Menotti: The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore

Gian Carlo Menotti (Composer), Virgil Thomson (Composer), Donald Teeters (Conductor), Boston Chamber Ensemble (Performer), Boston Cecilia (Performer), Elizabeth Anker (Performer), Andrea Matthews (Performer), Marylene Altieri (Performer), Susan Trout (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Boston Chamber Ensemble, Boston Cecilia, Elizabeth Anker, Andrea Matthews, Marylene Altieri, et al.
• Conductor: Donald Teeters
• Composer: Gian Carlo Menotti, Virgil Thomson
• Audio CD (June 24, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Newport Classic
• ASIN: B000003W3I
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #807,459 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Introduction: There once lived - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

2. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Interlude I - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

3. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: First Madrigal; Ev'ry Sunday - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

4. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Interlude II - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

5. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Second Madrigal: One Sunday - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

6. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Introduction & Third Madrigal - Andrea Matthews/Susan Trout/Elizabeth Anker/Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

7. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Fourth Madrigal: Why are you sad - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

8. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Interlude III - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

9. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Fifth Madrigal: Behold the Gorgon - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

10. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Sixth Madrigal: And what is that - Marylene Altieri/Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

11. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Seventh Madrigal: Why are you sad - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

12. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Interlude IV - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

13. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Eighth Madrigal: Do not caress - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

14. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Ninth madrigal: And who is that - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

15. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Interlude V - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

16. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Tenth Madrigal: Why are you sad - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

17. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Interlude VI - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

18. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Eleventh Madrigal: Have you - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

19. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: The March to the Castle - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

20. The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (The Three Sundays of a Poet), madrigal fable: Twelfth Madrigal: Oh foolish - Boston Cecilia Chor & Chm Ens/Donald Teeters

See all 32 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!, December 8, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Menotti: The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (Audio CD)

I have been a fan of Menotti since I was little because of his "Amahl and the Night Visitors", but until perhaps a month ago, I had never heard of "The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore". But I found it, while buying a recording of "The Consul" and I decided to buy a copy of it based mostly on the reviews I read here.

What a lovely piece of music! I really didn't know quite what to expect, but this is a beautiful work, well worth listening to. The music is based on a sixteenth-century style, and keeps a lot of medieval flavor, but without losing the distinctive 20th-century harmonic style that I so enjoy in Menotti's writing. The text is witty, and his treatment of it is delightful. Although the entire work is sung by a choir, the sections of dialogue are convincingly set so that different characters are distinguishable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story operates on two levels, humorous and perceptive., October 7, 1998

By 

Theodore G. Mihran (Schenectady, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Menotti: The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (Audio CD)

The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore, by Gian Carlo Menotti

This is an overlooked gem. It is rarely performed as a ballet, the form in which it was originally written. I have never had the opportunity to see it in person. I have the original LP record, and I welcome the new CD version, because I think it is, next to "Amahl and the Night Visitors," Menotti's most interesting and accessible work.

The music is, well, clever. But it is the underlying philosophy that appeals to me. Subtitled "The Three Sundays of a Poet," it pits the poet's perception and originality against the passing fashions and follow-the-leader traits of the masses.

The three "Sundays" represent creations of the poet's youth, middle age, and old age. They are the three medieval animals in the title. When first paraded by the poet, they are ridiculed, but then are picked up by the countess, and soon by the general populace.

No sooner is this done, than the poet parades a new creation, which goes through the same cycle of ridicule, acceptance by the countess, and finally by the masses.

All the animals eventually disappear, and the mob descends on the poet's castle to punish him for his negligence. It is a magic moment...the chorus utters a sigh of astonishment...Ahhhhh...

The animals are alive and surround the dying poet. The poet's final words are "Oh, foolish people/ Who feign to feel/ What other men have suffered./ You, not I, are the indifferent killers of the Poet's dreams/ How could I destroy the pain-wrought children of my fancy?"

Menotti has great insight into the problems of the artist because he is such a great one himself. I find his music charming, but it is his sensitive perceptiveness and poetic flair with words and ideas that draw me so close to him.

I have a copy of the libretto that came with the original LP. I will be happy to mail it to anyone who requests it. Understanding the words are a must!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't forget the filler, February 28, 1999

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Menotti: The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore (Audio CD)

A delightful bonus to the Menotti work reviewed by others (and I concur with all the positive statements, is the Virgil Thomson ballet "Parson Weems and the Cherry Tree." I am no lover of this composer, who I think is overrated by musicologists who see in his music more than I ever can. But this little bit of fluff utilizes American musical themes and is a very enjoyable addition to any collection of musical Americana.