Mary Bevan (soprano)
Catherine Carby (mezzo-soprano)
Mark Wilde (tenor)
John Savournin (bass-baritone)
The Brook Street Band
John Andrews (conductor)
A rapacious dragon has been terrorising a Yorkshire village. Gubbins and his daughter Margery, together with Mauxalinda, decide to seek the help of Moore of Moore Hall. Moore needs persuading away from his beer but succumbs to Margery’s pleading, and her promises of love. Unfortunately, he had already promised to marry Mauxalinda, and so the love triangle has to be resolved in dramatic fashion before Moore heads out and defeats the dragon, restoring harmony and prosperity to the village.
Following the BBC Music Magazine Opera Award for his recording of Malcolm Arnold’s The Dancing Master, conductor John Andrews returns with the world premiere professional recording of John Frederick Lampe’s operatic comedy The Dragon of Wantley. With librettist Henry Carey, Lampe combines a first-rate score with a quintessentially English plot, told in a tone of earthy satire, pastiching opera’s conventions with skill and affection, but also a razor wit.
Album Booklet (PDF)
Disc 1
1. Overture
2. First & Second Tune
Act One
3. Fly, Neighbours, fly, The Dragon’s nigh
4. The Dragon’s March crossing the stage
5. What wretched Havock does this Dragon make!
6. Poor Children three, Devoured he
7. Houses and Churches, To Him are Geese and Turkies
8. O Father!
9. But to hear the Children mutter
10. This Dragon very modish
11. He’s a Man ev’ry Inch, I assure you
12. Let’s go to his Dwelling
13. Symphony
14. Come, Friends, let’s circulate the cheerful Glass
15. Zeno, Plato, Aristotle
16. O save us all! Moore of Moore Hall!
17. Gentle Knight! all Knights exceeding
18. Her looks shoot thro’ my Soul
19. If that’s all you ask
20. A forward Lady!
21. Let my Dearest be near me
22. O Villain! Monster! Devil!
23. No Place shall conceal ‘em
24. By Jove! I’m blown
25. By the Beer, as brown as Berry
26. But do you really love me
27. Pigs shall not be So fond as we
Disc 2
Act Two
1. Sure my Stays will burst with sobbing
2. My Madge! My HoneySuckle, in the Dumps!
3. Insulting Gipsey, You’re surely tipsy
4. Lauk! what a monstrous Tail our Cat has got
5. O give me not up
6. Come, come, forgive her!
7. Oh how easy is a woman
8. Now, now, or never save us, valiant Moore!
9. Fill the mighty flagon
Act Three
10. One Buss, dear Margery
11. Dragon! thus I dare thee – It is not Strength that always wins
12. Symphony – What nasty Dog has got into the Well
13. Oh ho! Master Moore, You Son of a Whore
14. Battle Piece
15. Oh! The Devil take your Toe
16. Oh, my Champion! how d’ye do
17. My sweet HoneySuckle
18. Most mighty Moore
19. Sing, sing, and rorio, An Oratorio
