The Kritzerland label has been on a roll in recent weeks, broadening its purview beyond its typically excellent array of soundtracks and cast recordings to offer such worthwhile reissues in the classical realm as Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2 and Robert Russell Bennett Violin Concerto with illustrious conductor Leopold Stokowski and renowned film composer Bernard Herrmann at the podium; and Claus Ogerman's Symphonic Dances/Some Times (Ballet) from the composer/arranger who famously collaborated with Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, Bill Evans, and many others. Now, the label is turning its attention to a cast recording of a different sort. Kritzerland is now accepting pre-orders for a remastered edition of the 1961 New York City Opera recording of The Crucible, based on Arthur Miller's play, and first issued in 1962 on CRI Records.
Composed by Robert Ward to a libretto by Bernard Stambler, the opera premiered in New York on October 26, 1961 with a cast including Chester Ludgin, Francis Bible, Norman Treigle, and Patricia Brooks. It won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Music, as well as a citation from the New York Music Critics Circle. Kritzerland describes Ward's musical language as "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."
James Nelson has remastered the original recording for this release, making a dramatic improvement from the 1987 CD release. This 2-CD set is limited to 500 copies only. CDs are promised to ship by the final week of November, but the label typically averages delivery 3-5 weeks early. You can pre-order The Crucible, and discover the recent releases from Bernard Herrmann and Claus Ogerman, at the link below. Sound samples are also streaming at the below link!
Robert Ward and Bernard Stambler, The Crucible: 1961 New York City Opera Production (CRI Records, 1962 - reissued Kritzerland, 2017)
Act One
- Opening of Act One
- Gently, Sirs, Gently
- Jesus, My Consolation
- For Much in the World
- Oh, How Many Times, Mr. Parris?
- End of Act One
Act Two
- Opening of Act Two
- I've Forgotten Abigail
- But Oh, the Dreams
- For Sarah Good Confessed
- End of Act Two
Act Three
- Opening of Act Three
- Courtroom
- Open Thou My Lips, Oh Lord
- These Girls Never Saw a Spirit
- End of Act Three
Act Four
- Opening of Act Four
- But Sir, You Stir Rebellion
- What Word of the Children
- God Does Not Need My Name/End of Act Four
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