Janine Micheau (soprano)
Gladys Ripley (contralto)
Heddle Nash (tenor)
Eric Harrison (piano)
BBC Opera Chorus
(Trained by Alan G. Melville)
BBC Opera Orchestra (Leader, John Sharpe)
Conductor, Stanford Robinson
From the Royal Albert Hall, London

Though Bizet's opera The Fair Maid of Perth owes its plot to Sir Walter Scott 's novel, its atmosphere is anything but Scottish-in either sense of the adjective. Bizet, himself described 'The Fair Maid' as a detestable novel, but an excellent book, and he judiciously gave his music that Latin character which he was so adept at evoking. This suite, indeed, takes us south rather than north, with its clear-cut line, sparkling rhythm, and alternately langorous and invigorating melody.

Berlioz' great opera The Trojans was written 'on the Shakespearean model' from the narrative of the second and fourth books of the Aeneid. It is in two parts, to be performed on successive evenings, The Capture of Troy and The Trojans at Carthage. The Royal Hum and Storm is a mimed scene from the second part. In a woodland near Carthage Naiads are bathing in a sunlit stream. The sound of a hunt echoes in the distance, the Naiads disappear and the huntsmen cross the stage. A storm breaks, and Dido and Aeneas seek shelter in a cave, Aeneas renewing the vows of love that he is about to break. At the climax of the storm a flash of lightning strikes a tree and woodland spirits brandish its flaming branches. Clouds obscure the scene, the storm dies down, and as the mists clear the Naiads return to their woodland stream, and the sounds of the hunt echo in the far distance. The Trojan March is a concert-piece made by Berlioz from the ceremonial music associated with Dido's court.