Customer Reviews

Lennox Berkeley: Ruth

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This chamber opera based on the book of Ruth has a dramatic libretto by Eric Crozier and a surprisingly effective score which due to limitations at the time premiered, includinng two flutes and piano. Despite the fact that all of the singers and the orchestra performed their parts superblly, I really could only recommend this to people who are interested in berkeley or chamber opera.

Ruth is a beautiful piece of music. So glad it was recorded, and sure would love to see it performed someday. Seems it would be perfect for a college group, given the modest resources needed. The music is clearly of the 20th Century, but isn't obscure and professorial. It is in the tradition of what I guess people would call 20th Century neo-romanticism. I am no musicologist, just a consumer of opera, a fan if you will. I particularly like British composers (Bax, Arnold, Rubbra, and Tippett, among others) and it was searching for others of that ilk that I happened upon Ruth. It is hard me to imagine any opera lover not finding this to be a gem. As I put in my title, the words that come to mind are lyrical and intimate. This is a moving story - hence its endurance over the centuries, and Berkeley has captured the emotions and drama well.