineer Allan Maclean (0 only)Project Coordinator Alison JohnstonEditorial and Production Manager Hilary ShrubbCover and Booklet Design Imagecorp Pty LtdPhotography Paul Henderson-KellyStylist Sally HirstClothing Diesel, Marcs, Morrissey, Queenspark

Recorded 24 March, 7, 8, 10 April, 21 September, 28 October 2003 at the Eugene Goossens Hall ofthe Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s UltimoCentre. Track 0 previously released.

� 2004 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.© 2004 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Distributed in Australasia by Universal Classics & Jazz, adivision of Universal Music Group, under exclusive licence.Made in Australia. All rights of the owner of copyrightreserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion, publicperformance or broadcast of this record without the authorityof the copyright owner is prohibited.

27

Cantillation

Antony Walker

music director

Alison Johnston

manager

Soprano

Danielle GrantMaria KutraBelinda MontgomeryAlison MorganJane SheldonNicole ThomsonEmma Zampieri

Alto

Jo BurtonJenny Duck-ChongAnne FarrellKerith FowlesNatalie SheaNicole Smeulders

Tenor

Richard Black *Ben LoomesSébastien MauryMax NaguitDominic Ng *John PitmanPhilip PrattJames Renwick *Raff Wilson

Bass

Peter Alexander *Daniel BeerCorin BoneTimothy ChungMark Donnelly *Craig Everingham *David GrecoGoran JordanovJulian Liberto *Simon LobelsonBen MacphersonSébastien Maury *David Russell *

* Shallow Brown only

for Shallow Brown

Violin

Anna McDonald

Michelle KellyAlexandra d’Elia

Viola

Amanda MurphyGreg Ford

Cello

Jamie HeySally Maer

Double Bass

Kees Boersma

Piccolo

Emma Sholl

Clarinet

Christopher Tingay

Bassoon

Andrew Barnes

Horn

Robert Johnson

Tuba

Carolyn John

Guitar

Janet AgostinoRaffaele Agostino

Organ

Sally Whitwell

Piano

Catherine Davis

Harmonium

Phoebe Briggs

26

Also available on ABC Classics

featuring

Teddy Tahu Rhodes...

472 826-2

472 601-2 (2-CD set)472 604-9 (DVD)

472 045-2