An evening of programmes introducing tomorrow's broadcast from the Royal Opera House of Alexander Goehr 's new opera, which sets the text of Monteverdi's lost Arianna.
7.00 L'Orfeo
Monteverdi's favola in musica, based on Alessandro Striggio 's interpretation of the myth of Orpheus. Introduced by Christopher Page.
Instrumentalists from the King's Noyse and Concerto Palatino, director
Andrew Parrott
Acts 1 and 2 7.50 Interval
Christopher Page talks to Patrick Boyde about
Monteverdi's realisation of Striggio's libretto and his treatment of other texts, including Combattimento and LArianna.
8.05 Acts 3-5
Recorded at the 1993 Boston
Early Music Festival
9.00 Opera in the Making
The first of four glimpses this evening behind the scenes at the Royal Opera House, tracing the progress of Goehr's Arianna, and its production on stage where it is receiving five performances, directed by American stage director Francesca Zambello.
9.05 Spirit of the Age George Pratt talks to lain
Fenlon about Monteverdi's famous Lamento darianna and its extraordinary influence both on the composer in his later life and on many of his contemporaries.
9.40 Opera in the Making
A second visit to the Royal Opera House, where Goehr's Arianna is in production.
9.45 Hear and Now
Monteverdi and I
Alexander Goehr retraces the thread that has led him from his early experience of Monteverdi's music to his opera Arianna.
He looks at how other composers have reappraised Monteverdi's music and introduces his triptych of music theatre. Performers include
Penelope Walmsley-Clark , Susan Kessler , Martyn Hill, Stephen Varcoe , Nicholas Delve , Manning Wilson and Laurence Payne , with the women's voices of Singcircle and the Nash Ensemble, conductor
Lionel Friend.
Including at 10.30 and U.35 Opera In the Making Two further glimpses behind the scenes of Goehr's Arianna.